Swimming the Sognefjord

On Sunday, August 23, we completed our swim of the Sognefjord – 205 kilometres through the world’s longest ice-free fjord and the world’s deepest fjord. We swam the entire fjord in 30 days /stages, approximately 7 kilometres each.

In doing so, we became the first Norwegians to swim the entire Sognefjord, and Ingjerd became the first woman in the world to do so. But this was never primarily about records. We swam for the fjord. Dan also became the first Sámi to swim the fjord, and his background gives the journey an additional dimension. He is of Northern Sea Sámi heritage, and a deep connection to nature and the ocean is part of his cultural heritage.

Together, we founded Swim4Fjords to raise awareness and advocate for the protection of Norway’s unique and vulnerable fjord ecosystems. We are also proud to represent the Jæren Coast Mission Blue Hope Spot in Norway.

© Swim4Fjords

Documenting beneath the surface

Throughout the journey, we did more than swim. At every stage, we freedived beneath the surface to photograph and film. We wanted to document the fjord as it really is – not only the spectacular landscape visible from above, but the life and changes taking place beneath the surface. The material has been shared with marine biologist and researcher Hartvig Christie to put the observations into a scientific context. Some of what we saw was beautiful. Some of it was deeply concerning.

Following the salmon’s route

In many ways, we followed the migration route of the wild Atlantic salmon – from the inner fjord, where salmon return to spawn, towards the open sea. The numbers tell a worrying story. Norway’s wild salmon spawning population is estimated at only around 300,000–400,000 fish. A single salmon-farming cage can contain around 200,000 farmed salmon. Two cages can therefore hold roughly as many fish as the entire Norwegian wild salmon spawning population. And these fish share the same fjord.

It is impossible to swim the Sognefjord without noticing the many fish farms. According to the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), aquaculture is by far the largest source of human-caused nitrogen and phosphorus emissions along the Norwegian coast. NIVA estimates that nitrogen emissions from aquaculture are equivalent to untreated sewage from more than 17 million people – several times Norway’s population.

The impact of aquaculture is not limited to nutrient pollution. Salmon farms also contribute to the spread of salmon lice, which can pose a serious threat to wild salmon and sea trout. The cleaning of fish-farm nets can also release accumulated organic matter and chemical residues into the surrounding environment, adding further pressure to an already vulnerable fjord ecosystem.

If we want wild salmon to return to these rivers and fjords, we must protect the waters they depend on.

Lurv – the real monster in the fjord

One of the most striking things we encountered was filamentous algae, locally known as lurv. Through out the fjord, thick layers of algae covered the kelp forests, as we swam.

Dense growth of filamentous algae can be a sign of an ecosystem out of balance. It can cover kelp forests, reduce available light and affect the habitat and food sources on which other species depend.

During one stage, after we had just crossed 100 kilometres – halfway through the fjord – strong currents forced us to swim close to shore for the final 2.5 kilometres. What began as a necessity became an unexpected underwater inspection. We swam alongside a kelp forest in the shallow coastal waters completely covered in thick lurv. One continuous carpet of algae. It felt as if the fjord had the flu – seriously ill, but still beautiful at the surface.

Again and again, local people told us stories about the fjord they remember from their childhood – a fjord rich in fish, where fishing was part of everyday life. Today, they say, there are far fewer fish and few fishing boats. Instead, we see recreational boats, RIBs and large cruise ships moving through the fjord. The surface can still look like a postcard. But beneath it, something is changing.

© Swim4Fjords

When the fjord holds its breath

At its deepest point, the Sognefjord reaches 1,308 metres. During our journey, we swam directly above the deepest point of the world’s deepest fjord. With more than a kilometre of water stretching beneath us, it is easy to understand why the Sognefjord is called the King of Fjords. Together with Norwegian freediver Mari Aarbø, we made a symbolic dive above its deepest point. What actually exists down there? The Sognefjord is not only a spectacular landscape seen from the surface. Far below, there are landscapes of another kind – a unique deep-sea ecosystem shaped by darkness and pressure, home to sponges, echinoderms, cnidarians and other species adapted to life where sunlight never reaches.

And down there is also a tiny “monster”: Anelasma squalicola. This strange barnacle has taken evolution in an entirely different direction. Researchers have found it living on deep-sea sharks in the Sognefjord, at depths of approximately 100–1,000 metres. Instead of filtering food from the water like most barnacles, it has evolved into a parasite, attaching itself to the shark and growing into its tissue to obtain nutrients. A tiny animal. A unique adaptation. A great mystery. Perhaps it is also a reminder of how little we truly know about the life beneath us – and how much may be changing before we even know it exists.

Because, while we swim above these enormous depths, profound changes are taking place below. The oxygen content of the Sognefjord’s deep water has declined by around 15% over the past 30 years. According to NIVA, approximately two-thirds of the decline can be linked to increased inputs of nutrients and organic matter, while around one-third is associated with rising sea temperatures.

The Sognefjord is a sill fjord. At its entrance, the underwater threshold is only around 200 metres deep, restricting the exchange of deep water with the open ocean. As the sea warms, renewal of the deep water becomes more difficult. At the same time, increased inputs of nutrients and organic matter place a greater demand on the available oxygen. It is as if the fjord is finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. What happens to the life down there when oxygen disappears? Which species quietly vanish before we even have time to discover that they were there?
Every fjord has a tipping point. Research indicates that the interval between deep-water renewals is increasing in Norwegian sill fjords. How close are we to a point where an ecosystem changes so profoundly that returning it to its former state becomes difficult? This is one of the reasons we swim. To make the invisible visible. What happens when a fjord loses its ability to breathe? How deeply do we care about what we cannot see?

A fjord worth protecting
The Sognefjord is not the first Norwegian fjord we have swum. We have previously swum the Lysefjord, Repparfjord and Varangerfjord, while Ingjerd has also swum the Jæren Coast Hope Spot and the Førdefjord, where she swam to raise awareness about plans for submarine disposal of mine tailings, as we also did in Repparfjord.

Norway is one of the very few countries in the world that still permits submarine disposal of mine tailings. In the Førdefjord case, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in June this year that the dumping permit was unlawful. Despite this legally binding judgment, the Norwegian government has not yet stopped the dumping. The Førdefjord is a neighbouring fjord to the Sognefjord. These experiences have strengthened our commitment to protecting Norway’s fjords.

© Swim4Fjords

Every stroke for the fjord
We need to act while there is still something left to protect. The goodwill and support of the people living along the fjord carried us through all 205 kilometres, as we swam with a message in every stroke. A protection process for the Sognefjord is currently underway. Our photographs and documentation from the entire 205-kilometre swim will be submitted as part of this process. We hope our observations can contribute to the knowledge base and, ultimately, to real and effective protection of the Sognefjord and its inhabitants.

© Swim4Fjords