New Year Diving Program
Dive guides and instructors: Ivan Kronberg, Mikhail Khrobostov
We invite you to spend a fairy tale winter vacation on the White Sea Coast!
You'll be the first ice divers of the season and will make check dives in the end of December and the New Year Eve dive! Besides diving, we are glad to offer our guests: silence and snow purity of the Russian North, walks and snowmobile trips along the snow-covered shore of the White Sea, combined with biological and geological excursions, cross-skiing trips, ice fishing, hot Russian and Japanese bath, and, of course, a superb friendly community, visit of Father Frost (Santa Claus) and Snow Maiden with New Year's gifts and congratulations.
Provisional program schedule by day
December 28, Day 1
Check in the hotel at the dive centre. Breakfast and getting acquainted. Briefing. Sightseeing walk around the Karelian village of Nilmoguba and its surroundings. Tea on the fire on the Big Epishkin Isle or at the Dry Riffle. A talk about the winter life of the sea and forest. We'll collect some frozen birch buds, cowberry leaves and make the forest herb tea on the fire. Cross-skiing and snowmobile trips are available upon request. A hearty dinner and Russian bath (Banya) in the evening.
December 29, Day 2
Pre-dive briefing, assembling and preparation of diving equipment. Check dive next to the dive centre pier. The first day of a diving program gives a possibility to check and practice your dry suit diving skills and buoyancy control. For non qualified Ice divers alternatively the opportunity to take the ice diving specialty course conducted over 2 days from the first day of diving program.
A hearty dinner and Banya in the evening.
December 30, 31 and January 2, Days 3, 5, 6
Ice diving program – 2 dives per day for qualified ice divers. An option of Excursion programme or snorkeling. Banya in the evenings.
December 31, Day 4
Decoration of the Christmas tree and the living room, getting ready for the evening New Year Party. Divers prepare for the New Year Eve dive.
At 22-00 we gather by the table to see this year off, at 23:30 everybody goes out to the pier to welcome the New Year and meet the ice divers, who have spent the New Year Eve under the ice.
New Year's dives for certified divers and swimming in the White Sea for all comers.
After it we return to the festive table, meet Father Frost (Santa Claus) and Snow Maid. Gifts, congratulations and fun until the morning!
January 1, Day 5
No diving
A geological excursion to the CANYON (Panfilova Varakka Mount) is planned after a late breakfast. All participants of the excursion are taken there in sleighs driven by snowmobiles. There was a quarry at the beginning of the previous century, pegmatites, quartz and mica were mined there. The extraction of stones from the quarry has stopped long ago, now it has turned into a beautiful canyon, with slopes full of quartz, biotite and feldspars. Streams flow down the slopes of the canyon from winter till autumn, and in winter they turn into real icefalls. There is also a wooden geodesic tower - triangular - on the top of the hill. Besides you can ride a sled along a slope in winter , walk along the snow-covered canyon and have a picnic by the fire.
Lectures and discussions in the evening. Interesting, informative and just funny games in the living room, dinner and Russian bath (Banya).
January 2, Day 6
The last day of diving program. An optional excursion to the reindeer farm after lunch. Deers are tamed, they can be patted and fed. You can ride a sled driven by the reindeers along a snowy forest road (extra charge).
Farewell dinner and Russian bath in the evening. Packing up and making ready to go home.
The program schedule may be changed according to the weather and other conditions
EXPECTED CLIMATE CONDITIONS
There may be both warm sunny days and windy, dull, frosty weather in January. The average air temperature on the White Sea Coast is about -15°C at this period of time, but it can drop to -35°C as well.
We'll be monitoring the state of the sky in these January days, and notify our guests about the Northern Lights if there are some.
LIST OF RECOMMENDED CLOTHES AND OTHER THINGS:
- a set of warm clothes for cold weather: warm anorak and pants (preferrably windproof and waterproof), warm cap covering the ears, scarf, gloves and/or mitts, thermal underwear;
- pants or jeans, woolen sweater or fleece jacket;
- warm socks - 2-3 pairs;
- warm and waterproof high shoes (boots, winter tourist boots);
- personal hygiene products (there are towels, toilet paper and soap in the rooms);
- lip care stick and cream to protect hands and face against frost and wind;
- ski mask for protection against wind;
MEDICINE CHEST
We recommend to take a small kit with the medications you need.
There is a set of some medicines needed to provide first aid in the tourism centre. If you take specialized remedies or you know you might need some urgently, then it's better to take them with you.
DOCUMENTS
When packing up before the trip, do not forget to take with you:
- Passport (international passport);
- Tickets for a train or a plane;
- Diver certificates and a log book;
- The policy of compulsory medical insurance (or other health insurance);
CHECK IN / CHECK OUT RULES OF THE "ARCTIC CIRCLE" TOURISM CENTRE
Check-in and Check-out time is from 6:00 am till 11:59 pm.
If you need to do it after 00:00 or before 6:00 am, please inform us in advance.
The New Year program for children takes place in the same dates, more on the site:
http://www.pkrug.ru/service/detskiy-lager/shedule/detskaya-obrazovatelnaya-novogodnyaya-programma/
You can easily book your participation in the New Year's diving program right now! Call us on the phone +7 (499) 110-90-80 or send us an e-mail sever@dive.ru.
You can also send a request using our web-form and we'll get in touch with you as soon as possible!
The price of participation in the program for the coming season is given in the price-list
Due to the varying currency rates the Arctic Circle Dive Centre reserves the right to change the prices at any time.