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The Highlights of Iceland Diving surely lives up to its name as in only 5 days we will be diving the best of the best dive sites Iceland has to offer. Along the way, we will do some sightseeing at some of the best known and “must see” sites in the country. Therefore, this tour is very non-diver friendly.
3 to 12 divers
18 (17 if accompanied by parent/guardian)
For this tour to be confirmed, a minimum of 3 passengers has to be met. If the tour is not confirmed you will get a full refund.
We will plan for two dives at each location, though in temperatures below zero often only a single dive will be possible.
We will start our trip by visiting the National Park Þingvellir, located about an hour drive from Reykjavik, to dive Davíðsgjá, often described as Silfra’s darker wilder sibling. This spectacular lava ravine has long been known by the local dive community but rarely visited by others than locals, reason being the close proximity to the worldrenowned Silfra. However, this mystical dive site, located on the edge of the Arctic char’s protected spawning grounds, is the perfect alternative to Silfra, just off the beaten path. After our one extended dive, we will make our way up north where we will spend two nights in our lovely hotel in Akureyri.
On our second day we will dive the majestic Strýtan. The big one is a 55m towering hydrothermal chimney that reaches up to 15 meters below the surface. Close by we find Arnarnesstrýtur, a bit smaller chimney but all the same a favourite dive site by many locals, as it is probably one of the world’s best places to observe wolf fish in their natural habitat. The place is literally crowded with them and you might even get to meet our wolf fish friend, Stefanie. We will take the morning early with a boat dive to have the whole day ahead of us to explore these two dives sites. Strýtan has been a protected nature reserve since 2OO1 and is subject to extensive research and observation by scientists from all over the world, therefore these sites are for experienced divers only, as a complete buoyancy control is required.
On our second day up north we will start with a scenic drive from your Akureyri hotel to the first dive site, Nesgjá. On our way we will make a stop at Goðafoss, the waterfall of the Gods and another stop at Tjörnes peninsula coastal viewpoint, if we are lucky we might even see the famous Icelandic puffin. The dive site Nesgjá is the result of tectonic movement and the divergence of the Eurasian and North American continental plates. Similar to Silfra and Davíðsgjá, but also quite different in many ways, Nesgjá is modestly shallow but amazingly beautiful and has often been called 'Silfra of the north'.
After the dive we will continue on to Litlaá, a 17°C geothermal river, for a one of a kind snorkelling experience. You will be mesmerized by the dancing volcanic sands and multicoloured sediments leaping from the bottom. Heated water erupts from below the bottom causing beautiful bubbling sand pools and ripples in the riverbed while you drift along the surface above.
Before we head to our hotel in Mývatn, we continue our drive on the famous Diamond Circle which includes a few unforgettable stops. The first stop will be at the 45m high and 100m wide Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe, with 500 cubic metres of water per second plunging over the edge. Next stop will be at Námafjall geothermal area where we will walk around the smoking fumaroles and boiling mud pots, surrounded by sulfur crystals of many different colors. The sulfur gives the area an overwhelming smell of egg. We will end our long adventure day at the Mývatn Nature Baths where you can relax in an alkaline bathing lagoon and enjoy the amazing scenery. We will spend our night at Icelandair hotel Mývatn.
Today we are back to diving in Eyjafjörður fjord. This time we are doing one dive and aiming for either The French gardens or The Wall, both of which are amazing geological structures with an abundance of marine life; red fish, lump suckers, wolf fish. Also, they are known for their colorful display of anemones and rocks covered with algae in shades of pink and purple you did not know existed. After the dive we head back to Reykjavík city where we will spend the night at Icelandair hotel Marina, located at the old harbour area in Reykjavík.
On our final day of the tour, we will head out early morning from our hotel to dive Iceland’s ultimate dive site, Silfra! The site is located in Þingvellir National Park, an area of immense interest to geologists and cultural historians alike. The rift valley of Þingvellir was created by the slow separation of the Eurasian and North American continental plates, and it was here that the original settlers of Iceland held their annual legislative assembly. The Silfra fissure is the exact location where the continental plates divide; at one point in the dive, you can touch the walls of each continent. As the water that fills Silfra is glacial water that has been filtered through basaltic lava rock for a distance of 50 km, Silfra’s underwater visibility is unparalleled by any other dive site on the planet. After the dive, we will head to drive the famous Golden Circle which includes stops at Geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss, the most photographed waterfall in all of Iceland. These magnificent sites should not be missed by any visitor to Iceland