Finding yourself scuba diving North of the Arctic circle in Norway is a little daunting initially. However, September in Narvik was quite mild at 15c day temp and around 7c at night.

Those of you that have dived Truk Lagoon, just imagine the intact Maru wrecks there. For anybody that knows of SS Thistlegorm in Sharm El Sheikh now picture her. Now you have a good idea of what the intact WWII wrecks in and around the Narvik habour has to offer by size, shape and ammunition but in slightly cooler water.

In 5 days I managed to complete 10 dives, on 10L twins, in 10c of water temperature in 10hrs 27mins. Mostly using 36% all week. Apparently the crew underestimated our stamina levels and thought we achieved alot of dive time and made the most out of using our twins. That was the reason for hiring them. Mind you I did have my DUI neoprene CNSE Hyper-compressed 1.5mm Drysuit, Weezle Extreme Plus Undersuit, Typhoon heated waistband, Fourth Element Xerotherm Vest, Fourth Element Xerotherm Top, Decathlon ski socks and Weezle Undersuit Socks, to keep me warm. Not forgetting a 5mm Body Glove hood and either my Dry Gloves or 5mm wet gloves.

At a glance Narvik is expensive full stop and especially to get there. We used a BA flight from LHW to Oslo (2hr) then change to a SAS Braathans flight to Narvik (1hr 20mins) and then a 1hr coach journey, costing £300. The Ferry option from Newcastle overnight with a cabin is a different option but you still have a long 600 plus mile drive north once the ferry arrives in Bergen, which takes 2 days of traveling each way.

Waiting at the coach terminal in Narvik Harbour was our Swedish skipper from MS Galten, which was also to be our Liveaboard for the week. As mentioned below she was a Swedish Navy vessel and was decked out with central heating in every room and very good, large undercover dive deck set-up area. Apart from the usual twin cabins, saloon area, kitchen dinner, alot of space, Galten includes a sumptuous sauna for those chilly days diving in Norway. We paid for a self-catering basis and had the nitrox fills to pay ontop. I think we had nitrox on every dive apart from one where we asked for an air top. The cost was £60 each for the week, partly because the boat does not have an 02 pump and alot of 02 was wasted. i.e the tanks were drained a bit each time to get a high enough % of 02 to make the blend. The cabins included lovely warm duvets with sheets and covers for everything. Plus a blanket if you really felt cold. The crew were quite meticulous about watching the divers all the time while underwater and greet you with a smile as you as you surface by the ladder. (Maybe it was a relief smile so they can now go in and get a warm drink and use the loo, who knows!)

Eating out is a problem in Narvik, and the self-catering option made available for Galten customers is highly recommended. You can also book full board. There are two shopping malls both with large supermarkets. But make sure you bring back your shopping bags as they charge per bag and tut at you if you ask for more than one bag. Fruit and veg was something I did not get enough of, but their sweet bread is something to eat in great quantities. Those caffeine lovers out there will be sadly disapointed with the strength of the coffee, yes bring your own. There are not many restaurants that can be recommended. There was an upstairs Pizza place where we had Spaghetti Bolognese for the first night, which must of had a whole pepper grinders contents in the sauce (Not nice). However, the Pizzas they do are equivalent to about £7.50 for a medium size, which was bigger than my plate, and I couldn't finish it off. (For those that know me well, yes you heard write I couldn't finish it off) Finding any Norwegian delicacy is very hard pushed in Narvik. The town is a shipping town and feels very 1960's.

The weather was very dreary for the first three days and we did feel it was quite depressing. Norwegians do have a high suicide rate. We mistakenly identified a Cafe, Souvenir shop, Internet Cafe for a charity shop. !! Now this place has Internet facilities, lovely cakes with your weak coffee and Viking Hats. Great place. What we didn't manage to see was the Northern Lights, common name for Aurora Borealis; the luminous, radiant emission from the upper atmosphere over middle and high latitudes, and centred around the earth's magnetic poles. These silent fireworks are often seen on clear winter nights in a variety of shapes and colours. However, we did experience a couple of nice sunsets as shown.

