Dive Sites in Iceland – Fissures, Lakes, Ocean and a Wreck

These are the recreational dive sites we offer our guests: the fissures of Þingvellir National Park, the geothermal lake Kleifarvatn, the ocean sites of the Reykjanes Peninsula, and a few places in the north, the east and the Highlands that are well worth the journey. Each site has its own page describing the dive, what you will see, who it suits and how it is offered. Most of them are available as a single dive or a two-dive day at our standard prices, and several can be combined in one day. A 2-day Ocean Tour around the Reykjanes Peninsula includes dives at sites such as Garður, Óttarsstaðir, Flekkuvík, Kleifarvatn and Bjarnagjá. The full price list and all combos are on our dive tours page. Tear of Odin, Strýtan and El Grillo are priced on request, and access to El Grillo has been restricted in recent years.

Technical dives go deeper: Kleifarvatn reaches 92 metres, and the Strýtur in Eyjafjörður lie at around 65 metres. Technical trips are tailored and priced on request, and you will find more about them on our list of technical dive sites in Iceland. Strýtan, the recreational chimney described further down this page, rises from the seafloor in shallow water.

Dives are made in a dry suit, and you need an Open Water certification and a dry suit certification. Silfra requires a dry suit certification because its water stays at 3°C all year. El Grillo lies at 45 metres and the deepest parts of Kleifarvatn are technical dives, so these call for training and experience that match the depth. Please ask us before you book. Not dry suit certified yet? Have a look at our diving courses; the dry suit course can be combined with a dive in Silfra.

Silfra

Silfra is a fissure in Þingvellir National Park where you dive in the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, the only place on Earth where you can float between two continents like this. The water is glacial meltwater filtered through lava rock for centuries, so clear that visibility often exceeds 100 metres, and it stays at 3°C all year round, which is why a dry suit certification is required. Read more about Silfra.

Two divers between the rock walls of the Silfra fissure, one shining a torch
Diver among large boulders in the clear blue water of Davíðsgjá

Davíðsgjá

Davíðsgjá is often called the darker sibling of Silfra: another fissure in Þingvellir, but more secluded and mysterious. It starts inland and opens up beneath the lake into an underwater canyon, and on the way you pass through a halocline where cold, clear glacial water meets the warmer, murkier lake water. Silfra and Davíðsgjá can be dived together in one trip. Read more about Davíðsgjá.

Kleifarvatn

Kleifarvatn is a volcanic lake a short drive from Reykjavík and one of the few places on Earth where you can dive over active geothermal springs. Bubbles rise from the lakebed and hot water meets cold in shimmering thermoclines. Kleifarvatn suits divers of all levels: the shallow geothermal fields are ideal for leisurely exploration, while the deeper areas hold eerie rock formations and submerged fissures for the more adventurous. Kleifarvatn can be combined with Bjarnagjá or Óttarsstaðir in one day. Read more about Kleifarvatn.

Diver above a pale patch on the lakebed at Kleifarvatn with sunlight breaking through the surface
Diver with a torch between narrow rock walls above wooden debris on the floor of Bjarnagjá

Bjarnagjá

Bjarnagjá is a fissure on the coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula near Grindavík, a stone’s throw from the Atlantic, with brackish water where freshwater and seawater mix. Narrow rock walls, amphipods, sticklebacks, the occasional crab and now and then a fish that has drifted in from the sea give the dive its character, and it is often the go-to dive when ocean conditions are not ideal. Read more about Bjarnagjá.

Garður

Garður sits at the far edge of the Reykjanes Peninsula, next to an old pier, and is one of Iceland’s most consistent ocean dive sites, with marine life all year round. The dive is shallow, with a maximum depth of 16 metres, and the action is in the kelp forest by the pier, home to wolffish, monkfish, flounders, cod and more. Read more about Garður.

Red starfish and orange soft corals on a rock at Garður, with a diver shining a torch behind
Purple sea urchin on the seabed beneath the kelp forest at Óttarsstaðir

Óttarsstaðir

Óttarsstaðir is a local favourite: a sheltered shore dive by Straumsvík, just outside Hafnarfjörður and a short drive from Reykjavík. The kelp forest begins in the shallows and the seabed slopes gently down to 18 metres, which makes it ideal for newer divers, for training dives and for anyone who wants a peaceful dive with plenty of life to look at. Read more about Óttarsstaðir.

Flekkuvík

Flekkuvík is the wild one: a remote ocean site on the Reykjanes Peninsula that needs a 4×4 to reach and depends on the weather. The reward is a steep slope dropping to 30 metres, a kelp forest swaying in the current and schools of fish weaving through it. It is a dive for adventurous divers who want raw, untouched beauty. Read more about Flekkuvík.

White sea anemone and orange soft corals on a rock at Flekkuvík
Sandy slope and rocks dropping into deep blue water at Tear of Odin

Tear of Odin

Tear of Odin lies hidden deep in the Icelandic Highlands and has some of the clearest water in the country. Getting there is an adventure in itself, by jeep and then on foot with your equipment, and once you are in, you find icy water, surreal silence and visibility that seems to go on forever. Please contact us for pricing. Read more about Tear of Odin.

Strýtan

Strýtan, in Eyjafjörður in northern Iceland, is a geothermal chimney built up over centuries by mineral-rich hot water. It rises from the seafloor in shallow water and is one of the world’s only diveable geothermal chimneys. You dive around a geological feature where mineral deposition is still going on, with rich marine life all around. This trip is priced on request. Read more about Strýtan.

Diver hovering above the top of the Strýtan chimney in green water
Diver above the encrusted wreck of El Grillo

El Grillo

Please note that access to El Grillo has been restricted in recent years by decisions of the local port authorities. The wreck of the British oil tanker El Grillo, 143 metres long and sunk during the Second World War, lies at a depth of 45 metres in Seyðisfjörður on the east coast, where it teems with marine life and is heavy with history. This trip is priced on request. Read more about El Grillo.

Book your dive in Iceland

See the current prices and combos on our dive tours page. The tours listed there include all necessary dive equipment, hotel pickup and drop-off, and transportation to and from the dive sites. A minimum of two divers is required per tour, and private tours are available on request. If you are interested or have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at icedive@icedive.is. We’d love to dive with you!