What‘s Included

What To Expect

Reviews

• Loved this activity

  Ally G,

  Sep 18, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  I didn’t know what I was getting myself into…but ended up loving this! It was so relaxing. Would definitely do this again.

• Tour got cancelled by Authentic North

  therinaldi,

  Jan 14, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  My family and I booked the Arctic Ocean Urban Floating with Authentic North. We liked that the minimum-age restriction allowed our youngest child to participate; and that there were no overpriced extras bundled into the activity, like transportation to and from the venue, fjord viewing, selfie stops, etc. We were self-driving, staying at a remote location, well outside of town, and so we had ample opportunities to do all these on our own, as pleased us best. Excited and giddied-up by the prospect of jumping into freezing-cold water, we walked to the meeting point. That was a feat right there - the instructions provided in the confirmation email told of a street that has yet to appear on GoogleMaps, without a door number to look for. Upon getting there, we were informed that the emergency survival suits had got wet on the inside with the previous bunch of tourists, and so our tour was cancelled. That prompted several questions that have mostly remained unanswered. How can suits meant to protect people in life-and-death situations in the open ocean be made unusable by tourists wading into a calm area of a secluded marina? Were they broken or ill-adjusted? As this seems to not be a first, why do Authentic North insist on making multiple daily sessions available for booking? Why is no alternative offered? To anyone contemplating the possibility of booking with Authentic North, I suggest that you enquire, beforehand, about the current status of their equipment, how frequent cancellations are, options should the excursion fall through, etc. Otherwise, you risk, like us, wasting a day you plan around a given tour, with extremely limited available last-minute alternatives. (Tromsø is a booming destination, tours fill-up quickly, you should not expect being able to go on any organized activity without booking ahead.)

• Don't hesitate, book this!

  Sumitra M,

  Jan 1, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Wow! This was beyond anything I could have imagined. Once we arrived in Tromso, my family was apprehensive about doing this arctic float - it was sooo cold outside, and the idea of suiting up to be in the 34 degree water was not appealing at all. But, we grudgingly went. And we are so glad we did! We all rated this our favorite activity of the trip. It's so relaxing being in the water, and somehow, we stayed warm throughout. Here are the questions I had before going, hopefully this review clears it up for you: --we wore a base layer and mid layer there and doubled up on socks. They give you another pair of socks + a wool onesie + a heavy duty survival suit that is not supposed to let water in. Just make sure all the straps are secured everywhere! --the idea of a night swim is cool if you can see the northern lights. We could only book the day one, which turned out to be great bc pictures (they take them!) come out better, and we had a great view of the city --we wanted the trip that was out in the middle of the ocean, but it was all booked up, so we settled for the city docks version. That ended up being awesome. The differences - city docks scenery is prob not as nice, but you can float around more bc there is less ice. And you get to jump from a dock into the ocean if that exites you (I did not care to do this but the rest of my family did). If you want that picture where you are surrounded by ice floes, that is only in the other trip. Juan was a great guide, and we 100% recommend doing this! I HATE being cold, but surprisingly this ended up being the activity where we felt the warmest haha.

• Fun experience

  VAISHAKH K,

  Dec 25, 2024

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Fanny was very good at explaining everything and made it a fun and enjoyable experience. The activity was safe. It’s difficult to last for 2 hours

• Like meditating

  Lisa S,

  Dec 14, 2024

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  I love swimming in open water so this was an opportunity I was keen to grab. I also love cold water swimming, but wearing the insulating layers and floatation suit I couldn't feel the cold at all- it was like swimming whilst wrapped in a high tog duvet. I loved the tranquility of watching the mountains, but there is the option to jump off the harbour wall if you prefer more action. Loved it, would go again!

• You have to do it ❤️

  franciscacJ2207JL,

  Nov 27, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Amazing ! You have to do it if or if, you know, only experience of swimming in the Arctic Sea. You can even shoot a nail if you want. I felt safe all the time with Juan, he was the best guide ❤️. A tromso MUST

• Unique experience

  Swedishtomcat,

  Oct 30, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Dressed in Arctic survival suits, we waded down the slipway into the chilly water to float around Tromsø harbour. This was a unique and memorable experience and actually quite relaxing. Passersby on the quayside stopped and took photos. Our guide also took plenty of pictures too. 90 minutes was ample time before we started to get a bit cold.

  

  

  

• UNIQUE experience

  margr tr sag2024,

  Sep 18, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Floating in the sea by Tromsø was a fantastic and UNIQUE experience. Being both dry and warm in the floating overall in the cold sea was amazing. It’s such a quiet and peaceful moment that brings you a complete mindfulness. Those who wanted more action could jump from the sidewalk wall into the sea. I highly recommend this floating activity that was so unique and one of the highlights of our trip to Tromsø

  

• Floating weightlessly in the Tromso harbour basin

  Climber36608675606,

  Sep 15, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  As a couple of more than 60, we decided spontaneously on the 13th of September for the urban floating in the Tromsoer Hafen at 12 o'clock. The guide was super nice and humorous, because of our bumpy English. He briefly introduced us to the matter, dropped off the clothes and explained and off we went. Simply glide slowly into the water, lay on your back and enjoy, look at the sky and walk forward with slight arm movements. Eun quite great experience, the suits are tiptop, you don't have cold. The guide takes photos and is there, he supports. Just let your soul dangle and enjoy. We can only recommend the floating, that should be tried if you are in Tromso. Very great, the Giude a big thank you for the great morning and the private lesson.