Norwegian Nonsense

By Scott Laddiman

How on earth do you describe Norway? Somebody once said to me Norway was like, Scotland on Steroids and that is the best description I have heard.

Since the wife is from Bergen, I already knew a bit about Norway and its fantastic scenery and culture. I decided to book on the expedition my local dive shop, Aberdeen Watersports, was advertising after hearing rumours of 30m visibility and hundreds of wrecks to explore. After discussion with the wife, we decided to take the car as we were going to spend time with family and friends once I returned from my trip.

The day finally arrived and I was glad of a few days off my work before heading down to the Newcastle ferry. It took me a day to pack the car and we needed a 3am start to be able to meet the ferry in time. Insurance, documents, tickets, passports, GB sticker, light beam deflectors, warning triangle, height of Land Rover all checked. Twin set, stage, Aquazepp and rest of dive kit plus clothes for two adults and one 3 year old with a selection of toys to keep him amused for a 24 hr crossing. The Land Rover was packed to the roof and the suspension under some serious load! 280 miles later we arrived at Newcastle ready for a relaxing sail across the North Sea. After a brief security check which ensured that my dive knife was placed in a secure place and my tanks were empty we were directed onto Fjord Line's ferry. My measurement of my Land Rover was thankfully correct as we just squeezed into the car deck.

I was pleasantly surprised with the ferry as it had several restaurants and nighttime entertainment and adequate accommodation. Our son spent most of the trip in the kids play area while we could watch by the bar! We met up with some of the others on the dive trip and spent most of the night drinking the duty free we were suppose to be keeping for the trip! I was glad I packed some headache tablets for the morning!

It didn't seem long until we were docking at Bergen and were getting offloaded and were getting use to driving on the 'wrong' side. We were to meet The Jane R in two days time so we took the opportunity to see family while the rest of the gang went for a shore dive near to where they were staying and recovered enough Scallops to feed an army.

We met up with the rest of the team who flew over and waited for the Jane R to arrive back in Bergen. Jane R Website. She sailed back into Bergen at the exact time Gordon the skipper had predicted and proceeded to load all our equipment onto our home for the next week.

Thankfully there was still some duty free left, as you cannot really afford to drink much in Norway as you can expect to pay at least £5 for a beer. See- Bergen Website

With everyone settled in we departed for the wreck called the Barnefels. A nice sheltered spot for a shake down dive. We all jumped in ready to be amazed at the viz but found ourselves in viz which was similar to a muddy quarry. Had we been sold a duff trip? All of a sudden we descended below 10m and we were amazed to see the viz turn crystal clear and an awesome site of the Barnefels was below us!!

Once we were back onboard the excitement for the next day was overwhelming. I received a call earlier from Matt Duke who is a resident Brit in Bergen and runs Diving in Norway It just so happened that a bunch from the student club were having a BBQ on the Island called Fedja, so Gordon dropped us off to meet Matt and the others for BBQ which included toasted marshmallows and freshly caught fish. We returned the hospitality with a bottle of fine Scottish single malt whisky, which went down a treat. I was a little concerned at the mentality of the group when I discovered that earlier in the day one of them had just done a 70m free dive and another had canoed miles to get to the party and two male Norwegians were spotted having a chat outside the sauna totally naked. We escaped the madness for a while by climbing the nearby lighthouse and taking in the breathtaking view. Fedja has been voted one of the top 10 places to 'get away' from it all. Just make sure the Student club aren't booked on the Island the same day!

The next day we were all up early and buzzing with excitement and Gordon dropped us on the Kilbulk wreck. She was quite small but had an interesting chequer pattern on her deck and we discovered her bow section completely upside down. The viz was excellent again below 10m. The afternoon dive on the Bandak was very frustrating as we descended on her we immediately found several port holes scattered around the sea bed but since Norway has a very strict no take policy we only took photos. By this time we knew Norway was going to be a very special place to dive but the best was yet to come. Some of the group decided to finish off the day by climbing on of the mountains close by. I wasn't sure if this was a good idea after the days diving!!

The following day we descended on the Frankenwald. This is Norway's equivalent to Egypt's Thistlegorm!! The Frankenwald is a German cargo ship, which sank in 1940 after hitting a rock. She is approx 100m long and is well worth a couple of dives on her. The stern is particularly interesting and the mast still stands high and is only a few metres from the surface. Since Norway has its strict look but no lifting of items this makes all the wreck especially good as everything is still there. This is obvious on the Frankenwald and she makes an amazing dive! We elected to stay and do two long dives on her before head on.

Just as we thought things couldn't get any better we headed up to Floro and dived the Wilhelm. She is a massive 7000-ton wreck lying on her Port side and her bows are in about 12m while her stern is in 70m!! One image I will never forget is following the wreck down and seeing the bridge come into view. It is huge and an awesome sight. Just behind the bridge is an anti aircraft gun which is in about 45m and is a good point to turn the dive and head back unless your lucky enough to have helium and want to see the stern.

The next day's diving was very much limited due to the fact the night before rather a vast amount of alcohol was consumed. The 17th of May is Norway's national day and once it became known we had a selection of good Scottish whisky onboard, we had half the local pub back to our boat and I think the last one left around 5am! Gordon the skipper must have planned this as he had a shallow dive ready for us to do. Gordon had been trying to find an old Bristol Beau Fighter plane and so far had been unsuccessful. He found an old local who remembered the war and had a good idea where the plane went down. He kindly agreed to come with us in the morning and help us search for the plane. After about 20 mins search we stumbled across the remains of the plane in about 20m and sent up a DSMB to mark the spot for Gordon.

Once back onboard 'Svien' the local guy tried to tell us the story and we were amazed to find out the two pilots survived and were helped by some local farmers and hidden from the Germans for as long as they could until one needed medical treatment.

We were also astonished to find out that the plane had actually taken off from an airfield very close to our home and was part 144 squadron that took part in the 'Black Friday' sortie. To read detailed accounts see - The Website

We were all so amazed by the Wilhelm on the earlier dive we decided to have a second dive on her the next day. Since we all planned a fair amount of deco I decided to clip some 'reading' material on the shot line for later. We swam down to the guns and spent a good while exploring the wreck although we didn't venture into her holds too far as all we could see was black abyss and we could have easily lost our way. All too soon time was up and we headed back to the shot. Ah problem! We had been use to poor viz from surface to about 10m and today was no exception. After spending a good 5 mins looking for the shot line and letting our deco increase we elected to deploy our DSMB. Rather embarrassed 20 mins or so later we surfaced and had a lengthy swim back to the boat. My 'reading' material would have to stay for another day!

The afternoon dive was on a small fishing boat called The Solverg 2, not too much to see on her but a nice 2nd dive. Interesting to see the Ghetto Blaster still tied to the bridge. I wondered what they were listening to when she sank? We moored up in the middle of absolutely nowhere and from the only house we could see came a friend of Gordon's. He has friends in some strange places! Some of the group went hunting for scallops again and brought back several goodie bags full.

Where else would you find two wrecks on one dive and depths from 12m to 60m. This was the wrecks of the Ferndale and Parat. The Ferndale struck a rock and the rescue boat 'The Parat' was trying to pull her off the rock when a fighter spotted them and sunk them both. The Ferndale's bow is at 12M and her stern is at 40m where you can look down onto the seabed and see The Parat, which sits on the seabed at 60m. If there is ever a dive that is perfect for a bounce dive then this is it! You can descend down the shot line to the Ferndale's Stern and if you are qualified and your head lets it then you can sneak across to the Parat's bridge, which is at 50m.

Most of our group had a quick peak at the Parat and one single tank diver who shall be nameless was spotted on the seabed! Once you have had a look at the Parat you can then spend your whole decompression and ascent diving around the Ferndale. VR3 owners beware as a couple of divers missed their deep stops, as they were too busy exploring the Ferndale. There is a nice model of the Parat in the Bergen Maritime Museum and the Museum is well worth a visit.

After such an excellent week the group decided to crack open the beer and cancel the afternoons dive. Anyway anything after the Ferndale and Parat would have been a disappointment!

Gordon the skipper had another surprise up his sleeve. He rigged up a rope and an old door and found a quiet Fjord. He tied the rope to his liveaboard and the group went wake boarding for an hour. As we were feeling the chill he then set up the boats Jacuzzi!!!! This is the first liveaboard I have ever had a Jacuzzi and it felt great to sit back and watch the Norway scenery up to my neck in bubbles and piping hot water.

If you ever go on the Jane R do not miss out on this luxury!!

The week was finished off by a meal at a local restaurant which I have to say was excellent. It sparked off an interesting debate with the group as 'Whale' was on the menu! The debate continued to the bar next door and eventually stopped once enough drinks had been consumed. The next day was spent packing and getting ready to leave. This had to be the most quite the whole group had been all week and I am sure a high level of depression had set in to most of the group. It had been an excellent week with great company, amazing diving, incredible scenery, and brilliant food.

Before we left the boat we had booked two trips for next year. One back to Bergen and another up to Narvik. By the time the group got back to the UK. Both trips were almost full. If Liveaboards are not your thing then don't worry as the Bergen area has several dive shops and dive centres. See- Here , Here, Here , Kosdykk Tel-0047 93250865 and the Bergen Froskamann School.

There is just hundreds of shore dives as well and any of the shops will help you find them or have a look at Matt Duke's web site for dives sites around the Bergen area.

I had explored some amazing underwater sights and now jumped in my Land Rover and headed off for some topside exploration. The land based trip was brilliant and I do not have enough space here so I will just tell you my route, if you ever want to see what Norway has to offer on the surface-

Route-
Bergen to Voss (ski resort) then Ulvik to Bruravik, took ferry to Brimnes then drove to Eidsfjord (Quality hotel) (nature centre and film + amazing restaurant opposite) and up to big waterfall - Voringsfossen.
Down to kiddies play centre, Kinsarvik. Then ferry to Kvandal.
Along Norheimsund (big waterfall called Steindalsfossen)(walked under waterfall).
While driving towards Bergen you also go passed (brides vale waterfall 'brudesloeret' other name-fossenbratten) back to Bergen.

All too soon I was on the ferry heading back and my thought of a quiet crossing was stopped when I found out it was a Harley Davidson bike trip and there must have been hundreds of Bikers boarding at Bergen and Stavanger for the trip to the UK. I think they drank the bar dry! Back on solid ground in UK and back home after a brilliant 2 weeks in Norway. This trip is with out a doubt one of my best ever. I will be back very soon!

Some general notes on travelling around Norway-
Credit cards not accepted at all petrol stations
Many tunnels!!
Lights on car must be on at all times.
Low speed limits 80 KPH max.
Caution with major hills and use low gears.
Bring wide-angle lens for camera.
Local ferry costs vary depending on route and passengers in car.
Timetables for ferry are important as not all run regularly.
Several places for accommodation along route but check availability during peak summer seasons.


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