Life’s adventures

At last, we found our hot spring! After thoroughly searching the web, we found an old report about the biological impact of cooling water from nuclear plants. In this report there is a small figure showing were they conduct their outlet testfishing - and just as we suspected during our last visit, the outlets (there are two) are indeed “hidden” and a few kilometers away from the inlets.

With the new map, finding the outlet was a piece of cake. Pål and I went together. After a quick delivery of the corrected exams in Varberg, we found our way to the new area. The outlets are hidden under water, but the surface was quite turbulent so there was no doubt that this was the place.

We measured the tempearture - 19°C (we later measured the “normal” seawater to 13°C). As we jumped in it really felt like cool summer water, and a shorty wet-suit made it quite pleasant. The sea bottom was covered with a different kind of seaweed than usual - longer, more sweeping and “grass-like”. Pumping 160000 liters / second makes for quite a strong current and once you’re in it the water is notacible warmer than 19°. You get a nice ride for a few hundred meters (like the turtles in Finding Nemo) and can enjoy the seafloor scenery whizzing by…

We stayed in the water for maybe an hour and saw some fish, crabs and jelly-fish, but nothing two-headed, self-glowing or otherwise spectacular. We’ll have to go back later in the summer to see if we can find something more exotic.

P.S. Please be advised - we found some sort of a sign close by discouraging from bathing because of the strong currents. Swimming is done at your own risk.