Risør Underwater Post Office ( Norwegian: ''Risør Undervannspostkontor'') is a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

constructed by use of a

diving bell A diving bell is a rigid chamber used to transport divers from the surface to depth and back in open water, usually for the purpose of performing underwater work. The most common types are the open-bottomed wet bell and the closed bell, which c ...

, built as a tourist attraction and located on the ocean floor in

Risør is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located on the Skagerrak coast in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of Ri ...

, a small town on the southern Norwegian coast. Authorized by the Norwegian

Postal system The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sy ...

as a bona fide post office, eligible for collection and processing of letters, it is the only ''dry'' underwater post office in the world; other underwater post offices operate in wet environments. It is in operation during the summer months, as this period coincides with the tourist season as well as the warmer climate.

History

Conceived by the local

SCUBA diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

club, the underwater post office was established June 4, 2004. It was placed at a depth of 4 metres next to a pier designed to accommodate large ships, a pier which also houses the local Aquarium. Initially a success, the number of letters dwindled after the first few years. As the work (and cost) involved with the running of the post office began to take its toll, the closure of the office was decided and the 2011 season was to be its last in service. However, the town's tourism board and local businesses offered their support and persuaded the divers to continue the tradition. From its opening in 2004 to 2011, the underwater postmaster was Håkon Sandvik; from 2012 onwards Tore Bjørn Hovde has the responsibility. Both are members of the local SCUBA diving club. Other members also contribute periodically.

Structure

The post office is a form of

constructed in

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

, and is filled with air so that the mail stays dry. The structure is moored to the bottom by a 5-ton weight.

Operation

Visitors can post their mail in a

post box A post box (British English; also written postbox; also known as pillar box), also known as a collection box, mailbox, letter box or drop box (American English), is a physical box into which members of the public can deposit outgoing mail intend ...

by the pier and this is then emptied two to three times per week. The

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

takes the mail down to the post office by means of a watertight bag. Inside, the mail is stamped before it is returned to the surface. It is then entered into normal post circulation.

Mail sent

Records are kept by the postmaster, detailing the numbers of cards and letters that are sent through the underwater post office. In addition to 266 "bottles" (available for purchase at the Aquarium), the numbers are the following:RUK Postmaster's records * 2004: 5,010 * 2005: 1,388 * 2006: 802 * 2007: 954 * 2008: 647 * 2009: 362 * 2010: 530 * 2011: 320 * 2012: 370

Pictures

File:20040529 Risor UVP Ferdig.jpg, The post office in place by the pier. File:20040809 UVP H undervann 3.jpg, The post office under water. File:20040809 UVP Haakon undervann 2.jpg, Postmaster Haakon Sandvik under water. File:20060603 UVP Sturle Tore venter.jpg, Divers standing by for launch.

References

External links

Review from Magne Josefsen's ''Catalogue of Norwegian local mail and other private mail'', 2005.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Risor Underwater Post Office Risør Tourism in Norway Recreational diving Postal system of Norway