Here’s a report from my first ice diving trip and first dive trip to Norway which I did in 2005.  Although a couple of years old I thought you might enjoy it.

Norway is known for its beautiful scenery, deep fjords and its winter ice.  The perfect combination for ice diving.

When I first mentioned about a trip to dive under the ice in Norway, I had either one of two responses, “Great, that sounds really interesting – I’d love to do that”, or “You must be completely mad.”

Having returned from throwing ourselves through a hole cut in the ice, and being lashed to the end of a line, the guys in the first camp got it right – it was great, and contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t that cold either.

That probably had something to do with Norway experiencing its warmest winter since 1913, and ice being at a bit of a premium. So the first challenge was finding some ice to dive under.

Step into the fray, Øyvind Carlson, our ice diving instructor, and jolly, laid-back Norwegian bloke to boot.  Øyvind knew where to find the ice, but first, we had a check-out dive to complete.

We flew from Heathrow to Oslo where we experienced Norway’s super efficient Rail Express to the centre of the city.  We could learn a thing or two from Norway’s rail infrastructure.  The trains were prompt, clean and extremely comfortable.  Best of the entire 20 minute trip only cost about £4.00.

Then first thing I noticed was that whilst there was ice and snow surrounding the city, the streets were devoid of such slipping hazards.  I later discovered that the main streets of Oslo have a hot water pipe system running under the walkways and pavements which ensure the streets remain ice free.  The Norwegians really know how to cope with extreme cold temperatures. Even when you learn to drive in Norway you are taught how to manage skids caused by icy roads.

Along the coast, warm winds that come from the sea keep most of the small coastal towns free of long periods of snow and ice.  Whilst further inland areas are covered with snow all year round. All of the areas I travelled to were very green and we were always in site of a tree.

Fishing and forestry playing a major part of the Norwegian economy.  Commercially  grown pine trees cover large sections of lowland area and add to the picturesque views, especially around the edges of the lakes and fjords.

Norway is also one of Europe’s largest produces of petroleum due to its massive oil reserves, making the Norwegians one of Europe’s richest nations.  This is reflected in the high cost of living.  More of that later.

 We gathered at Hydra Dive Centre on the Tuesday morning for a day of ice diving theory, covering the safety factors and procedures necessary to dive in an overhead environment where you need to ensure you always know where your entry and exit hole can be located.  That sorted we spent the next couple of hours checking out our dive kit, most of which we had taken ourselves.  I was using Poseidon Cyclon 5000 metals as my regs.  No environmental sealing.

The dive centre issued us with our 15 litre air cylinders and a small 3 litre back up ‘pony’ cylinder.

Kit sorted, we were introduced to our two Divemasters who were assisting for the course – Trond and Bård (pronounced Bord), but we called him Bob – it’s easier.  Needless to say, almost perfect English spoken by all, especially Bob who did a great impersonation of Michael Caine - “I only told you to blow the bloody doors off” - we heard this a lot.

With the van loaded up, we headed south from Oslo to one of the dive sites used by Hydra, about 40 minutes from the centre of the city, in a spot called Drøbak.

 Drøbak is a very picturesque coastal resort where the Norwegians spend time on their vacation to get away from hectic life in Oslo.

This is where Hydra conducts most of their dive training and is a great location just across from the main fjord where the vessel carrying “heavy water” was sunk and made famous by Kirk Douglas in the film Heroes of Telemark.

On the way, Øyvind stopped to check the ice in Oslofjord, one of the regular sites for ice diving and where we hoped to be diving the following day.  Up until the week before, there was no ice at all. When we pulled up to investigate there was plenty of ice, the question was, how thick was it?

Ice needs to be 8cm thick to support one person, 13cm will support three or four people evenly spread out, 15-20cm thick for safe ice diving, and 30cm will carry a car.

However there is only one way of finding out how thick the ice is and that is to get out there and drill a small hole.

We donned our diving dry suits, in case we fell through the ice, and got ready to go out onto the ice to investigate. With a look of faint trepidation on his face, Øyvind stepped out onto the ice first, after all he was getting paid for this, and was still there a few seconds later.  It looked good and with a cold night ahead, we looked to be OK for the following day.

