Skip to content
0
Diving in Norway / Cold-Water Diving
Preparation guide

Cold-Water Diving in Norway

Good cold-water diving begins with good preparation

Cold water is not simply an obstacle to overcome — it is part of what creates Norway's distinctive underwater environment. With the correct equipment, realistic dive planning and sufficient time between dives, cold-water diving can be comfortable and highly rewarding. This guide explains what to expect when diving with Bare Dykk in Skarnsundet.

Plan your dive trip View rental equipment

Conditions in Skarnsundet

Water temperature varies by season, depth and local conditions. Divers should generally prepare for temperatures within approximately 4–12 °C. Visibility also varies and may be influenced by:

  • Plankton
  • Rainfall and surface water
  • Wind and waves
  • Tide and current
  • Depth
  • Season

A range of approximately 5–15 meters is common, but both lower and higher visibility can occur. Visibility is never guaranteed.

PDF
Dive safety rules (Dykkevettreglene)Bare Dykk’s dive safety guidelines for planning and conducting dives. Norwegian.
Open safety rules (PDF)

Do I need a drysuit?

A drysuit is the normal choice for most diving in this area. You should be able to:

  • Control buoyancy while using a drysuit
  • Manage gas movement inside the suit
  • Use the inflation and exhaust valves correctly
  • Recover from excess gas in the legs
  • Maintain stable trim
  • Complete a controlled ascent
  • Deploy a DSMB where required

Divers who are certified but have limited recent drysuit experience should tell us before booking. An orientation or skills dive may be recommended before more demanding sites. A drysuit course or refresher can be arranged separately.

Recommended thermal protection

The correct undergarment depends on temperature, personal cold tolerance, suit type and planned runtime. A typical setup may include:

  • Moisture-wicking base layers
  • A suitable diving undergarment
  • Warm socks
  • A cold-water hood
  • Wet or dry gloves
  • Additional thermal protection for longer dives

Heated equipment may be available by prior agreement, but it should never replace an adequate passive insulation system.

Cold-water regulators

Regulators used in Norwegian conditions should be suitable for cold water and correctly maintained. Avoid unnecessary purging or heavy simultaneous gas use at the surface in freezing conditions. Rental regulator sets are configured for local conditions and must not be modified without agreement.

Managing cold during the dive

Start warm and dry, choose adequate thermal protection, keep runtime realistic, monitor yourself and your buddy, change wet base layers between dives, and end the dive before cold becomes a problem. Feeling significantly cold is a valid reason to end the dive.

Diving in current

Current is not constant across every site or depth. Some dives use carefully selected tidal windows; others are sheltered. We brief expected current, entry/exit, descent/ascent, team positioning, lost-team and DSMB procedures. Warm-water drift experience does not directly translate to cold-water tidal diving.

Coming from warm-water diving

Many visiting divers have extensive experience but limited time in a drysuit. Your first dive may therefore be planned as an orientation dive with moderate depth, a simple route, a controlled descent and ascent, time to adjust weighting, time to check thermal comfort, and an opportunity to evaluate the equipment. Progression to stronger current, deeper profiles or more complex locations is based on how the team performs in local conditions.

What to bring

We recommend bringing your own:

  • Mask
  • Dive computer
  • DSMB and reel
  • Personal base layers
  • Prescription lenses, if required
  • Hood and gloves if fit is important
  • Cutting device
  • Certification cards
  • Diving insurance details
  • Chargers and spare batteries

Complete and partial rental setups are available by prior agreement.

Are cold-water dives suitable for beginners?

Certified recreational divers can experience Norwegian cold-water diving, but the selected dive must match their training and experience. Newly certified divers are normally offered conservative profiles; more demanding current, greater depth or more complex terrain requires additional experience and relevant training. The purpose of the first dive is not to prove anything — it is to establish comfort, weighting, communication and control.

Request a cold-water dive trip Rent cold-water equipment
Request a dive trip

Plan your dives in Skarnsundet

Tell us your dates, your team and the type of diving you want to do. We reply with availability and a realistic program – no obligation.

Or email info@baredykk.no · call +47 458 02 787