The Narvik War Museum was a very well thought out venue, and admission is included in the Galtten package. We had a private video show explaining the history of Narvik's involvement in WWII. Lots of the usual war items, such as guns, ammunition, uniforms, photos, props, army vehicles, medals etc. It makes you understand the history a little more as there is not a great selection of reading material to find. I do have a book called 'Classis of Naval Literature - Narvik, Published by Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, maryland, (ISBN 1-55750-744-9) Bit dated in the writing style but very informative and in a lovely dark blue hardback. I found it on Amazon. Plus the areal photos are very good.

About the diving, we covered each wreck pretty much in one dive as we had twin tanks on. Narik offers many types of wrrecks from cargo ships and destroyers (British, German, Swedish and Norwegian). Diving is officially restricted to those wrecks which have been cleared of live ammunition. In the Rombaksfjord now lies Hans Ludemann, Wolfgang Zienker, and Georg Thiele all German 1st Destroyers and Class Destroyers uncleared. Listed below are the wrecks we dived in the harbour area (which was all of them). Plus there are three wrecks in one, laying together just outside of the harbour. They had orignally sunk in the harbour and had been taken out, as they must have been obstructing the harbour area as shown below Narvik Harbour 1940. (Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp, Z22 Anton Schmitt, and Z17 Dieter von Roeder). British destroyers HMS Hunter and HMS Havock were sunk in a neighbouring fjord called Skjomgrund, but are too deep, dark and dangerous to explore i.e 300m. The violence of the battle was very evident on some wrecks with huge torpedo and blast holes such as S/S Neuenfels. Most of the wrecks were on their hulls and the seabed at around 28m and the decks around 12m. Hence the reason of doing an average of 60mins per dive, alot of multilevel diving opportunities available. Great for single tankers also, no need to be a Tec Diver. But it would be advantageous to have your Enriched Air Certification. Most of the wrecks you can gain access to their holds and good sized swim throughs would lead you from one hold to another.

Marine life consisted of carpets of soft coral such as Plumose anemone (Metridium senile). These look like mushrooms with a frilly top part usually orange or white. A favourite Cnidarians of mine was the sea anemones and one orange type called a beadlet anemone eats shrimp !. Another type seen was the Dahlia anemone (Urticina felina) which has a sturdy appearance, with its short aquat column covered in rather stout multicoloured tentacles. Again a fearce predator and can catch and devour active prey such as prawns and surprisingly small fish. Huge areas of the wrecks were covered with 13cm long mussels (bivalve mollusc), and thick kelp (very large brown algae or seaweed, often growing in oceanic "forests."). Many large Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) would swim past inquisitive to the new visitors. They are found in areas around Iceland and the Barents Sea, which is the most important feeding area. Another unusual fish we frequently saw with similar hiding behaviour characteristics to UK Conga was the Arctic Rockling - (Gaidropsarus argentatus), a most impressive beast.

If you swam close to the seabed you would definitely spot and swim with large Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa). I couldn't bring myself to make it become my next meal. And not to mention 1m Sharks (locally known as Spurdogs), yes Sharks can also be seen, these were around the Z19 Hermann Künne in the Herjangfjord. Deliberately beached by her captain to save the crew and prevent capture, then torpedoed by HMS Eskimo. The mangled bow is at the surface and the stern in 40m - the profile is perfect and there is lots to explore on a dive around the stern and back. I have seen on many occasion Dogfish and these sharks were not at all like a Dogfish. This wreck is fantastic for photographers as the clear water near the shallows produces dramatic rusty images. Also in the depths of the holds dripping rust (rusticles) paint a familiar picture we have seen before with the images of the Titanic. However, alot of good photos can be taken in shallow water when using natural light to paint a picture. Common prawn (Palaemon serratus) are hard to spot as they are small, see-through and shy, but those macro photographers would have seen them.

