Scuba Diving in Iceland

I returned this week from a trip to France, with a multi-day layover in Reykjavik, Iceland. While there, I was able to dive once of the more unusual and best dive sites in the Northern Hemisphere, Silfra. The dive site is glacier fed stream formed by the separation of the North American and European tectonic plates. The two plates are separating at approximately 2-4 cm per year. Silfra flows onto Þingvallavatn lake, part of Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Melting glacier water is filtered through volcanic rock for 30 years before draining into the stream, perfectly clear with no suspended particulate matter. The result is perfect visibility, 200’ or more. The dive itself is essentially a drift dive, where you spend 30-45 minutes slowly moving through the underwater canyon, marveling at the rock formations and incredible blue and green colors. The depths are open water diver friendly at around 60’.

This was my third scuba trip to Iceland, in the future I’ll write more about other interesting sites such as Strýtan , an underwater geothermal chimney in Northern Iceland. Next trip I hope to tour and dive the Westman Islands in the south.

Closer to Seattle, we have lots of interesting dive sites and beautiful marine life waiting to be seen. Check out our dive tours page and book your dive tour online today.

Richard