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Close-up of a plumose anemone's orange oral disc ringed by pale, translucent tentacles against blue water — Oslofjord

Oslofjord · Norway · Wall

Høvikvollen

A wall so thick with anemones in summer that the rock disappears

Area photo: Vidar A from Gozo, Malta · CC BY 2.0

Høvikvollen is a beach near Båtstø and one of the easiest dives on this stretch of the Oslofjord. A big lawn and sandy beach make kitting up simple, and the dive leads to a wall that in spring and summer is so covered in anemones the rock barely shows. Lobster, crayfish and plenty of starfish live here.

Also known as Hovikvollen.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Høvikvollen: typical dive to 20 m (to 66 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit20 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

59.7334° N, 10.5141° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Divers rig their gear on the lawn beside the sandy beach and enter from there, and underwater the bottom slopes very gently. Swimming left towards the house and its pier leads to a fine wall with some depth, 18 to 20 m. In spring and summer the wall is so full of anemones that the rock is hard to see. Straight ahead or to the right are smaller, shallower walls with crabs, flounder and small crayfish, and lobster, starfish, anemones and fish turn up across the site.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Høvikvollen
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimeFairFairFairFairFairPrimePrimePrimePrime

Season follows Oslofjord: Autumn and winter are usually the high season; September to March has the clearest water, April to October the warmest.

Know before you go

  • Boat traffic in summer, though relatively light compared with other sites in the fjord.

Sources

  1. Høvikvollen — Oslofjorden Dykkesenter
  2. Høvikvollen — OpenStreetMap

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