Diving on the Swedish island of Smögen surprised us this summer!
We have dived in several places along Sweden's west coast over the past few years and each place has its own charm. Diving at Smogen surprised us extra positively, we found it to be the best place to dive along the Swedish coast.
So far, of course, who knows, we might find whole other places in the future.
Especially the fact that there is such a beautiful dive centre right on the water with all the facilities and service makes it really great!
Smögen, a popular destination on Sweden's West Coast
Smögen, located on the west coast of Sweden in the province of Bohuslän, is one of Sweden's most visited islands. The island is known for its wooden cottages, picturesque harbour and lively atmosphere, especially during the summer months.
The famous Smögenbryggan, a long wooden pier, is a must-see. It is dotted with restaurants, cafés and shops, while really having an authentic atmosphere. This boardwalk is not to be missed and is just a 5-minute walk from the dive centre.
We came to Smogen specifically to dive, but we also took a small walk on the rocks (this walk starts right behind the dive centre) and of course visited the pier. All in all, a nice ‘package’ for a few days of Swedish sociability and lots of diving!
Diving the Swedish island of Smögen in brief
Where is it located?
The dive centre ‘Smögen Dyk & Upplevelse: is located on the Bohuslän coast on the western side of Sweden. From Gothenburg, that's 135 km to the north.
The location is beautiful in a sheltered bay, above water and you almost always out of the wind and underwater there is always a sheltered spot to be found.
How deep do you dive on the Swedish island of Smogen?
It depends where you go. If you dive on the ‘house reef’ then the front is shallow to about 7 metres. If you go a bit further out, you can dive up to about 21 metres.
How is the visibility?
This can range from crystal clear to soupy. In general, it is clearer in winter months than in summer. When it has rained a lot, like during the days we were there, visibility is quite a bit less. Just as well, it was still about seven metres of visibility. Not bad at all by Dutch standards!
And the temperature of the water?
This also varies enormously! In winter it gets cold, very cold, 4 or 5 degrees. We dived there in the middle of summer and the water was 17/18 degrees.
We have seen a few people in wetsuits of 7mm or more during our summer dives, but actually almost everyone wears a dry suit.
THE DIVE CENTRE Smögen Dyk & Upplevelse
THE DIVE CENTRE is run by enthusiastic owners Anna and Erik Johansson. This couple have been running the centre since 2005 and have got it right.
The dive centre has all the facilities a (cold-water) diver needs. A cosy indoor area to warm up with coffee and tea, have a chat and recover until your next dive. This clean and warm room also has a workbench for setting up your camera and underwater housing.
Of course toilets and showers and we are in Sweden for a reason: a sauna and a hot tub.
The diving facilities are also good, there are benches around the dive centre to change and put on your diving gear. A heated drying room with plenty of space to hang and dry your dive gear.
There is also plenty of space outside to hang or store your belongings.
Of course, you can fill your tanks with 200 and 300 bar and Nitrox and, if necessary, you can also rent equipment.
If you want to improve your knowledge and diving skills, they give all kinds of different diving courses and you can do guided dives.
What is the diving like on Smögen?
Easy and diverse!
Viken Bay, where the dive centre is located, is a sheltered spot where you can make nice shallow dives. It is between 3 and 7 metres deep, so you can ‘dabble’ for a long time. The bottom is very varied, from different types of seaweed, sandy bottom, stones in different sizes, a seagrass ‘field’ and a wall.
Entree is easy. You can enter the water in several places, the steps and gangways are easy to walk on and there is plenty of room to put your things down.
In addition, you can take the boat out several times a day. They visit different dive sites, depending on conditions.
There is quite a lot of life in the bay in front of the dive centre, we saw some really big sea bass, many different kinds of smaller fish. Crabs, jellyfish, snails and anemones of different shapes and sizes.
Have you become curious about diving in Sweden after reading about Diving on the Swedish island of Smögen? Then you can continue reading about scuba diving in the Gulmarn Fjord.
