One day while hunting for a Russian fisherman, we spotted a ship coming ashore at dusk. We waited for the ship to moor and met Halle Mikkelborg and Egil Nilsen Trasti on their tugboat, North Tug. In the usual Kirkenes way, the gentlemen were gracious, friendly and fearless when they heard our plans of including them in our project.
8 am the next morning we wrapped Egil in a diver’s ombilical cord (a cord used for providing oxygen, sound and light for the diver). Halle is a saturation diver, the captain of the ship and the owner of the company Dykknor. Halle and Egil are the only 24/7 underwater problemsolver duo in Kirkenes, providing “service at sea”. Part of their job is to help other ships to get from A to B in rough weather, deliver packages and provide underwater ship maintenance.
Halle and Egil’s partner in crime, Oddbjørn, wondered who conjured up this plan… © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen
These mafia shoes weigh nine kilos each, perfect for walking on the Barents seabed © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen
This is Halle’s third boat (the first two sank) © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen
Egil and his brother will take over their father’s reindeer business in the future © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen
The crowds were gathering, all in mandatory high-vis gear, of course © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen
With this gear they can dive down to 50 meters © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen
We defrosted with an interview © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen
When asked about the changes in Kirkenes, Halle told how he used to surf ice floats when he was a kid. Apparently these days the police would put a stop to that fun in a minute © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen
The trio truly loves the freedom that life in Kirkenes offers (so much so that we have started looking at property adverts) © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen
Time is a ship that never casts anchor 
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