diving in Vättern

Natural and wreck dives

I also asked Niklas which are the best dives in Vättern.

"That depends how experienced you are," he replies.

"The harbour at Hästholmen is a good dive for people who aren't experienced. Here you'll discover the underwater artwork Viska-Lyssna, created in 2021. A little further out you can visit the wreck site of the Per Brahe. Other great natural dives are Stocklycke harbour, Stora Lund and Öninge. The underwater scenery, caves and formations are a real experience,” says Niklas.

"Around the Fjuk archipelago, off Motala, there are several wrecks that are easy to dive if you have a boat. Kung Ring, Måsen, Ulrika are just three of these.”

Known wrecks

The best freshwater diving in Scandinavia. We meet Niklas Jarsmo, who has over 40 years of experience in diving, especially in Lake Vättern. As a child, Niklas and his brother spent a lot of time with their father Bo, who ran a diving shop and courses in Linköping. Niklas got his diving certificate at the age of 14, and became a diving instructor aged just 17. Diving courses always start and end with four dives in Hästholmen, and this is also where Niklas and his family live on the boat LaGitt 2001. Hästholmen has been the base for Niklas' diving operations for 20 years. We asked him what is the attraction of diving in Vättern:

"Vättern is an underrated lake in terms of diving. Almost all of my guests have been overwhelmed. Diving in freshwater attracts divers from all over, not least because the visibility is almost always good. Vättern is easy to get to, and there are great natural dives which don't require a boat, as well as exciting wreck dives. The water in Vättern is cold and very low in oxygen so there is no shipworm. This means the wrecks are very well preserved.

An inland sea

Below the surface, Vättern is reminiscent of the nutrient-poor lakes in the mountains. The deep, cold lake is classified as an oligotrophic lake, and these are rare in southern Sweden. It offers a visibility of 18 metres. The lake was formed during the last ice age and several species have been present since then. Vättern can be divided into three zones: the beaches, the deep bottoms and the free water mass. The flora and fauna of the lake are similar to those in a coastal landscape.

The many wrecks on the bottom of the lake testify to the fact that the mood of Vättern can change quickly. In Swedish it’s sometimes called Vätternhavet, the Vättern Sea, because conditions can change hugely in less than an hour.

Not all wrecks have sunk by accident. Some have been deliberately sunk. Elsa af Lidingo is one of these. The boat had lain at Williams Boatyard in Motala for a long time. The local diving club, DK Octopus, created a project to turn the boat into an artificial reef This was approved in 2011 by the County Administrative Board and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and, after decontamination, the boat was sunk in the area around Fjuk, where it lies today at a depth of 21 metres, benefiting both wildlife and divers.

The most famous wreck in Vättern is arguably the paddle steamer Erik Nordvall, which ran aground off Jungfrun island near Vadstena in 1856. The ship took in water and sank just east of the island. Niklas' father, Bo Jarsmo, was one of the divers who found the wreck by chance in the early 1980s. For several years there have been plans to salvage the wreck, which is considered as interesting as the royal ship Wasa. Today there is a ban on diving on this particular site, as things unfortunately started to disappear from the wreck. The Dykpark Vättern project has made it possible to digitally dive the wreck with videos and images. Read more at www.ericnordvall.se

Tips for diving in Vättern:

• If you are a coastal diver and used to salt water, you can remove 2 kg of lead.

• The weather and wind can change very quickly. From flat calm when you jump in to a full storm by the time you come out. Vättern is known for rapid changes in the weather, and you should always check the weather forecast carefully, especially if you’re going out by boat.

• Vättern is very easy to dive, as the visibility is always good. Welcome to the wonderful underwater world of Vättern.

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