Ever wondered what diving in Iceland is like (other than a bit chilly!!). John’s trip report from our recent vist beautifully demonstrates the amazing experiences both in water and on land.
Iceland 2013 by John Barbour.
The 6 of us all met at London Gatwick on the Thursday morning, for the Icelandair flight to Reykjavik, arriving on time to overcast skies, and a cool 12 deg . Transfers to our accommodation was seamless and we agreed to meet about an hour later for a quick orientation of the capital and an evening meal. Lobster soup, fish kebabs, at the Sea Baron in the old port, went down well with all.
Day one. Dive.Is the diving tour provider arrived at exactly the appointed hour to collect us all to deal with paperwork, and equipment fitting, before heading off to our first dive, at Lake Kleifareatn a geothermal lake, quite strange with all the sulphur dioxide bubbles around you. The lake is situated in an active geothermal area, in stunning scenery, and with the weather improving, a good day had by all.
Day Two, was two sea dives at Gardur fishing village, diving from the jetty, in water teeming with sea life, monkfish, flounder and plaice everywhere, water temperature of 10 deg. The ladies, not being divers, went to get pampered at the Blue Lagoon.
Day three, the icing on the proverbial diving cake, was Silfra. Tectonic plate diving with visibility of 300m, in stunning surroundings, two dives in crystal clear water that was 2 deg.
Evenings consisted of fine dining within Reykjavik, with excellent company, the last day in brilliant sunshine was a good day to see some of the local sights, whilst waiting for the no-fly time to expire. Whale watching, and snowmobiling were all completed, before the early morning flight on Tuesday morning back to London Gatwick.
My thanks to Hanna at Dive Is, whose running of the trip was faultless.
General conclusion – an amazing experience and one we would happily repeat. Yes diving in Iceland is on the chilly side, but the underwater world there is just so stunning you forget all about the cold as your mind is just transfixed on the world around you. Dry suit training is essential but worth every penny 🙂
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