We did the 2 hour urban arctic float and loved it! You prep in the shipping container: jacket/gloves/hat/shoes off, warm socks/booties/onesie on, then the big survival suit on and you're strapped/buckled/velcroed in. Short walk to the water and then you...float. The scenery is beautiful, it's peaceful and zen yet playful and fun. Paddle around with your arms or legs, make 'snow angels' in the water, try sitting up or standing - it's endless. I tend to get cold yet I definitely wasn't - just a little cool on the butt at times (move it, then warm up), and I pulled my hands out of the pincer gloves so I could make fists to keep them warmer. We spent the maximum 1 hour 40 minutes in the water, fully relaxed, being silly, posing for pics and videos, and telling passersby how great it was. Carefully walked out of the water, spray down, certificate, Mathieu sent a link for pics/videos, and walked across the bridge to The Gift Box for free coffee/tea/WC (great store!). Highly recommended!! When you go, a scarf is a good idea, and dress warmly in general. It was a bit difficult to locate; aim for The Gift Box, then turn around and you'll see the black shipping container across the little bridge.
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Fiona_M
September 8, 2026 · via Viator
Add to your bucket list!
This was an awesome experience! The operator is very professional and helpful in explaining the whole process. It does feel a little scary to be floating in arctic water but you do not feel the cold! And once you’re in the water and floating…you wonder why you felt apprehensive at all! Totally relaxing!! Afterwards, I went back to my hotel room and took a big nap! lol!!! BTW, I’m 61 years old, have arthritis and 2 new hips and I didn’t have any problems!
Thank you Mathieu!!
事業者からの返答
Thank you so much for this lovely review! We love that you went in feeling a little apprehensive and came out relaxed and ready for a nap — that's honestly the perfect Arctic Floating experience. And it's great to hear the activity was comfortable for you despite the arthritis and new hips — that's exactly the kind of thing we want future guests with similar concerns to see.
We'll be sure to pass your thanks along to Mathieu — he'll be glad to hear it.
Thanks again for choosing Authentic North, and we hope to see you again on a future trip to Tromsø!
D
Deborah_A
August 15, 2026 · via Viator
Not happy with Adventure North Service
Don't know. It was cancelled. What was the worst thing is that I arrived at the departure point, waited around until someone from Adventure North arrived who was very surprised to see me. Said I was booked (and paid). After a phone call was made to someone in the office, was advised tour was cancelled due to a family emergency. When were they going to advise.
事業者からの返答
Thank you for taking the time to share this, and we're genuinely sorry for what happened. Leaving you standing at the departure point, having paid and expecting a tour, with no notice that it had been cancelled is a real failure on our part — regardless of the reason behind the cancellation, you should have been contacted well before your pickup time, not left to find out on-site.
A family emergency is unfortunately sometimes unavoidable, but that doesn't excuse the breakdown in communication that followed. You deserved a phone call or message as soon as we knew the tour couldn't run, not to be left waiting and then find out from a confused guide on arrival.
We're looking into why you weren't notified so we can fix the gap in our process — this shouldn't happen again. If you haven't already been refunded in full, or if you'd like to discuss this further, please reach out to us directly and we'll make it right.
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Venture15196983827
March 31, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Relax & do this!
This was so fun & relaxing! I had already done 3 arctic plunges/swims on my trip and wanted to end my trip on a relaxing note. Our guide made it fun with her playful energy and let us try jumping in at the end too. Great photos she sent us right away. It was funny the people walking by taking photos like “what are they doing” haha. But it wasn’t distracting and it was actually very quiet part of the harbor in Vervet especially on a Saturday. Highly recommend!
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Leilah_Hillman
December 11, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Awesome and unique experience!!
What an incredibly serene and fun experience. It was a surprisingly peaceful activity to participate in. Our guide, Sara, was amazing!!!!!!!
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Vishesh j
November 30, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Had a great time
Loved the floating experience with the life rescue vests, the host was very good and accomodating
The location is right outside vervet bakery at the dock
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caminitoamor
November 17, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Three amazing experiences in Tromsø
I took three incredible tours in Tromsø, and each one offered something truly unforgettable.
The first was floating in an icy fjord—honestly one of the best experiences of my life. I recommend it to everyone. With the special flotation suits, it’s surprisingly easy to float, and they keep you completely dry and protected from the freezing water. It’s a peaceful, surreal experience that I’ll never forget.
The second tour was a visit to a reindeer farm, where I got to spend time with these gentle and adorable animals while learning more about the Sami culture in Norway. After feeding and walking among the reindeer, we warmed up inside a Lavvu, a traditional Sami tent, and enjoyed a delicious traditional soup.
The third experience was a walking food tour that took us on a tasting journey through some of Norway’s most iconic delicacies. It was a fantastic way to discover local flavors, learn about the country’s culinary traditions, and explore Tromsø from a completely different perspective.
All three tours were amazing in their own way, and I’d highly recommend them to anyone visiting Tromsø.
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Ally_G
September 18, 2025 · via Viator
Loved this activity
I didn’t know what I was getting myself into…but ended up loving this! It was so relaxing. Would definitely do this again.
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therinaldi
January 14, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Tour got cancelled by Authentic North
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.)
事業者からの返答
Dear Guest
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your experience with Authentic North. We sincerely regret the disappointment caused by the last-minute cancellation of your tour and any disruption to your plans.
The decision to cancel your excursion was not taken lightly. While safety is, of course, our top priority, this particular cancellation was driven primarily by our commitment to providing an excellent experience for our guests. When the survival suits, which are essential for this activity, were found to be wet inside, we recognized that continuing with the tour under those circumstances would compromise not just comfort but the overall quality of your experience. It would have been unacceptable to us to proceed and risk guests feeling uncomfortable from the outset, as that would detract from the enjoyment of the tour and fail to meet the high standards we aim to uphold.
We also understand your frustration with how this situation was communicated on-site. Our guides are trained to provide clear and concise updates during time-sensitive situations like these. However, we recognize that in this instance, more context might have been helpful to convey the complexity of the situation and the steps we are taking to prevent such occurrences in the future.
The operational challenges leading to this situation stem largely from limitations with the facilities we are currently operating out of, which unfortunately have not been able to meet the infrastructure requirements promised by our landlord. This has directly impacted our ability to provide the seamless service we strive for, and we are actively working to resolve these issues to ensure a smoother experience for our guests.
We appreciate your suggestions about potential alternatives or backup solutions, but in this instance, our limited options on the day meant we could not offer an immediate resolution. While we are continuously working to improve our contingency plans, we would never proceed with an activity or offer equipment that might leave our guests feeling dissatisfied or shortchanged—this would not align with our values or our commitment to delivering memorable, high-quality experiences.
Thank you again for taking the time to provide your feedback. Your experience highlights areas where we can grow, and we are dedicated to making improvements. We hope you might consider giving us another opportunity in the future to provide you and your family with the Arctic adventure you had planned if you would ever come back to Tromsø.
S
Sumitra_M
January 1, 2025 · via Viator
Don't hesitate, book this!
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.
事業者からの返答
Thank you very much for this fabulous review! It's very common to be a bit sceptical going out in the cold water. However, it's just super cool that you had a great time 🤩