Weather Islands are a small archipelago and an outpost on the west coast of Sweden. Here, everything is circling around the ocean and has always been, from the first maritime pilot living on the islands to people visiting it today. Years of rough weather have rugged and polished the islands and formed this true pearl of the Swedish nature.

The Swedish summer is short, so you have make every day count! What can be better than diving at the Weather Islands? Summer is the high season for diving here and for the dive center Dyk-Leif, which operates on the archipelago, it means busy times. The warming sun heats up the cold water and the marine life awakes. The seaweed thrives under the sun rays and dances in the waves and fish arrive to the shallow water.

Niklas Nilsson • OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 30mm 1:3.5 Macro
• PT-EP14 • PPO-EP03 • UFL-3

Macro photographers who have taken countless photos of nudibranches during the spring can now search for new subjects! One of my favorites are the Cuckoo Wrasse. The beautiful males with their blue color pattern patrol and defend their territory and harems of females. And here the M. Zuiko Digital 30mm 1:3.5 Macro f/3.5 macro lens is very welcome. I would say it’s the perfect lens for fish portraits.

Niklas Nilsson • OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 8mm 1:1.8
• PT-EP14 • PPO-EP02 • UFL-3

Jelly fish are a common sight during the summer and autumn along the Swedish west coast. The Lion’s mane jelly fish are truly photogenic and as an underwater photographer you can’t swim by without taking photos of them. The orange color stands out against the emerald green water and among the stinging tentacles you often find small whitings seeking shelter. Perfect if you chose a macro lens for the dive.

Photo tip: If you are shooting with a low ISO, high f-stop value and high power on your flashes, you can manage a great compensation with a sun ball.

Niklas Nilsson • OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 8mm 1:1.8
• PT-EP14 • PPO-EP02 • UFL-3

During the summer there are many hours of daylight in Sweden. It’s in fact difficult to do a proper night dive. You really have to dive during the night. At 10 PM in the evening the sun slowly disappears under the horizon and it’s time to enter the water.

In the shallow areas, among the seagrass and sandy bottoms, we can find subjects in all sizes, small scrimps, eels, trouts and the greater weever. A beautiful fish that you will find buried in shallow sandy bottoms luring for a prey. They are mostly and notoriously known for their venomous spines that can inflict serious injuries.

Niklas Nilsson • OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm 1:2.8 MACRO
• PT-EP14 • PPO-EP02 • UFL-3

Photo tip: To get the in same level as the subject is, in my opinion, very important but it’s not easy if the subject is buried down in the sand. In this case,the LCD-screen comes in very handy and makes the low-angle photography possible!

In my opinion, diving on Weather Islands is very special, all dives are unique even if I’ve dived there before. There are always new conditions and new exiting sightings. Yes, the water is cold during the winter and spring and the visibility can be poor sometimes, but that’s make it just more exiting if you ask me. The diving is also bundle together with an amazing atmosphere that the dive center of Dyk-Leif provides.