Unusual finds while we were diving but not on war wrecks were soles of shoes, piles of plates, bottles and the odd 'jack boot' (These are Nazi boots). Not so many 'displays' (small areas concentrated with finds such as china, bones, cloths, boots, and bottles) as the Truk wrecks would boast. But never the less if you look hard enough there are plenty of little things to find, bit like a treasure hunt and just as exciting. Please read our report of Truk from last year.

An interesting phenomenon was experienced at the beginning of every dive. A cooler Halocline (vertical zone of dense freshwater) layer on the surface, which made your eyes appear to see a blurred image. Once descended a couple of metres you were welcomed to the normal saline seawater. This is due to the Narvik Harbours quick tidal flows which was around 2-3m last week, and freshwater from the Fjords which is denser sitting ontop of the salty seawater. There is more movement of the surface layer when the tides are moving. The reason for this is due to extending an industrial area around the harbour mouth. The visibility was around 10m (apart from the Z19 Hermann Künne - 15-20m) not as we expected from the literature. But this was again because we were in the harbour area for most of the week.

What you will find is only one other dive boat but more than likely not doing what you are doing at all. Thus do you have the wrecks to yourself as we did. Unlike familiar Red Sea experiences I could mention. There are several wrecks, which are out of bounds to divers, as they have not been cleared of ammunition or remains. One reason is that HMS Hunter is 300m deep, and the others just don't attract the Norwegian Governments attention to clear them. They are not in any shipping lanes as they are tucked away in Fjords and do not cause a problem to the population. I had pondered the idea of getting an underwater explosive team together but I would need the finance. I have the manpower, technology, and contacts but not the finance. Maybe Dr. Robert Ballard would be interested?

Our overall experience of Norway was the diving is very good, because the wrecks are relatively intact and undived, offer alot of marine life, easy diving conditions that caters for all abilities, uncrowded and of course well worth doing. Don't get upset with the cuisine and the cost of the booze. One tipple to get in Duty free is the VikingFjord Vodka of Norway, made with pure glacial water. 40%vol and a 50%vol in smaller bottles costs 95 NOK (Norwegian Krone) or £9. Read the small print (made from Potatoes), well recommended. Probably good idea to buy on inward journey and another when you go home. Avoid the Danish mixed liquor - too many herbs. And make sure you plan a warm water sunny holiday after Norway. Hmm, I must book that Maldives trip in March soon....

MS Galten is a 24 metre purpose built diving boat that originally serviced the Swedish navy. She was totally renovated in 1996, and can accommodate 14 people in four cabins.

A large indoor changing area makes it warm and comfortable to get kitted up. There are hardly any current here so all diving is done directly from the boat.

The trips to Narvik are self catering and there is a fully equipped kitchen onboard. MS Galten will stay at port in Narvik every night and there are several restaurants and fast food options available in town. Prepared meals can be arranged for groups.

If you get cold after a long day of diving you can relax in the new sauna, watch your favourite film on the TV/DVD system or take a walk into Narvik city.

Most of the dives are in the 30m range and Norway can boast a upto 30m viz end of September each year. In the summer (June-August) temperatures in this region can reach a pleasant 25-28°C, but may occasionally drop as low as 3°C during the night (remember, this is above the Arctic circle!). The water temperatures are highest in August/September and will typically be in the range of 6-12°C at depth.

Your host - Henrik Svedin
Henrik Svedin is the owner of MS Galten and has been diving since 1989. He started his Narvik wreck diving operation in 1996, and has logged approx 850 dives on the wrecks in the area.

His last Trimix expedition was to the wreck of the Polish destroyer Orp Grom, with diving depths of 85-101 metres.

Link to dive report - Divernet

 

About Operation 'Weserübung' In April 1940, the fjords around Narvik were the scene of one of the most extensive naval battles during the Second World War. During a few days, more than 40 ships were sunk turning Narvik harbour into a gigantic wreck graveyard.

