Norwegian man enjoys extreme storm from coastal cabin

Øyvind Thalmann is spending his birthday on Norway’s second southernmost cabin near Mandal as storm Dave batters the coast, calling the experience “fantastic,” reports Dagbladet.

Thalmann had planned to celebrate his birthday on Sunday, but the extreme weather forced him to move the festivities to Saturday, when he enjoyed his favourite meal—crab—with his partner. The cabin belongs to his in-laws, and he appreciates its exposed location year-round.

“This is a great place to be,” he said. “The wind often hits straight on, which makes it extra special.”

Though he has never experienced a storm this powerful before, Thalmann described the scene as the sea churned into a “foaming tub,” with waves crashing higher than the surrounding cliffs. “It’s brutal, but also incredibly impressive,” he said.

He and his partner ventured outside briefly on Sunday, though they avoided longer walks and followed official safety advice. “It was too exciting not to go out and look,” Thalmann admitted.

The couple secured loose items like chairs from the porch ahead of the storm but remain unconcerned about the cabin’s structural integrity. “It’s survived many storms before,” his partner noted, though they recalled a nearby cabin losing its roof in a storm during the early 2000s.

Despite the destruction elsewhere, Thalmann said the experience has been thrilling: “I’m expecting even more.”