NORTHERNEXPOSURE
View from the wheelhouse :
Bob Anderson on diving Norway
“ Norway is the pinnacle of cold water wreck diving . Large modern wrecks sunk in clear cold green waters and nestled in the magnificent fjords of Norway . There is little to no tide and the wrecks are largely found on slopes allowing easy access to depth and sheltered conditions to extend diving limits . Add almost constant summer daylight to the mix , easy flights to the UK , and this Nordic destination should be on every diver ’ s bucket list .”
She is 134.7m long and 18.4m wide , lying on her port side on a slope . We started our dive on the starboard side of her bow in about 14 and her port side was on the seabed in about 32m . The deepest part of this wreck is the stern in 70m . The bows are absolutely covered in plumose anemones .
Continuing along the wreck brought us to a gun turret for one of her anti-aircraft guns , spectacularly adorned with white anemones . This was another really great dive , very
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The journey back to the Welheim ’ s bow
beautiful at the bow and really interesting as it was such a massive ship , the only one we dived that had settled on its side .
Dogfish Wall : Our last dive of the week was our only scenic . This wall dive has the downbeat moniker ‘ dogfish wall ’ but to be honest its name didn ’ t do it justice . Nor do my photos … I just spent my dive watching the many tope shark that make this site their home .
Tope sharks at Dogfish Wall
Essentials
GETTING THERE : We flew with Norwegian and needed 46k hold luggage each , plus both the 10kg overhead and under seat carry on allowance to get both our rebreathers , other dive kit and my camera kit there . Make sure you book a taxi from Bergen airport through the app 07000 Taxi . We didn ’ t , and on the outward leg paid three times the amount we later paid for our return trip through the app . Get the app !
TOPSIDE TOURING : Allow a day or two for some sight-seeing in Bergen . The tourist information centre is near the fish market and they have a good selection of guides in many languages . Some great scenery and amazing food with lots of fish on the menu , as expected . Bergen is such that most of the sights can be explored on foot , but the Segway tour is more fun . There are a few museums , but if time is limited , I recommend Bryggen Hanseatic Warf . The cable car to mount Ulriken and the Funicular to Mount Floyen both give great opportunities to view the city and surrounding areas from above .
LIVEABOARD : Clasina Dive Charters , contact Bob Anderson , clasina . co . uk There was a good selection of cylinders , weights and Sofnolime available to hire / buy on board Clasina . Summer is the best time to visit for nice diving conditions and bookings are now being taken for 2026 . �