The Moskstraum served as the inspiration for Poe’s 1841 short story “A Descent into the Maelstrom,” which introduced the term “maelstrom” to the English language – a mash-up of the Dutch words “malen” (to “grind”) and “stroom” (“stream”). The magnificent Moskstraumen reaches speeds of up to 17 mph, so it less muscle than the Saltstraumen, but infinitely more cultural clout.įeatured in classic 13th century Old Norse Edda poems, the Moskstraumen went on to captivate the imagination of painters and authors, including the legendary science fiction writer Jules Verne and the horror writer Edgar Allan Poe. With the right safety precautions, the company that runs the tour claims “Diving in Saltstraumen is probably one of the most spectacular adventures you can have as a fun diver.”Īnother churning Norwegian behemoth, the Moskstraumen, seems worthy of a lead role in a wolves-and-warriors Nordic fairy tale. If you are tempted to experience the power of the Saltstraumen firsthand, you can actually sign up for a guided diving tour. The Scandinavian Saltstraumen has been around for about three thousand years, located 6 miles southeast of the town of Bodø, which lies on a coastal stretch of Northern Norway, about a 90-minute flight from the country’s capital, Oslo. The area water reaches speeds of up to 25 mph and the resulting whirlpool is huge: up to 33 ft wide and 16 ft deep. At its site, up to 400 million cubic meters of seawater fight their way through a 1.9-mile long and 490-foot wide passage every six hours. Norway’s Saltstraumen whirlpool is the king of all whirlpools: a churning vortex featuring the world’s strongest tidal current. Here are three of the world’s craziest natural whirlpools. Though today’s most violent natural whirlpools, also known as maelstroms, may not actually be able to take down ships, they could pose a lot of danger to unaware swimmers or smaller boats. To us, the very word conjures up images of mythical adventurers being sucked into a black, hole-like void. No matter how many insane rapids you’ve kayaked or massive swells you’ve surfed, there’s one watery obstacle you may not want to mess with: the whirlpool.
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