Saltstraumen

or is a small strait with one of the strongest tidal currents in the world. It is located in Bodø Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located about southeast of the town of Bodø. The narrow channel connects the outer Saltfjorden to the large Skjerstad Fjord between the islands of Straumøya and Knaplundsøya. The Saltstraumen Bridge on Norwegian County Road 17 crosses Saltstraumen.

==Current== thumb|left|Saltstraumen current churning up phytoplankton blooms in a [[NASA satellite image]] thumb|left|Saltstraumen and the Saltstraumen Bridge with the Børvasstindene mountains in the background Saltstraumen has one of the strongest tidal currents in the world. Up to of seawater forces its way through a long and wide strait every six hours. Vortices known as whirlpools or maelstroms up to in diameter and in depth are formed when the current is at its strongest. At this point, one source claims that the tidal current can reach .