Norway

In July 2001, twenty three members of Milton Keynes Sub Aqua Club set off for the wilds of Norway. Initial transport was coach from Newport Pagnell to Newcastle then the 24 hour crossing from Newcastle to Bergen. The ferry crossing was enjoyable and settled us nicely into the holiday mood. More about the ferry on the homeward journey! The photo shows some of our motley crew braving the elements on the ferry during the outward crossing.

On arrival in Bergen, we transferred to our two dive boats, the Dundarg and Gaelic Rose. After we had settled into our accommodation we set off to explore Bergen, including a trip up the funicular railway.

Picture of Bergen harbour from the top of the funicular. Our boats are the little grey dots in front of the white building!

The grey weather as we arrived on the Sunday was (fortunately) the last rain we saw until the day we came home.

The two boats moored together every night but either dived the same site at different times or two adjacent sites. First dive site was the Splint. This nestled in a shallow gully on the island of Romsoy. Our first surprise was the number of jellyfish in the water. Dropping through them we found the bow of the ship in a few metres. The good viz (20 - 30 metres or so) enhanced the dive as we followed the line of the ship until we found the propeller, still intact, at about 33 metres. An ascent up the other side of the wreck led to a good rummage at the base of the cliff. After nearly an hour we were running short on deco and were forced to surface. A good start to the holiday though!

What happened next set the theme for the whole holiday. As we dropped our wet kit onto the deck we were greeted by Kenny (pictured left) bearing pots of tea and platefuls of biscuits. As well as doing this to us after every dive he conjured up porridge for breakfast, a superb lunch and a three course evening meal in his tiny galley.

One of the surprising features of the diving was the lack of sea life. While there were plenty of starfish and brittlestars, we saw more fish on Bergen market than we did during the diving. Whilst this was a disappointment for the scenic divers amongst us at least there was nothing in the way of the wrecks.

The 4 metre high engine block of the Seahen. This was connected by a huge shaft to a six foot, four bladed propeller. We would have had a photograph of the prop but could not fit it all in!!! Since the diving was more wreck than wildlife, we averaged more than one wreck per dive; Thirteen wrecks in eleven dives.

Although the Vikings have long gone, there are reminders of the past everywhere. Apart from replicas of the old style sailing vessels we were introduced to the Viking Laws. Crafted thousands of years ago, these still seem apt in 2001. Wonder if we should change the constitution of the Club?

One evening saw us moored for the night for a barbecue. Desperate to keep their hand in, the enthusiastic wreck divers were soon clambering over the wreckage of an old saw mill. The mill had been powered by waterwheels fed by mountain streams. When the sawmill was abandoned, the (wooden) building rotted until the whole lot fell in the sea.

Our skipper, Bob. He dealt with the details of finding the dive sites and seemed to navigate by tiny coastline features or by the smell of the wind. Despite this, he dropped us first time every time on a wreck.

Another job of the skipper was to brief our Dive Marshall. Every day we nominated someone to find out from Bob the details of the dive and then brief everyone else.

One surprising view from the wheelhouse was the echo sounder. The sides of the fjords are very steep and it was not uncommon to see 400 metres under the keel while passing between two islands a few yards apart.

The wrecks in Norway were in very good condition after nearly sixty years underwater. Large items such as boilers, engines and winches were immediately recognisable. Many of the wrecks had passageways and cabins to explore (with caution). Pictured is the brake mechanism for a deck winch.

The steep sides of the fjords (see above) meant that most wrecks were steeply slanted, typically running from six metres at one end to over thirty at the other. This made for very safe dive profiles as you could do a safety stop while still on the wreck.

Just visible under the sand, a scallop. Looks just like false teeth! One dive turned into a scallop hunt. Kenny cooked the catch in his galley (see above) and served them for lunch with a crisp salad.

The long daylight hours (night was about 2:30 until 3:30) meant there was never any rush. If you didn't surface from the evening dive until six thirty or so, well so what? The absence of tides also meant there was no rush to "catch the slack".

Diving over, MKSAC enjoy relaxing drinks in Bergen before the journey home. That is if any drink can be relaxing at over four pounds a pint.

During our last day we explored Bergen old Town with its wooden buildings which are being renovated. Most of us had a meal in the oldest building in Bergen, now a top class restaurant. We also spent our few remaining Norwegian Kroner on some last minute souvenirs,

Just before the holiday ended, our group had a tour of the bridge of the ferry MV Jupiter. We were shown the main engine controls, autopilot and radio communication equipment, all controlled by computer. It was impressive how few men actually ran the huge ferry. Our BSAC boat handlers were astounded to be told that a man overboard drill could be carried out in a few minutes. Not bad for a vessel 10,000 times the size of the Club RIB. They also have a brig on board for those who cannot behave themselves. Our party were searched as we left to make sure the ships bell had not become our latest trophy.

Norway - July 2001