Norway trip report

Friday

I arrived in Gateshead to meet up with Chris, Karin, Andy and Brian. After loading our kit in the van Liz’s parents served up a delicious lunch.

After a delicious lunch Chez Rimer we set off and met up with everyone else at the port. Having had a very busy couple of weeks at work I found the prospect of being captive on a boat with a booked bunk a very pleasing prospect and determined to get value for money and catch up on my sleep. Little did I realise that Ms Mutter had the same idea and, ever competitive, was set to outdo previous silly records, this time being "how much is it possible for one person to sleep in a week and still do some diving". More of that later.

We had a long but steady crossing, the high points of which were the strange Norwegian people in the bar and Helen’s capacity for vomiting whilst undertaking a training course. "Andy can you just stop talking about dil-flushes and PPo2 whilst I go and chuck up".

It was a long but steady crossing, everyone was very tired so an early night had by most…


Saturday

We arrived in Bergen 2;30 pm. The weather was bright and sunny and we walked round harbour past the local fish market, witnessing the full range of Norwegian sea life on sale for tonight’s dinner, to find the Jane R. Gordon had made a few improvements since I was last on board; a redecorated saloon, and the sundeck was finished too.

After a good team effort of getting all the kit on board and stashed away there was enthusiastic talk of a early evening dive on a scenic wall round the back of Fedje Island. By the time came it was getting kind of late and apathy seemed to be the order of the day. However, never been known to pass up the opportunity to go diving, I was still with the plan and looking for accomplices. Finally, just myself and Gareth and Rob went. This became a theme for the rest of the week and thumbs up to Gareth for being the only other diver to do every dive on offer (as well as a serious midnight mountain climb). It’s nice to have another person on board who is always up for everything. The wall was unimpressive but there were lots of scallops on the sandy bottom. We collected a few but had neglected to bring any goodie bags with us. I managed to get 6 into my dry suit pockets but couldn’t carry any more. Gareth had 8 in his hands and at this stage I decided to launch the blob since Gordon asked us to only do 30 minutes. For some bizarre reason, probably communication failure due to inability to do hand signals when your hand s are full of scallops, Gareth decided to launch his too, as well as carry all his scallops. The combination of trying to keep hold of all the seafood in addition to reeling in his reel gave Gareth the air of a Scallop juggler!

We moored up at Fedje island for the night. It’s a really pretty place and looks like Lego land.

Gordon promised us a local night out, but by the time I was showered he had already gone and we couldn’t find the right bar so, after one very expensive beer in a bar that was dead quiet, an early night beckoned.

Sunday

After a decent nights sleep we have breakfast and team discussion of the day’s dive plan. We agreed to steam for most of the morning to get to the Frankenwald, as Gordon recommended that it was worthy of a few dives.

So people checked out their dive kit, rested some more and just checked out the Norwegian scenery as we steamed north on the Jane R. I took the chance to chat to Gordon and discuss our itinerary for the week. Also I made a start on the notes for the Nitrox blending course I was doing with Chris.

We finally dived about 2pm. The wreck is 42m to sea bed and about 26-30 to the deck. I was diving with Chris and Karin.

First dive, we had a bit of faffing in the water, and then we get sorted and dropped in down the anchor line attached to the stern of the Jane R. This went to the stern of the Frankenwald. As we descended down the line the wreck came into view. It‘s massive! No, it’s really massive, and the fact that you can see it all is somewhat overwhelming.

We did two dives on this wreck on Sunday, the later one after dinner, not a night dive or even a dusk dive really since it didn’t seem to get dark. Gordon had talked us all into going for a walk up a hill to see rock perched on top that looks like you could push it off, but when you get then it’s about 200 tonnes. Everyone else dipped out so just Gareth and I went. It was a bit steep in places, incredibly steep in others and sheer at times and I would have liked my rock boots, a harness and a rope, but we got up there to see this bizarre rock and amazing views in all directions. The others missed a treat here and we glad that we did it. When we returned to the Jane R it was about 1am and still light despite the fact that the sun had set.

After a hot shower we settled down in the saloon and had a drink with Gordon and I learnt a lot about Jet engines (from Gareth) and coal mines (from Gordon).

Monday

We all got up early and finished filling tanks before an enthusiastic third dive on Frankenwald. I usually dive nitrox but I took air for my back gas so that I could go down into the holds more (and also to test if I get as narked in good viz as I do in UK viz). A successfully experiment which again proved that I am a susceptible to nitrogen narcosis as I am to alcohol...Yep, a total light-weight! At 38m my heart was pounding and my head decidedly not right. Also my air consumption went through the roof. As previously agree with my buddies, I ascended to view the shallower part of the wreck, had a steady bimble and returned to the Jane R via the stern line.

We steamed for a couple of hours to dive the Solvang III. A little coaster in 20m or so. Took EAN 38 and felt a lot better for it. Viz was not great (for Norway)but it was a tidy little wreck.

There was a swim through underneath the wreck about 18m and saw a pretty spider crab there. I spent a lot of time just looking at the fishies in the kelp.

I ended the dive looking for the island, as the dive plan was to meet up at the back of the island, although the viz was great at depth it was rather reduced in the shallows due to plankton bloom. I was just about to come up when I found it and glad I did. It was covered with huge plumose Anemones, massive, on really long stalks with loads of life around the wall.

We only dived to twenty something metres but you can see to the sea floor at around 70 lots! The wreck stands on its beam ends, completely on its side and intact.

It was amazing viz and we spotted a conger eel in a tube and there were loads of fish.

At this stage the weather was still fine and sunny, although a bit breezy so not warm enough to make use of the sundeck.

