The local currents and underwater topography of our house reef come together in a very special way, creating many different habitats and a world class macro life.
World-class macro life and Spectacular nudibranch
The house reef at Gulen Dive Resort is home to a staggering 73 species of nudibranchs – all found in the same place. No other site in Norway has more nudibranchs than we do! And who said it was better in the tropics? The number of species has been confirmed by the scientists who take part in the annual Nudibranch Safari, which is held every year. Nudibranchs can be found sometimes in the thousands.
Our fishlife
The sandy areas of the house reef are home to several rare goby species, and clingfish and snailfish hide under rocks and seashells.
Larger predators like cod, hake and pollock are prevalent, and wolffish and monkfish may be seen at certain times of the year.
Gladiators of the Sea
The crustaceans are the most significant animal group found in the oceans. From microscopic plankton to colossal lobster and spider crabs, they can be found in almost any habitat. The house reef has an exceptional diversity of crustaceans –, especially in the autumn. You can expect to see lobster, stone crabs, swimming crabs, camouflage shrimp, cleaner shrimp, sea spiders, barnacles, decorator crabs, squat lobsters and many other varieties. Many crustaceans are active at night, so donning your gear a little later in the evening leaves you the best chance to observe them up close and personal. This site is for world-class macro life and photography, so bring your camera.
Grumpy
Small swimming crabs are very common at the house reef of Gulen Dive Resort. They typically hide between small rocks and underneath empty seashells. If you have a keen eye and take your time, you are bound to find lots of these cute little fellows.
Echinoderm heaven
For some reason, echinoderms seem to love Gulen. There is an abundance of different sea urchins, starfish
, brittle stars, and even some sea cucumbers. We’re incredibly proud of all the beautiful feather stars on the house reef. These graceful filter feeders are usually found at 40+ meters, but at the house reef, we have plenty of them in just 15-25 meters depth. Sometimes, they perch camera-friendly on the kelp stalks, and they may even have small squat lobsters or other crustaceans hiding at the base.
Anemone bonanza
Anemones come in many shapes and sizes. They often have brilliant colours and come in a wide variety of patterns. We find anemones from the surface to the bottom of our deepest dives. Some of them are petite and wax-white in colour, others huge and bright pink – or anything in between. Beneath some anemones, you can be lucky and find whole families of tiny, bright red shrimp. Others may offer its stinging protection to a stone crab that has just moulted.
Read more about world-class macro life that is the host for our Nudibranch Safari every year
Attending the Nudibranch safari gives you a whole new perspective on finding and taking pictures of these sea slugs we love. This event is going on one time of the year. Read more here:
Nudibranch Safari
Download the book of GULEN and our world-class macro life as a PDF
The book will give you tons of information about our world-class macro life, our resort, what you can find, and more. Share it with your dive buddies as well. We hope it will give you inspiration for a trip to Gulen. Gulen Book PDF
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Critters & Muck diving
We offer the best macro diving in Europe. Through collaboration with several renowned scientists and specialists, we documented an incredible diversity on our house reef. Bring your friends or come alone. We promise you a magnificent diving experience where every dive will offer discoveries, enjoy
Photo & Video
Are you a photographer, or do you like to shoot? You have unique opportunities. We have an average viz water at around 15-18m, where the winter months of December, January and February offer up to 35m. Detailed explanations before dives will give you the correct information to choose the right lens, etc.
Availability
You can dive throughout the year with slight variations in viz. Favourable periods have excellent visibility up to 30 meters + in the winter months. Water temperature is highest in August, up to 22 Celsius, and lowest in March, 6 Celsius.
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This is what we offer:
- Accommodation in shared twin rooms at Gulen Dive Resort
- Diving
- Tanks, weights and air for all dives
- Detailed briefing
- Social gathering with other enthusiasts
- After diving into our 200BAR
The package does NOT include:
- Nitrox
- Flights/transfer/travel costs or dive equipment
- Food (self-catering)
The package can be extended with:
- Transfer: To and from the airport
- Food: Dinner served every day
- Gas: Nitrox, Trimix and deco gas cost
- Equipment: Deco bottles and renting equipment
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Accommodation and diving
We have several options and packages we can offer you. And can easily make changes if needed.
Use our feedback form (you will find it below)and send us some words about how many days and dives you are considering, and we will get back to you shortly.
Read more on these pages
Supplementary information on the topic