Jesper Risløv President of the Danish Sportdiving Federation
We have more than 7,300km (4,536mi) of coastline here in Denmark, so no matter where you are in our country, the sea is not far away.
We have it all—well, almost everything—when it comes to diving in and around Denmark. We have dives from the shore almost everywhere, and we have a huge number of wrecks dating back more than 200 years. It is even still possible to see some remains left from the wars against Britain that took place in the early 1800s. We have wrecks from WWI and WWII, and many of them are still in rather good condition. We also have vessels that were sunk to create artificial reefs, after having been prepared and made safe for divers.
We have more than 150 local dive clubs, and most of them not only support scuba diving but also spearfishing, freediving (apnea), underwater rugby and snorkel training for kids—there are many activities, all driven by volunteers and people with a great passion for all that goes on under the water’s surface.
I am quite confident that if you bring your own gear and contact a local dive club, they will help you with good advice on where to go, and maybe even bring you along on their next dive trip. However, if you and your dive buddy are here for a few days and just want to dive on your own, we also have quite a few dive centres that offer gear rental and will help you go diving.
Please be advised that the water temperatures around Denmark are on the cold side. In the summer, we might reach 20°C at the surface, and some people may immediately say that this is too cold.
Indeed, this is what we often hear from Danish divers who get their dive certifications in crystal-clear tropical waters. They ask, “Can you dive in Denmark?” Yes, you most certainly can, and it’s amazing! Especially when the visibility is good, the sea is calm, and the sun is shining, there is a very good chance that you will see a wide range of diverse marine life.
Even though we have a lot of coastline, it is not always the case that we can shore dive in certain places along the coast where there are some restrictions in place, either by nature itself, or because of harbours, or other installations, and not least because of the water depth. As you probably know, we have no mountains in Denmark—only a couple of hills—and it is the same for the surrounding coastline. It is flat, and one must often walk or swim some distance, in very shallow waters, to get to a depth in which one can call it a dive. That is why many dives are done by boat.
Fortunately, we have some very good spots that are reachable from the coast. On a good day, there are often many people at these sites, and Danish divers are normally quite happy and more than willing to help you find a good diving experience when you are here.
So, if you are going to Denmark —whether it is for a holiday, studying, working or something else—then bring your dive gear, join a local club and get some great experiences underwater as well as above. Divers are normally a very social lot, and it is rare that a good dive—or a day of diving—is not ended with a nice chat over a cup of coffee, or maybe something stronger. But the most important thing is that we all come out of the water safe and sound—and if the visibility is bad on one day, then we just go and try again on another day.
Welcome to Denmark. We hope that you will have a great time here—stay safe and enjoy the diving.
Best regards,
Jesper Risløv
President of the Danish Sportdiving Federation