No other location in Norway can offer the same combination of wrecks and history as Narvik, and the remains of the battle are considered to be one of the top wreck diving sites in Europe.

The battle of Narvik
In the early hours of 9 April 1940 the Germans attacked Narvik and occupied the town without any resistance. When the news reached London later in the morning decisions were made to recapture Narvik as soon as possible.

During the following days two major attacks, led by the British Navy, caused severe damage to the German fleet and most of the merchant ships that were unfortunate enough to be in the area.

World class wrecks
The remains of these battles are today a paradise for wreck loving divers. Even though most of the wrecks were salvaged during and after the war, an impressive selection of wrecks is still present. Where else can you dive three German destroyers in just one dive!?

All diving is subject to permission by the local port authorities and it is strictly prohibited to remove anything from the wrecks. This together with relatively sheltered waters have kept these war memorials in a very good condition making it possible for divers to go back in time and take a first hand look at what happened here more than 65 years ago

Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp
Wilhelm Heidkamp was the command ship for the group of German destroyers attacking Narvik on the 9th April 1940. The destroyer was heavily damaged during the British counter attack, and sunk early in the morning on the 11th April.

She stands on her keel relatively intact, even though the stern was blown apart when she was torpedoed.

Size (length/width): 125m x 12m
Diving depth: 10-25m

Z22 Anton Schmitt
Anton Schmitt a German destroyer was sunk during the battle on the 10th April while anchoring in Narvik harbour. The stern was blown apart after the war, but the rest of the ship is relatively intact with an interesting wheelhouse to explore.

Size (length/width): 125m x 12m
Diving depth: 15-25m

Z17 Dieter von Roeder
Dieter von Roeder was a German destroyer sunk during the second battle on the 13th April while anchoring in Narvik harbour. Today only the mid section is left, but there are still many details to look at.

Size (length/width): 123m x 12m
Diving depth: 10-25m

S/S Romanby
Romanby was originally a British built steamer, and one of the many merchant ships sunk in Narvik during the battles in 1940. She is standing on her keel, and looked upon as one of the best wrecks to dive in Narvik. The engine room is easily accessible, and the open construction makes swim-throughs possible for most divers.

Size (length/width): 130m x 18m
Diving depth: 10-28m

S/S Neuenfels
Neuenfels was a German ore carrier torpedoed by HMS Havock on the 10th April. She stayed heavily damaged in the harbour until the second battle three days later when she was scuttled by the crew. With 11,600 tons she is the largest wreck in Narvik with holds that are easy to penetrate. The damage from the torpedo is quite an impressive view, and you can see both the propellers and the rudder sticking out of the mud.

Size (length/width): 143m x 18m
Diving depth: 10-28m

M/S Stråssa
Stråssa was a Swedish ore carrier sunk on the 10th April. She is standing on her keel next to Martha Hendrik Fisser. Parts of the wheelhouse are still intact, and tools and a lathe can be seen inside the engine room that lays open with easy access.

Size (length): 127m
Diving depth: 15-28m

S/S Martha Hendrik Fisser
Martha Hendrik Fisser was originally a British built steamship named Blackheat, but was serving as a German ore carrier when she was torpedoed by British destroyers inside the harbour area on the 10th April. She sits upright on her keel about 30 metres from Stråssa. The engine room and other sections of the ship can easily be penetrated by experienced divers.

Size (length/width): 118m x 16m
Diving depth: 10-28m

Z19 Hermann Künne
Herman Künne was part of the German fleet of destroyers that attacked Narvik. She was beached by the crew 13 April after she run out of ammunition. The wreck is located in the Herjangfjord and on low tide the bow breaks the surface.

Size (length/width): 125m x 12m
Diving depth: 0-40m

Photos courtesy of CarolineTrewhitt, Serena Barnard, and WWW