Saltstraumen – The Place with the Strongest Tides in the World

Saltstraumen is a strait located in the region of Northern Norway, around 6 miles (10 kilometres) from the town of Bodø. It is famous for having the strongest tidal force in the world.

Saltstraumen Bridge
Saltstraumen Bridge showing the whirlpools and vortices forming as the tide rushes in.

The tide at Saltstraumen is so strong as, when the tide comes in and goes out, an enormous amount of water is forced through the narrow strait (pictured above), which is only 150 metres (500 ft) across. Indeed, each tide sees around 400 million cubic metres (400,000,000,000 litres) of water channelled between the Norwegian Sea and the Skjerstad Fjord via the Saltstraumen Strait. On the biggest tides, the flow of water at Saltstraumen can reach 25 mph (40 kph) and huge whirlpools which can be over 8 metres (26 feet) in diameter can form.

Saltstraumen is a popular tourist attraction with people viewing the tide from the shore, beach or Saltstraumen Bridge which connects the islands of Knaplundsøya and Straumøya and is constructed directly over the strait. Alternatively, the phenomena can be viewed from a rigid inflatable boat. While this may seem dangerous, the whirlpools are not powerful enough to imperil powerful and agile modern boats and several companies offer tours to see the tides of the Saltstraumen Strait up close.

Fishing at Saltstraumen

Due to its unique tidal conditions, Saltstraumen is abundant with fish. Species such as cod, haddock wolffish, halibut, ling and Norway haddock are all found here, attracted by the food sources which are brought along by the force of the tides. Despite the power of the tide, Saltstraumen has a number of immensely popular fishing marks that can be fished from the shore or by boat.

Saltstraumen
Saltstraumen

Species such as cod and coalfish can be caught with shads and large jelly lures from the shore. Lures of around 6 inches (15cm) are typically used in weights up to 5oz (140 grams). Anglers typically use heavy spinning rods which can cast lures of this weight. Many marks on the banks of the strait and underneath the bridge are fishable with this setup. When fishing from the shore at Saltstraumen, anglers generally use relatively heavy beach fishing gear and use fish (usually herring, mackerel or small coalfish) as bait and target halibut. Very large halibut can be caught from the shore at Saltstraumen (see below). There are also many areas around Saltstraumen which can be fished by boat. Large shads or other artificial lures are most often used although it is not necessary to use particularly heavy gear, with standard boat rods and reels being perfectly adequate. Most fishing is usually carried out at and around dead water, although many areas can be fished at any stage of the tide.

Saltstraumen Angler
An angler at Saltstraumen.

Apartments, where anglers can stay, are located at Saltstraumen Brygge, just a short walk from a number of fishing marks. Anglers should, however, be aware of the rules and regulations governing angling at Saltstraumen, and the minimum size limits for retaining fish. This external website has more information on these topics.

Record and Notable Catches

The International Game Fish Association all-tackle record for coalfish was set at Saltstraumen in November 1995 by Thor-Magnus Lekang with a coalfish of exactly 50lb. In March 2016, a British angler, Tom Ascott, from Dorset caught a 66lb 8oz cod from nearby Bodø. Two years later, another British angler, David Wood-Brignall from Kent, caught a 153lb 8oz halibut from the shore, also at Bodø. An even larger halibut of 159lb 8oz was caught by Steve Ace was caught from the shore at Saltstraumen in 2022.