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.
Very cool! Literally! What was the water temp? What kinds of things did you see? The coldest water I have been in is about 60*F, and that was just in a 7mm and a skin underneath.
The water temperature was about 36-39 degrees. I personally would have not made it without a drysuit.
At the Silfra, it’s all about touching both continents at the same time.
In the lake, there is an area of geothermal activity on the bottom. Pretty cool to see bubbles of heat make their way to the surface.
In the Ocean, we just saw a few crabs and lobsters. Also, we swam through a kelp forest.
Very cool! I have been diving in the giant kelp forests of Catalina island in CA. they are very interesting.
Catalina is on my list. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get there next season.
I think you will like it a lot. There are tons of bright orange Garibaldi, sea lions and, course the giant kelp forests. You can also see where the cold water and warm water meet.
Wow. I love Iceland and this is spectacular. You could dive off La Jolla, my hometown, if you go to Catalina, and don’t miss Channel Islands National Park which is full of marine mammals and life, and unlike Catalina, very few people. Channel Islands reminds me of The Galapagos minus the reptiles.