Norway’s Lofoten Islands by sub

Exploring one of WWII’s densest wreck concentrations

We ran the first manned submersible exploration of Narvik’s forgotten wrecks. Now you have the rare chance to discover those still lost.

Norway’s fjords hide wrecks left undisturbed since the 1940s and some unseen until now. Diving deeper than any conventional dive allows, a private submersible takes you to them in comfort, no training or decompression required – with a marine historian on hand to bring their stories to life.

Then, back above the water, you will be staying aboard a world-class superyacht, exploring the beauty of the Lofoten Archipelago, an outdoor playground where granite peaks rise thousands of metres above pristine bays.

All media taken on Cookson Adventures trips

Very few people have experienced submersible exploration – giving those who do the opportunity to glimpse something no human has seen before…The sense of adventure is hard to beat, albeit with superlative levels of safety and comfort, with veteran sub pilots poised to share their expertise on the little-explored ocean depths.

Cookson Adventures submersible trips in Wanderlust, September 2025

Narvik

In the black waters of a fjord beyond the Arctic Circle lies one of the greatest concentrations of shipwrecks on earth, a legacy of the fight for the iron ore that once fuelled a war. Two naval battles in 1940 delivered Hitler’s first defeat, leaving fifty to eighty thousand men lost with their ships, sealed by near-freezing water for decades. Modern submersibles now change that. With the backing of world-leading marine archaeologists and submersible pilots, we take you down into this history, to wrecks few have ever seen. Most have been found and named, though a few have not, and for those drawn to genuine discovery, there is the rare chance to search for them alongside the experts still piecing the story together.

Wreck diving

Explore these wrecks in complete ease aboard a private submersible, accompanied by an expert historian who shares the story of each one as it appears. Among the most poignant is HMS Hunter, a British destroyer lost in the first battle and lain undisturbed as a war grave ever since.

The platforms

A shallow-draft superyacht carries you deep into the fjords, complete with helicopter, tenders and every toy needed to explore by water and air. From her deck, a private submersible descends to 300 metres, its panoramic acrylic viewport revealing Narvik’s wrecks. Leather seating, climate control and full safety certification keep the descent as comfortable as anything above the waterline, with room for two guests and a pilot.

Activities on land

Abseil to a bed suspended on a cliff face, with nothing but air beneath you and the stars above. Enjoy a scenic heli flight into Norway’s high mountains and from there, explore on foot across dramatic ridgelines and remote terrain, with the option to try crampon walking, zip-lining across a crevasse, or abseiling into a moulin along the way. Rock climb or via ferrata on exceptional solid granite, or bike coastal trails and mountain routes with local experts who know every worthwhile track.

On the water

We bring you closer to the fjords. That could be sea kayaking through silent waterways to the great Trollfjord, rising above the surface on a silent e-foil, or jet skiing between cliffs and hidden inlets. For those keen to push the adventure further, freedive the kelp forests with a former world champion and spearfish your own dinner, prepared by your private chef. Cap it all off with a private floating sauna, moored deep in the fjords just for you.

When diving, the submersible’s acrylic dome will appear to merge with the water, offering near 360-degree views of the wrecks below. Then, as each comes into view, an authored historian can bring their history to life. It’s your opportunity to give something back, with every observation you make becoming a genuine contribution to the historical record, one that can be studied for years to come.

Among the wrecks you’ll explore, SS Rauenfels is split clean in two, beached and detonated by her own cargo of ammunition. You can hike up to to her stern on the clifftop before taking the rest of her wreck by submersible on the seabed.

Similarly, Z2 Georg Thiele, forced ashore during the second battle of Narvik so her crew could escape, now stands as one of the fjord’s clearest war memorials.

Footage shot on past Cookson trips

Beyond diving, there is the chance to learn the tools of underwater archaeology and build a lasting account of these wrecks, from 3D photogrammetry and sonar mapping to monitoring environmental hazards. These records can help both further our historical understanding and impact on our approach to preserving both the wrecks as well as our environmental. Cookson Productions can also shape your expedition into a documentary of broadcast quality, or a personal aftermovie for you to keep, built around your own journey through one of the Second World War’s great untold chapters.

Then, above the fjords, we can organise a full complement of activities. For the thrill seekers, that might be a night spent in a portaledge camp, slung out over a dramatic cliff face. Or, it might be a gentle kayak paddle through the Lofotens’ pristine fjords.