Ullvillarna

Ullvillarna is an advanced dive site on Sweden's west coast, where a group of exposed islets in the Bohuslän archipelago creates challenging conditions and exceptional marine biodiversity. The exposed position in open Skagerrak waters means that the marine communities here benefit from the full nutrient flow of the strait, creating some of the most impressive biological growth available on the Swedish coast. The underwater landscape at Ullvillarna features dramatic granite formations sculpted by the open-ocean conditions. The rock walls and boulder fields create a three-dimensional terrain where every surface is colonized by the dense communities of filter-feeding organisms that current-swept environments support. The biological coverage here often exceeds that of more sheltered sites by a significant margin. Soft coral colonies, massive anemone aggregations, and diverse sponge communities create an underwater garden of extraordinary richness. The density of dead men's fingers soft coral and plumose anemones can be spectacular, with extensive carpets covering the rock faces in conditions that recall the colorful reefs of more temperate latitudes. Fish populations benefit from the productive waters, with cod, pollack, and wrasse present in good numbers. The exposed position occasionally attracts larger species that follow the current and the prey it carries. Ullvillarna demands experienced cold-water skills and respect for the open-ocean conditions. The reward is some of the finest marine biology available in Swedish waters.