One of the most beautiful northern seas of Russia is the White Sea. The pristine nature, untainted by civilization, rich and unique wildlife, as well as fantastic underwater landscapes and outlandish marine life attract more and more tourists to the harsh northern lands.
The White Sea is one of the smallest in Russia. Its area is 90 thousand square meters. km. This includes numerous small islands, and the most famous among them are the Solovetsky Islands, with an area of 90.8 thousand square meters. m. The average depth of the sea is 67 m, and the maximum is 340 m.
From the Kola Peninsula (Cape Svyatoy Nos) to the Kanin Peninsula (Cape Kanin Nos) there is a conditional border that separates the White Sea from the Barents Sea. There are many ports on the coast of the White Sea, the main of which are Arkhangelsk, Severodvinsk, Belomorsk, Onega, Kem, Kandalaksha and Mezen.
During the summer period, the surface layers of water in the bays and the central part warm up to an average of 15 ° C, but inGorle and Onega Bay, the water temperature does not exceed 9 °C. In winter, the water temperature drops to minus levels - from -0.5 °С to -1.7 °С.
Despite the low water temperature even in summer, there are quite a lot of people who want to admire the beauties of the sea world, so diving in the White Sea is one of the most popular types of recreation. Underwater rocks are the residence of many marine life: soft corals, sea anemones, sponges, bryozoans, hydroids, etc. These creatures grow right on the rocks, creating beautiful underwater landscapes with their various colors and shapes. Sea stars, crabs, brittle stars, shrimps and hermit crabs hide in the crevices of the rocks. The White Sea is rich in a variety of fish species - here you can find cod, navaga, goby, catfish, sea bass, flounder and lumpfish.
From August to October, divers who make night dives will be lucky enough to observe another fantastic picture - luminous plankton. Flocks of small crustaceans, ctenophores, bryozoans and twigs of hydroid polyps shimmer in the dark depths of the sea with an unearthly, fantastic emerald light. The beauty of this action is truly unforgettable, so tours to the White Sea during this period are most popular with tourists.
The relief in those places where diving is carried out is diverse - it can be sheer cliffs that go deep into the sea for several tens of meters, and flat areas of the seabed located at a depth of 15 to 40 meters. Fans of extreme diving will be able to get a doseadrenaline in areas with tidal currents, the speed of which reaches from two to four meters per second. Divers in a fast current "fly" over the rocky bottom, admiring the thickets of crimson, kelp and colorful sponges.
In summer, visibility in the water is 10-15 meters, in October it rises to 20-30 meters, and in winter it increases to 30-40 meters.
The main attraction of the islands located in the White Sea are noisy bird colonies. Eiders, cormorants, gulls and terns nest in these places.
