Posted on 2026-07-03
I've always loved the sea. Since I was a kid, we spent every day of the summer holidays on Tåtøy, an island in Kragerø.
I spent countless hours just playing in the water, and I was the one who always stayed in a bit longer than the others.
As I grew up, my love of the sea never ceased. There hasn't been a year of my life where I haven't put on a diving mask and done some very limited free diving, usually while the others in my family were just cooling down. Never anything big, but the interest have been there.
Last August I stumbled back into Underwater Rugby, a somewhat unusual team sport played in a pool, under water, and that became my gateway to picking up free diving in the wild to a bigger extent.
So I've ordered a proper free diving suit and fins, I've had about 8 dives so far of about an hour each. And I love it!
So far, I haven't been able to find the amazing spots you see in videos, but just the experience of being under water, free, silent, self propelled, self sustained, is amazing. I've been counting down the days, hours and minutes until my vacation starts. And with patience, the close encounters with nature will follow.
My goals for this summer are modest. I want to enjoy myself. Get comfortable. Find some good spots. And bring some family members into the fold.
Luckily for me, Kragerø is home to Jomfruland National Park, which is mostly under water. It's been probably about two decades since I actually visited Jomfruland - it's the most exposed island of Kragerø, and the area leading up to it is filled with potentially dangerous shallows, so it hasn't been on my list of go-to spots in a boat.
I've also spent a good amount of time kayaking Kragerø, but unfortunately, our cabin is a bit far away from Jomfruland for Kayaking. It's definitely doable, but you end up spending 2-3 hours just getting to the location, and that assumes calm weather around some very exposed crossings. So boat it is.
I did go to Vestre Rauane a few weeks ago, before the explosion of summer tourists. That's just barely within the national park, and it was probably the nicest dive spot I've been to. I've been taking things nice and slow, though, so I didn't venture too far or too wide. And Vestre Rauane is extremely exposed, so only really accessible for practical diving during very calm weather.
My vacation officially starts today.
My first planned trip is extremely short. Just about fifty meters across from my sisters cabin. A place I've swum to regularly for nearly 40 years, with nice sand and some vegetation. How much vegeation, we'll see, but that side of the little strait gets far more light than our side.