 Off to the training site for two training dives and some practice with rope safety signas and safety diver techniques.  Not a bit of ice to be seen.

Each pair of divers has a 30m line, which is attached to two ice screws fixed to the ice.  One diver acts as the leader and communicator with the surface (by way of rope pulls) and the other just follows along like an obedient puppy.

Øyvind wanted to make sure that we were happy with the lines and so we all went in and spent the first dive just hooking and unhooking the line and making sure that we could swim as a buddy pair without getting tangled in the lines.

Hydra’s open water site at Drøbak is ideal with a wooden deck and ladder to get in and out, and training platforms located at 2 metres and 6 metres beneath the water.  Even better, there’s a small wreck and a reef in about 12 metres, all with a ring of underwater lights, so you can always tell where you are and how to get back, notwithstanding the fact that the visibility was at least 12 metres – something not always experienced in our normal UK dive sites.

Onward from the far side of the reef, the site deepens off to over 30 metres and even deeper if you were intrepid enough and trained to go further.

Satisfied with our performance on the first plop, Øyvind let us loose for the second dive, but did add a bit of spice to the proceedings.

The water temperature was 3 degrees at the surface, and about 5 degrees at depth, and diving with full face masks, Øyvind wanted us to practice some emergency safety drills in case we had a failure on the face mask.  Full face masks keep your face fully covered and keep all that very cold water off your face.  We were asked to removed the face mask underwater and switch to a backup mask and regulator, all in the near freezing water.

 This was quite entertaining, and speaking from personal experience, like having your head hit with a sledgehammer as the cold water hits your face.  The shock has been known to make some people stop breathing as they can not catch their breath. Something you don’t forget in a hurry; still, a useful skill to be able to complete in freezing water!

Free flowing regulators are a real issue when ice diving, as the water temperature just under the ice can be 0 or even -1 degree Celsius. A free flowing regulator is one that sticks open due to ice formations in the regulator.  The regulator then sticks open as a safety feature to ensure air is continuously available, albeit in an uncontrolled manner.

If the air temperature on the surface is at or below freezing, even one or two hard breaths on the reg can induce free flows, and the “cold-zone” under the ice’s surface further induces temperature drop in the regulator first stage. 

As you dive deeper, away from the covering of ice, the water temperature warms slightly and  never drops below 2 or 3 degrees, the problem is less pronounced.

All checked out and ready to go ice diving, we retired to the dive centre and promptly the pub next door to complete the theory.

Now, Norway is not a cheap country; in fact it is one of the most expensive countries in the world in which to eat and drink out.

Here are a few price comparisons for you:-

Beer (0.5 litre)                 £5.60

Restaurant starter          £9.00

Steak main course          £28.00

 

A meal out with a beer can cost you £50, so be warned (or rich) before you go to Norway.  Having said that, the people are very laid back and very friendly, so that helps make up for the dented wallet.  Also, they, as a nation, have no external debt, so that can’t be a bad thing.  Now we know how they manage that!

One tip is to seek out and drink at the micro-breweries.  These are small pubs that brew their own beer on site. Not only do they have a large selection of beer but the price is only two thirds that of the main stream pubs.

Another tip; don’t expect to sample typical Norwegian cuisine too often.  No, they don’t eat herring and elk, they mostly live on Ostpølse (cheese hotdogs) and pizza, but the strange fact is we didn’t see an overweight Norwegian the whole time we were there.  They must burn off the calories in other ways as they are a very outdoors orientated nation.

Second day and the first of our ice dives, which was to be at the Oslofjord site we had checked the day before.

First job, clear a 5 metre circle of snow around the site of the proposed entry and exit hole. 

Next, cut a triangular hole with a chainsaw, with sides about 3 metres long.  The triangle is long and narrow which makes getting out easier as you back yourself into the acute angle, giving yourself something to push down on and  leverage yourself out.

Then, mark 15 metre and 30 metre diameter circles by clearing the snow.  These are joined by clearing 8 spokes out from the centre, ending up with what looks like a wagon wheel. This makes a clear landmark from under the ice and if, god forbid, the line is lost, you can use the surface markings to navigate your way back to the hole.  They are highly visible from under the ice as black lines, the spokes acting as a guide to the centre, where the hole can be found.

