Lotta Klemming clung to the oyster; her other hand moved the knife quickly and precisely, prying it open. Her gaze—focused and still—seemed to be somewhere far away. “It’s great for meditation,” she says. “The work is monotonous and you have time to think about other things. Also, when you dive, you have to pay attention to your breathing and your movements, you are very present in your own body.” She laughed out loud. “Gosh, that sounds so silly.”
I stand by the sea in Bohuslän with 33-year-old Klemming, Sweden’s only professional female oyster diver. After seven years in the fashion industry, opening stores globally and locally for H&M, she found herself in a spiritual crisis: “I felt trapped. It was a real hamster wheel. As one of all the women trying to reach the top , I can’t look in the mirror. I don’t have sharp elbows.”
Klemming wears a drysuit and scuba dives every day © Olivia Thordén Rubie
All oysters are handpicked – the only way wild oysters are sourced in Sweden © Olivia Thordén Rubie
Now, every week, she travels to her home in Grebbestad, a town of 1,900 people on Sweden’s west coast, known for its beautiful archipelago and long-standing thriving fishing industry. “I felt like the ocean was calling me; it literally saved my life,” she said. There, her father and uncle ran an oyster company called Bröderna Klemmings Dykhjälp, a small-scale operation and hobby project that barely covered the cost of materials. Founded in 2015 by Lotta clemin’s oysters, shared family fishing boat and houseboat. Eight years on, her company supplies the likes of Stockholm’s Michelin-starred Adam & Albin and Copenhagen’s famed Noma. “I scuba dive and everything is done by hand, oyster by oyster. I collect them in a big basket that I carry on my left arm,” she says. “The oysters are wild and no machines are allowed. We follow the daylight and leave around 10am and dive into the oysters until 2pm and come back to clean and pack them.”
This is a harsh work environment. She works year-round in ocean temperatures ranging from 0ºC to 16ºC, picking 400 to 700 oysters a day. Although she got her diving certification at age 12, it took her nearly 15 years to realize it could be a real career: “My dad was an amateur bodybuilder, so I always Connected with a different physique than mine. Like most other dads, he was busy with work and his own interests, and the only way I could hang out with him was with him on his weekend dives.”
Klemming handpicks between 400 and 700 oysters a day © Olivia Thordén Rubie
When Klemming first tried oyster diving in her early 20s, she found it “disappointing.” Her device was leaky and had limited ocean views. “Seven years later, I tried again with new equipment and a different level of determination and focus. Suddenly, I was in heaven.”
Her main research subject is the Pacific giant oyster, an invasive species that began appearing off the coast of Sweden around 2007 (thought to have come from farther farms in the North Sea). Big fish and native Swedish oysters live at different depths: big fish at 1 to 3 meters below; Swedish oysters in numbers between 3 and 10. Estimates of wild Crab stocks in the Bohuslän region range from 110,000 to 280,000 tons. Lotta Klemming thinks they could be a sustainable solution underwater and on our plates: “Because of climate change, we’re seeing warmer oceans in the region right now, so Gigas oysters are better able to survive.” Food influence? “In Sweden we eat less than one oyster per person per year. It’s associated with top hats and evening dresses, festive occasions for high society, but it’s also a nutritious food. With more knowledge on how to prepare and cook them Understand, I think it can be something other than gourmet food,” Klemming said.
A seafood meal cooked over an open fire as part of an oyster tour © Olivia Thordén Rubie
Pacific giant oysters cooked over a fire © Olivia Thordén Rubie
As part of the business, Lotta Klemming arranges oyster tours in the archipelago. Guests – some of them oyster fanatics, some adventurers – visited the oyster bank to learn about the industry and catch them themselves. These food and nature experiences range from half-day lessons to weekend dinners and overnight stays in local hotels. “The aim is to share my knowledge about oysters and our work – a relatively new food for many Swedes.”
Often, guests end up experiencing something different than they imagined. “We make lunch and the conversation tends to end with a deeper family history. I understand that things happen to people in these situations. They put their faith in my hands and they’re stranded on a secluded island. Also, when When the Swedes down two glasses of wine, they start talking. There’s a lot of emotion around the campfire; things from the family’s past come to the surface. I’m speechless: What the hell is going on?”
An interesting idea to catch oysters as a treat. But Klemming is a passionate advocate for its benefits to a person’s mental health. “When I was vulnerable and talked about my history, people tended to open up,” she said. “I had a difficult childhood and was bullied at school. I developed mental illness and nearly died a few times because of it. This career has healed me in every way.”
Klemming has big plans for Klemmings Ostron: build a hotel, restaurant and headquarters on the archipelago. “We’ve reached the limit and need a roof to keep growing. There’s a lot of old warehouses and fishing shacks around here that are empty, they’re just going to waste. So, now we’re working with the landowners and the municipality to find our own In Sweden, there are hardly any property taxes, so people just hold onto their real estate.” She straightens the straps of her overalls and looks into the distance. No doubt her elbows are at least sharp enough to make this dream come true. “The ocean gives meaning to my life. I’m good at what I do. For the first time in my life, I’m proud,” she concluded. “I’m at home.”