Sea Ice Edge
Dive site
The seasonal sea ice edge north of Svalbard is one of the most productive marine environments on earth. Phytoplankton blooms beneath the ice feed dense clouds of Arctic krill, which attract bearded seals, ringed seals, and occasionally polar bear swimming between ice floes. Diving beneath the ice reveals a completely different world of ice algae, under-ice sculpin, and amphipods in extraordinary density. This dive requires specialist ice-diving certification and an expedition vessel. Accessible late March through early May before the ice retreats.
Conditions
Depth
1 to 25 m
Open water and up
Current
Variable
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
10 to 22 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
-1 to 4°C
Drysuit with Arctic undersuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Vis (m) | 15 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 15 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | calm | calm | calm | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Ringed seal
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Bearded seal
Rare
Now and then
Arctic krill
Rare
Now and then
Polar bear
Rare
Now and then
Field journal
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