)
)
)
)
)
LONG BAY (GUBA DOLGAYA)
The Long Bay lies 185 miles North of the Arctic Circle, 3 miles west of the port where diving safari participants board the Kartesh.
- The bay is sheltered from all winds except the north wind. The entrance into the bay is narrow and shallow, permitting practice dives in all weather conditions.
- The bay’s depth varies from up to 15-20 metres in its narrow part to 90-100 metres in its centre.
- The relief of the bottom makes beginner as well as expert dives possible.
- The bottom is sandy at depths of up to 50 metres. At greater depths, the bottom is predominantly muddy.
- Some dives take place by a vertical rocky wall that goes down for up to 90 metres. The vertical drop is covered with a carpet of multicoloured sea anemones up to 50 cm in diameter.
- Scallops cling to the cliff’s rocky ledges, while shrimps and sea perch hide in crevices.
Worth seeing! King crabs feed alongside the anemones –divers have often witnessed a crab steal a jellyfish a sea anemone has caught.
- There are some small chasms at the entrance into Long Bay, covered with 4-5 metre kelp and other brown seaweed.
- You may observe shoals of cod and pollack, as well as lumpfish and bullheads.
- If you’re lucky, you might encounter a seal under the water.
- Living on the bottom are the huge King crab, the hairy crab, crab Hias sp., sea cucumbers, scallops, numerous sea urchins and various kinds of starfish.
Worth seeing! In 2002, diving-safari participants observed for the first time a fascinating phenomenon as a huge quantity of young crabs gathered in an area covering some 20-30 square metres. This mass of crabs, which was up to 1.5 metres high, crawled along the bottom, rummaging with their claws through a 15-20-cm layer of the floor in search of food, eating everything that came their way.
Achievements: The unofficial Barents Sea amateur scuba diving depth record was set in Long Bayin 2001 by Michael Safonov and Alexander Astrakhan, who dived to a depth of 92 metres. A yearlater, the women’s freediving record was set by Julia Petrik, who achieved a depth of 39 metres.
RED BAY (GUBA KRASNAYA)
The Red Bay has a unique underwater landscape. Its floor is cut by chasms and covered by dense fields of kelp and other brown seaweed.
- There are many King crabs, scallops and sea cucumbers on the bottom.
- There are various species of fish, such as cod, pollack, lumpfish and bullheads.
- There are bird colonies on the cliffs, and reindeer in the Red River valley. Harp seals rest and hunt on the islands, which they share with huge colonies of cormorants.
THE SEVEN ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO
The islands of the Seven Islands Archipelago are part of Kandalaksha National Park.
- The Kartesh liveaboard has special permission from the park administration to visit the park.
- Kandalaksha National Park is a home to huge bird colonies, including nesting sites of skuas, terns, eiders, guillemots and others. Approaching the colonies, you can hear the birds from a long way off.
- Walkers in the park must keep to specially laid paths aimed at minimising human impact on the local environment.
- The vegetation here is typical of the tundra, with colours to delight to every visitor. There are also, well hidden, skua nests.
Worth seeing! We also run tours of the main island, where there is a WW II coastal artillery battery. The caponiers and bunker system have been well preserved thanks to the northern climate.
- There are seal rookeries on the reserve’s islands. Beluga whales are often seen here too.
- Near the Seven Islands, you can observe minke whales from the ship.
Special programme: At the end of May, we run a specialised diving safari on the Kartesh. An unmissable part of the programme is snorkelling with these amazing mammals. (See here for details).
-
Special dives take place in the channels between the reserve’s islands, at guillemots’ feeding sites.
Worth seeing! Catching their food, guillemots dive and soar underwater, searching for fish. During dives, dozens of birds attracted by the bubbles circle around the divers, showing no fear at all.
DALNIE ZELENTSY
The entrance to Dalnie Zelentsy Bay is tucked away behind a group of islands, making diving there possible in all weather conditions. The bay is famous for the beauty of its underwater landscape. Creatures you can find here include crabs, sea cucumbers, scallops, numerous sea urchins and starfish of diverse kinds and colours.