Three pairs of ice screws are fixed to the surface. One set for the dive team, one pair for the safety divers (always ready kitted and clipped on to the line to respond in case of emergency) and a third pair for the instructor.

 Then it’s kitting up time, a waddle or shuffle to the hole and in.

The Oslofjord site is blessed with a 40 metre long wreck right under the hole, so there was plenty to look at, while making sure that the line doesn’t get snagged around the superstructure of the wreck.

Two dives completed, and back to the pub for “traditional” Norwegian pizza.

The following day, we headed one and a half hours south to Halden, just 2 kilometres from the Swedish border.

Set in evergreen forest, the location of the fresh water lake was truly beautiful.  The ice here was thicker too and being fresh water, much stronger.  The Norwegians call this fresh water ice, ‘steel ice’.  None of the creaking and cracking of the previous day’s ice was to be heard.

 The team swung into action and the site was prepared, hole cut and kit set up in double quick time.  Well about two hours instead of the previous days 4 hours.  Did I mention there was a lot of preparation before you can dive beneath ice?

The site at Halden is a rocky slope with no fish life or wreck, but much clearer water, although when we dived there was an amount of algae in the water giving it the distinctive green colour. 

Somewhat more proficient in our abilities under the ice we took the opportunity to stay just under the frozen surface and play games like underwater football or walking upside down on the ice.

 Trond was very adept at the football lark, and the walking upside down is not as easy as you may think.  You have to inflate your dry suit and force yourself upside down to make your feet buoyant, something we always try to avoid normally.

All dives completed and paperwork done, Øyvind took our photos and we were issued with an Ice Diving Specialty card by PADI the very next day.

Friday was a free day and so we took in a bit of culture and visited the Viking Long ship museum, Norwegian Maritime Museum, “Fram” Museum and Kon-Tiki Museum.  Oslo has a wealth of museums, most being of a maritime nature as you would expect from a seafaring nation.

I would recommend buying an Oslo pass.  This gives you free access to museums and attractions as well as free public transport.  Passes are valid for either 24, 48 or 72 hours and cost either 195, 285 or 375 Kr for adults or a 24 hour family pass for 395 Kr.  Children prices are just under half that of an adult.

Passes can be purchased at most hotels as well as tourist information offices that are dotted around the city.

The Fram Museum was excellent, very well laid out with the centre piece being a huge wooden sailing vessel, the ‘Fram’.

The Fram was the vessel used by Roald Amundsen in his dash to be the first to the South Pole, narrowly beating Scott there. 

Quite strange to see his cabin on the boat which was small and compact. Even stranger was the fact that the ship was equipped with a piano – essential kit for the Antarctic explorer supposedly.

The Norwegians have a rich maritime heritage, with the fifth largest maritime fleet in the world.  All of this in a country of less than 4 million people, with one of the lowest population densities in Europe.  Less than 10 persons per square mile.

The Kon-Tiki Museum featured the balsa raft used by Thor Heyerdal to cross the Pacific Ocean in 1947, demonstrating that ancient peoples had the means to travel vast distances.

It was incredible to look at this frail and vulnerable structure and think that it travelled thousands of miles across an unforgiving ocean. 

Interestingly, among the listed crew were the usual navigator, cook, doctor and then oddly, a knot specialist.  Essential for a balsa raft held together with natural fibres and twine.

Incidentally, Norway won it’s only Oscar for the documentary about the 1947 expedition.

The Friday evening saw a gathering at the dive centre where we were shown a film of a previous year’s ice diving expedition.

The ice on this expedition was 1.2 metres thick, and necessitated two goes with the chainsaw to get through it.

The first cut was made and the blocks removed and then, standing in the hole, a second cut was completed to get through to the water.  The air temperature that year was 15 degrees below and with a brisk breeze, the wind-chill made the air temperature more like minus 25 or 30 – very much “free flow” territory.

Now that’s ice diving!

Where next?  Perhaps Norway again, but the north for a change of scenery and some diving around the Lofoten Islands, or perhaps Canada – a lot cheaper when you get there and with some real ice conditions.

Resources:

Oslo dive centre:

Hydra Dykkesenter AS

Web Site: www.hydra.no