White Sea · Russia · Channel & pass · Drift · Kelp forest
Velikaya Salma Strait
Sponge and hydroid gardens fed by a strong tidal flow
Velikaya Salma Strait is a current-swept channel near Nilmoguba where the strong flow supports sponges and hydroids of many species alongside Laminaria digitata kelp. The current is strong and can become very strong, so the strait is run as an advanced dive for divers at ease in moving water.
Also known as Great Salma Strait.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows White Sea and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The strait runs from 6 m to 24 m at low tide, with Laminaria digitata kelp. Sponges and hydroids of many species, the fauna of strong currents, grow here, and skeleton shrimps (Caprellidae), nudibranchs and bristle worms live among them.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows White Sea: Ice diving runs February to April while the sea ice holds; summer diving is by speedboat, with the water warmest in July.
Know before you go
- Current in the strait is strong and can turn very strong; tidal flow between the islands reaches 4 m/s.
Sources
- Dive sites — The Arctic Circle Dive Centre
More dive sites in White Sea
Pinnacle
A lone rock carpeted in plumose anemones
Ice hummocks under a cliff shaped like a mammoth
A kelp-topped wall falling into deep water
Deep anemone and soft-coral colonies far out from Nilmoguba
Sea angels drifting over a kelp forest
Kelp forest
Fucus shallows above a slope into deep water
Wreck
A Yaroslavets diving boat from a biological station
Reef
Rare Gorgon's head brittle stars among Arctic soft corals
Similar dives elsewhere
Drift the channel either way, depending on flood or ebb
Bridge pylons and an 18 m artificial reef, dived at slack or as a tidal drift
Swim straight into a giant tidal pothole
Drift
Vevangstrømmen
Kristiansund & the Atlantic Ocean Road · Norway
A tide-driven ride through a narrow pass