Saksun Tidal Race
Dive site
The tidal lagoon at Saksun connects to the open Atlantic through a narrow basalt gorge that compresses tidal flow into a fast river of seawater twice a day. Drift through on the flood and you pass over boulder fields covered in brittlestars, with Atlantic wolffish wedged head-out from every crevice and lumpfish hovering in the quieter eddies. An extraordinary geological setting that also happens to produce exceptional wildlife density.
Conditions
Depth
3 to 18 m
Good for beginners
Current
Can be moderate
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
8 to 16 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
7 to 13°C
7mm drysuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Vis (m) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Current | Strong | Strong | Strong | Strong | Strong | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Strong | Strong |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Atlantic wolffish
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Brittlestar
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Common lobster
Photo: luismartinezartola · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Lumpsucker
Rare
Now and then
Field journal
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