DIVE Silfra – in the National park Thingvellir

Silfra ravine is a crack filled with very cold waters from about 2°- 4° celcius and crystal clear water with about 150 meters visibility. This spectacular dive sites is an experience every diver will appreciate. It has been named one of the three best fresh water diving sites in the world. There are caves in Silfra, in those caves you can dive down to about 60+ meters.

Apart from the cold water you can expect very strong current, but you dive with the current which makes the dive more enjoyable. There is a platform with steps for easy entrance. The first stage of the dive is the Silfra Hall, swimming over shallows which take you to the Silfra Cathedral then the final part of the dive is the extremely beautiful blue lagoon. The name refers to the multiple strong blue colors you will experience in the dive.

The National Park of Thingvellir is known for its divine nature and is the most frequent visited tourist site in Iceland. The first general assembly in Iceland was established in Thingvellir around 930 and the park has a major significance in the countries history. It has been said that Thingvellir is a national wonder in an international scale for its geologic history and of the Lake Thingvellir which Silfra Ravine a part of.

This unique dive sites is something that a diver needs to experience for himself.

See more information about Thingvellir at www.thingvellir.is.

If you go on the Dive/Snorkel Silfra and the Golden Circle tour than you will see Gullfoss and Geysir. See more information on www.geysircenter.com

For more information about the Blue Lagoon see www.bluelagoon.com

Strýtan and Skútan – our dive sites in Eyjafjordur.

Strýtan (staglamite) is located in the oceans of Eyjafjordur or in the Akueyri area in the north of Iceland. Strýtan has been named as one of the five most spectacular dive sites in the world. Strýtan is said to be the only dive able geothermal chimney in the world. There are few staglamites of different sizes in Eyjarfjordur; they are all in diving range. Out of the staglamite runs very hot, fresh water full of minerals. When the water from the staglamite mixes with the cold sea water it cools down and slowly builds up the staglamite.

Strýtan is a one of a kind dive site.

Skútan is a wooden schooner that sank just outside the harbor of the beautiful town of Akureyri. You can swim to the dive site from the harbor to a buoy that is attached to the Skútan. The visibility is depending on the conditions in the sea.

Skútan was built in the USA in 1876 but sank in 1917. It is 60 meter long and is in very good condition. Skútan lies in about 27 meters so you need to have a least PADI Advance certification of similar to dive the Skútan.

A special permission from the port authorities of Akureyri is needed to dive down to the Skútan.

Ottarstadir

Ottarstadir is located in Straumsvik area in the Reykjavik area. It is a beautiful ocean dive site where you can swim from the shore. It has a nice white sandy bottom and the best example of a how good of a dive it is was when a few divers saw a killer whale calf play in the area. It is common to have good visibility in the area and you will experience variety of small fish life.

El Grillo

El Grillo is a wreck located on the east coast of Iceland, it lies in the deep fjord of Seydisfjordur, which is surrounded by steep mountains.

The wreck is one of the most exciting dive sites in Iceland. The ship was attacked in the Second World War by three German warplanes. The captain of the ship managed to steer the ship into the fjord where it sank. Everybody on the ship escaped alive.

It is a huge ship with load capacity of 9000 tons.

It is a deep dive, there 27 meters down to the steering house and the ship lies at 40 meters. The visibility can be very good in the wintertime.

To dive the ship you need advanced certification from PADI or any other organization.

Gardurinn

Gardurinn is a beautiful and busy dive site in the south part of Iceland. It is in the small fishing town of Gardur.

The dive offers a good diversity of fish species for example wolf fish, monkfish, killer whale and a whole lot of white beaked dolphin.

The site is ideal for teaching with beautiful white sandy bottom at about 3-6 meters. Then you can go down to 18 meters. The current can be very strong at times.

This is one of the most popular dive sites with Icelandic divers.

For more information on traveling to Iceland visit the official travel guide to Iceland www.visiticeland.com, www.icelandair.com and www.icelandexpress.com.