Bergsøyan Islands - A SUP Paradise in Norway

July 24, 2016

Bergsøyan Islands - A SUP Paradise in Norway

This past week we have been exploring the island of Senja, Norway. Senja is Norway's second largest island and just a couple hour drive from Tromso. We didn't know too much about it before hand, but this seemed like a fun beautiful place to spend few days in! The aim was to do some hiking, surfing (if we stumbled across waves), fly fishing and of course stand up paddling. We spotted this cluster of islands first from google and learned quickly that Hamn and the Bergsøyan Islands apparently were a popular kayaking spot with crystal clear waters.  

After few days of rain and strong winds, we got spoiled by calm and sunny weather. We decided to take our Fanatic inflatable boards to a little adventure! A good place to depart was a little harbor and hotel called Hamn i Senja. We got good tips about the area and a waterproof map from Lasse, a friendly staff member in charge of the activities in the harbor.  Because of the cluster of the islands, the tides wouldn't be very strong, but the winds were something to keep in mind for! (This day was +25C & 1-2 m/s wind) 

The water was so clear that as we paddled from the shallow to the deep, at first we got a bit anxious and got a bit of a height fever! When you're standing up on the board and can see about 20-30 meters down, it really feels like you're standing on a cliff with nothing underneath. The longer we paddled the more comfortable it began to feel and we began to enjoy the view, as well as started scouting for underwater creatures. During the paddle we spotted a lots of little fish, jellyfish and sea urchins in the bottom of the sea. No bigger animals or fish this time! 

The total distance paddled was about 4 kilometers and it took about four hours including a lunch break on the island of Ytre Risøyan. This was a really beautiful area with great views towards the mountains and the open sea. We would definitely recommend this if the weather conditions are optimal and you are a stand up paddler with previous touring experience. A good starting point would be talking to the locals and visiting the harbour for the daily conditions! 

Now we're heading back home and below you'll find some pics from this paddle adventure! #twentyknotsretket 

Maria Mikkonen 

             

From google maps, the "reef-like" islands look so beautiful! 

A good place to depart was from the harbor of Hamn i Senja, where there was a dedicated place for paddlers to get into the water 

                  

Our paddling gear for the day / Fanatic Fly + Fanatic Falcon inflatables 

At the beginning we got a bit of height fever as you could meters down below the paddle board 

Found a great landing spot on the island Ytre Risøya 

The whole trip was about 4km total and took about 4 hours including a lunch break 

Lunch always tastes better outdoors! 

Hamn i Senja was a really nice harbor with lots of activities, a restaurant as well as sauna you could rent for 125NOK / person - Highly recommended after a day outdoors!