Project AWARE Volunteer Braves World's Strongest Tidal Currents for Marine Conservation
Magnus Lundgren/Wild Wonders of EuropeRaging currents at Saltstraumen in Norway.
When it comes to dream destinations, most divers picture sandy beaches, palm trees and a small dive boat anchored offshore in calm, turquoise waters, but one of the world’s premier dive spots — Saltstraumen, Norway — is the antithesis of what many think of as typical. Known for its rich undersea life and wickedly strong tidal currents, Saltstraumen offers another kind of beauty.
Surrounded by mountains and the midnight sun, this is no ordinary dive site, and Project AWARE supporter Fredric Ihrsen is no ordinary diver. A dive instructor of 11 years and PADI Master Instructor since 2011, Ihrsen has long participated in underwater cleanups, but it wasn’t until he arrived in Norway in 2008 and found his tribe, Saltstraumen Dykkecamp (Saltstraumen Diver’s Camp), that he truly became a marine-debris activist.
Magnus Lundgren/Wild Wonders of EuropeFredric Ihrsen at Saltstraumen
During the past two years, Ihrsen has been collecting and removing marine debris from the ocean floor in Saltstraumen. On each dive, he fastens a half-liter plastic container to his hip and collects trash as he goes, averaging about 2 to 4 pounds of debris removed per dive. The majority of the litter is fishhooks and lines; the group cleaned up and recycled over 1,600 pounds last year — 275 pounds by Ihrsen alone.
Diving in Saltstraumen’s narrow fjord is no easy feat. With speeds up to 20 knots, it’s the world’s strongest tidal current. Currents sometimes can be so powerful that there’s only a small window for divers to safely enter and exit the water. Thus, dives here are limited to a distinct area of just under 1 square mile, and must be timed perfectly by expert instructors.
Ihrsen has made it his mission to tackle marine-debris pollution in order to protect this otherwise flourishing marine ecosystem. His motto: “They fish, we clean.”
Thank you, Frederic and the team at Saltstraumen Dykkecamp, for your outstanding contribution to Project AWARE’s Dive Against Debris program and dedication to our ocean’s health.
Project AWARE invites all divers to learn more and participate in a Dive Against Debris.
