HELDARSTINDUR - Bornholm

Helderstindur is one of our favourite wreck dives on Bornholm, and a great example of how quickly a relatively young wreck can become an artificial reef. She’s a stern trawler, 32 metres long, that hit rocks and went down in 1990. So, she’s had a good thirty-odd years for the local critters to move in, and they certainly have. You’ll find her sitting upright at 30 metres, mostly intact. We love how her fishing gear is still visible, the trawl doors resting on the seabed like giant, discarded wings. The wheelhouse is a big draw for exploration, a proper swim-through if you’re comfortable with overhead environments. Inside, the gauges and controls are still eerily in place. What makes Helderstindur really shine, though, is the life. Shoals of cod dart in and out of the superstructure, and we’ve spotted huge conger eels peering from dark corners of the engine room. Anemones carpet the rails, and the sheer number of small crabs scuttling over the deck is impressive. We’d suggest a strong torch, not just for peering inside, but for really bringing out the colours of the encrusting life. It’s a dive that rewards slow exploration, perfect for divers who appreciate history and healthy wreck ecosystems.

Location: Bornholm, Denmark, Mediterranean & Europe
Coordinates: 55.566666, 14.388833
Type: wreck
Maximum Depth: 30m

Marine Protected Area: Bornholm: Davids Banke

Best Time to Dive in Bornholm

The warmest water temperatures in Bornholm occur in January, averaging 3.3°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 3.3°C.

Monthly Water Temperatures

January: 3.3°C (air: 3.1°C)
February: 3.3°C (air: 3.2°C)
March: 3.3°C (air: 3.9°C)
April: 3.3°C (air: 6.0°C)
May: 3.3°C (air: 10.9°C)
June: 3.3°C (air: 16.1°C)
July: 3.3°C (air: 17.4°C)
August: 3.3°C (air: 18.0°C)
September: 3.3°C (air: 15.7°C)
October: 3.3°C (air: 11.5°C)
November: 3.3°C (air: 7.1°C)
December: 3.3°C (air: 3.5°C)

Nearest Dive Centres to HELDARSTINDUR

Marine Life in Bornholm

Home to 67 recorded species including 43 reef fish, 7 clams & mussels, 5 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 crabs & lobsters, 2 starfish, 2 other.

Notable Species

Protestant (Clupea harengus) - Reef Fish
Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) - Reef Fish
Fluke (Platichthys flesus) - Reef Fish
whiting (Merlangius merlangus) - Reef Fish
sprat (Sprattus sprattus) - Reef Fish
dab (Limanda limanda) - Reef Fish
Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) - Clams & Mussels
Pollock (Trachurus trachurus) - Reef Fish
bull rout (Myoxocephalus scorpius) - Reef Fish
Ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) - Clams & Mussels
eel (Anguilla anguilla) - Reef Fish
four-bearded rockling (Enchelyopus cimbrius) - Reef Fish
New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) - Reef Fish
Common sea star (Asterias rubens) - Starfish
lumpsucker (Cyclopterus lumpus) - Reef Fish
saithe (Pollachius virens) - Reef Fish
Split (Scomber scombrus) - Reef Fish
Common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) - Clams & Mussels
Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) - Reef Fish

Recommended Packing List for HELDARSTINDUR

Based on average water temperature of 3.3°C.

Drysuit - water at 3°C demands a drysuit with thermal undergarments
Hood & Gloves (7mm+) - critical to prevent heat loss
Mask - essential for every dive
Fins
BCD - buoyancy compensator
Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories