When you think about scuba diving in Greenland, images of massive icebergs and equally massive whales may float through your head, and rightly so! This spectacular island nation is one of the best places in the world to dive with whales, and it’s also one of the planet’s best places for iceberg diving. But between marveling at the sculpted undersides of icebergs and making eye contact with whales, there is much more to see. Here, we’ll take a quick look at some of the lesser-known aspects of scuba diving in Greenland; from spectacular kelp forests to enchanting macro life, there is plenty to discover.
Greenland’s Underwater World
Despite its cold water and long winter, and despite the ice pack that lingers well into the summer months, Greenland is a spectacularly colorful place, particularly beneath the water’s surface. While you might expect to encounter nothing so much more than a rocky, barren landscape with a few invertebrates here and there, this is far from reality. Brightly colored soft corals carpet rocky reefs in colorful swathes; brilliant nudibranchs in colors commonly associated with tropical marine life brighten the underwater world; colonies of sponges, astonishing feather stars, tunicates, and anemones bring a sense of amazement to viewers.
The macro life found in Greenland is certain to thrill photographers. In addition to the many nudibranch species found here, there are spectacular comb jellies, colorful brittle stars, and beautifully complex feather duster worms waiting to be discovered.
If you can manage to tear yourself away from the colorful life that thrives along the rocky coasts, you’ll discover that Greenland has some additional surprises in store for divers hardy enough to brave the chilly water temperatures. Spectacular kelp forest rise up from sometime astonishing depths of over 30 meters to float atop the water’s surface; fish, invertebrates, and crustaceans call these magnificent green underwater jungles home.
Dive Greenland during the months of May and June, and you’re likely to spend at least a little time surrounded by tiny fish called Capelin. These fish shoal together in a mass migration, pushing toward shore, where they briefly land on the sand to spawn. As you might expect, larger predatory fish are in attendance; being completely surrounded by masses of eager fish is something every diver ought to experience at least once, and this is the perfect place to do so.
Scuba diving in Greenland is fantastic, but it is not without some challenges, most of which are associated with cold temperatures. Most charters require divers to be proficient with drysuit diving, and most require each diver to carry two regulators. All divers are required to have health certificates and diving accident insurance, along with appropriate cold water diving experience. Depending on conditions, you may have the opportunity to view whale bones or wrecks, or even to experience a thrilling drift dive along soaring underwater walls where the marine life is second to none. Don’t be surprised if, by the end of your journey, you find yourself wishing you could stay a little longer.