We stayed overnight in Flora harbour, another beautiful Norwegian port.

Wednesday

The plan was to do just one dive today , again on the Wulheim, and everyone else wanted to go deep deep deep. I agreed with Chris and Karin to jump in with them but to then peel off and solo as I had done previously, with additional redundancy being provided by a separate stage of nitrox.

There was a fast current on surface and we went straight down the shot to the wreck at 38m. I descended a little more but then peeled off on my own. ~Odd being at 40m alone and a bit narked so I steadily ascended to 30m where happiness returned. I had a lovely explore on my own, bumping into all the others at the end of the dive and ascended up the shot. There was a fast current pulling the shot under and I reached the buoy which by now was a t a depth of about 6m. Having cleared my deco obligation I had to let go and ride the current to the surface. It was a lovely dive and enjoyed diving solo again. It’s amazing how fine it feels with an independent air source, especially when everyone else wants to dive deep and I am so happy in the shallows.

We stayed overnight in Askvoll: A really quiet place, lots of houses but you hardly see a soul about.

Thursday

We had agreed to get up early to dive at 08:00! In order to fit in three dives this day

Dive one

Wreck ~Tirifjord, my dive number 299… famous for having a nice intact ships wheel. Should have been visible from the bottom of the shot but we managed to miss it. We found it later! Gareth got a bit tangled in fishing line and I used shears to cut him free. It was another large wreck, with remains of a breeze block building on the deck. Swimming along the deck there was a vehicle on its side and then a large open hold. At 100 bar we turned back to return towards the shot. Rob pointed out a wolf fish in one of the holds which we photographed.

Breakfast was welcome. Two mugs of tea and porridge. Followed by briefing for next dive, the Macbeth.

We checked out some little inlets on the way round and squeezed under a bridge that only just cleared the mast.

As we filled the cylinders for the next dive the weather started getting worse and worse. It was very windy and rainy with the sea state getting rougher and rougher. Dive two (the Macbeth) we canned due to the sea state, which would have made it too difficult to get back on the boat, so dive three, The Havda, became dive two. It’s a shallow wreck with bones from German soldiers bodies which were being transported on the boat (ie it was carrying dead bodies when it sunk). I dived in a trio with Helen and Karin. Nice shallow bimble but viz not as good as it was earlier in the week. This was my 300th dive!

Dive three became Grunsveld (just a wall next to where we harboured the boat). It became an after-dinner dive and eventually just Gareth and Dave and I participated. It was great. A steep wall, which we descended to a sandy bottom at 30m, which deepened as we went along. The wall was not hugely populated but viz was great. At the bottom we saw loads of hermit crabs scuttling about. We followed along for about 20 minutes ascending to about 20 metres. We turned round here and found a sandy plateau at about 12 metres which had lots more crabs and three large skates ( or thornback rays?), which were beautiful and offered some great photographic opportunities.

Friday

First dive Ferndale and Parat. We descended down the shot to 38m and looked over the bow to see the tug boat Parat below the Ferndale. Steady bimble up the wreck of the Ferndale ending up in the shallows and kelp around the island. Switched to rich mix and deco-ed happily whilst finding nudibrancs, fish and crabs. The Halocline here was really apparent. Not just the woooo fuzzy water mixing effect but also a clear line was visible which you could put your head over and under… which I did to comic effect.

Second dive was bit confusing, first it was to be a wreck with a wall, then everyone said we were doing the Frankenwold again. Then he dropped us in somewhere else. Diving with Karin and although the viz was good we couldn’t see any sign of a wreck on the sandy bottom that he dropped us on. The boys were indicating that they were canning it. But Gordon had said only 30 minutes and Karin and I decided to have a slow investigation along the wall on our way up. We bimbled along, turned a corner, and there was a wreck on the sand just ahead of us. We enjoyed a 15 minute dive on a wreck in perfect viz with no-one else there. Bliss! When we got back on the boat it appeared that in finding the wreck we had saved Gordon’s reputation.

Later we all went for a meal in the Norwegian restaurant at Fedje. Fantastic steak, and raspberry soup with sorbet for desert, whilst Gordon filled us in on the history of arctic exploration. Then went for a beer in the local bar, where the barman comes from Lochaline, small world indeed.

Saturday was packing and returning to Bergen.

I had really enjoyed the diving in Norway and just relaxing and cruising along looking at the scenery. Everyone on the trip was really good fun and it was lovely getting to know all the people I hadn’t met before.


Some of the many highpoints of the trip were:-

Spending time with such a great bunch of people, everyone was lovely and helped each other with stages, twinsets , fills etc.

Davey Cramptons beaming smile and "have you got any cheese for my weasel?"

Gareth’s endless enthusiasm to join me on dives or walks when apathy set in amongst everyone else.

The sunny weather for the first few days

Gordons stories, particularly the one about the monk fish eating his arm.

Learning how easy nitrox blending is.

Amazing viz

Huge wrecks

Beautiful scenery both above and below water

Endless chocolate

Andy’s meals

The girls finding the wreck when the boys didn’t…


Things I would prefer to forget:-

Gareth’s particular form of Turettes syndrome which makes him divulge random personal information after too much booze (too much information Gareth!)

Price of the beer

Interesting pictures that turned up on my camera, thanks Bruce!

Men in nappies

The crappy weather and endless rain at the end when we had to sort out the kit.

Helen and I asleep in our bunks on the return journey only to find the maintenance man drilling the lock off the door as we had overslept the cabin vacation time.

I would certainly like to return to Norway and perhaps do some of the itinerary further north next time. Many thanks to Andy Heyhurst for organising the trip.

Jules

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