A few years ago, a group of friends and I organized a dive trip to Iceland. Our goals were simple: earn a Dry Suit certification and execute a bucket list dive at the Silfra.
The Silfra is a rift formed in the divergent tectonic boundary between the Eurasian and North American plates. It is filled with fresh spring water and open to both scuba divers and snorkelers.
Dry Suit Certification
In order to dive the Silfa later on our trip, we needed to become Dry Suit certified. We decided to use Dive Iceland to earn our certification and guide us at dive sites. The operation is run by a nice and quite knowledgeable gentleman named Hedinn.
Before traveling to Iceland, we purchased the course manual and completed knowledge reviews to maximize our time on the island.
On the first day of training, Dive Iceland collected us from our Airbnb and took us to the training pool. The dive shop provided us with all of the equipment needed to earn our certification. We spent the morning reviewing the course material and practicing skills in the pool. In the afternoon, we were ready for the open water at Kleifarvatn lake. At the lake, we continued to practice training skills during our dive.
Silfra (Bucket List Dive)
The next day we were excited and ready to dive the Silfra. The dive site is located in the Þingvallavatn lake in the Þingvallavatn national park. This was the first time I dived in fresh cold spring water. The water temperature is between 36-39 degrees. Visibility underwater was over 100ft – it was crystal-clear! Diving through fissure is breathtaking especially on a sunny day. The highlight of the dive is point were divers can extend their arms and touch two continents (Europe & North America).
Óttarsstaðir – Greenland Sea
The final day we dived at site called Óttarsstaðir. This was a shore dive into the Greenland Sea (North Atlantic Ocean). The dive site is located just south of Reykjavík. Visibility was pretty low during the dive. However, we were able to dive through a kelp forest which was very cool.
Accomplishments
- First Dry Suit Dive
- First Cold Water Dive
- First Dive in a Kelp Forest
I had a great time on this trip and I’m glad to experience cold water diving.
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