New ocean dive spot in Akranes + the famous Silfra
Enjoy best of both diving worlds
Experience diving in both fresh and salty water dive sites on this combo tour. We will dive at Silfra fissure, famous for its 100m+ visibility and clear, fresh water between the continents, and in the kelp forests in the North Atlantic ocean at Akranes. The drive between the dive sites is approx 1 hour.
Silfra
Experience Silfra's pristine, crystal clear water while you dive between the Eurasian and American continental plates.
Upon arrival at Thingvellir National Park, your guide will introduce you to the unique geological and cultural history of Silfra before giving you a detailed briefing of the dive site. You guide will then assist you into your dry suit and setting up the dive equipment. We will explore the four main parts of Silfra, the big crack, Silfra hall, Silfra Cathedral and the Silfra Lagoon. After the dive we will warm up with hot chocolate and biscuits. You can read more here about our Silfra Diving Day Tour.
Silfra fissure is located at Thingvellir National Park which is on the Golden circle, a very popular sightseeing route in Iceland. Other sightseeing locations on the Golden circle are Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir hot spring and Kerið crater.
All divers on this Silfra Diving Tour must have dry suit diving certification OR 10 logged dry suit dives within two years of the Silfra tour date. These 10 dives must be confirmed with written proof signed by a diving instructor.
In case you do not fulfill these requirements, you can take PADI Dry Suit Diver Certification Course (or equivalent) before coming to Iceland. Or you can also take the Dry Suit Diver Course & Diving Silfra 2-Day Package here with us in Iceland! Alternatively, you can also Snorkel in Silfra instead of scuba diving.
Ocean dive in Akranes
The North Atlantic ocean is full of Kelp forests which offer a great habitat for a number of marine species, including lumpsuckers, nudibranches, and a wide variety of invertebrates. Colorful algae also flourish here off the coast of Iceland. We will enter the ocean from an accessible beach which is easy to enter and exit.
The small town of Akranes is not visited by a lot of tourists although it boasts a beautiful lighthouse and Guðlaug, a geothermal pool on the beach, that are both well worth a visit. Akranes is close to the ring road so this might be a good place to stay after the dive, if you plan to continue on the ring road.
The order of the dive sites on this tour depends on the tides. We usually want to end our dive around the peak of the high tide. Note that ocean dives in Iceland depend on the weather and it can happen that scheduled ocean dive tours have to be canceled due to unfortunate weather conditions. If that is the case we usually have a plan B and can offer you other dive sites, such as Garður, Bjarnagjá, Kleifarvatn, Davíðsgjá or Silfra that do not depend on the weather as much as the ocean.
Fun day diving in Iceland
We did the Silfra and Akranes dive day tour. The dives were very impressive and very different, both not very deep. But I'd recommend diving over snorkeling, because the groups are so much smaller. The colors during the Silfra dives were amazing, the view great. It was different to the ocean, where we saw tons of seastars and the occasional fish. We stayed at the Akranes campsite after, which I'd also recommend.
Our guides Konrad and Briosh looked well after us and even carried the equipment for one of us, which was very helpful! They took great pictures and it was funny to chat with them. We always felt safe. Thanks for this amazing day!
Tour Details
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1 April - 31 October
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Don't see a tour time that works for you? Contact us at dive@dive.is and we will find the best time
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7-8 hours
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Maximum ratio of 3 divers per 1 dive guide
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Minimum 2 divers per dive instructor, we will refund you in full if the minimum is not met
Included
- Guided diving tour
- 2 dives in 2 locations
- All necessary diving equipment
- Hot chocolate and cookies after each dive
- Silfra entrance fee of 1.500 ISK per person
- Round-trip transportation from Reykjavik
Please bring
- Your SCUBA dive certification card (PADI Open Diver Water or equivalent)
- Proof of dry suit diving certification OR written proof from a diving instructor of 10 logged dry suit dives within two years of tour date
- Long underwear
- Thick socks
- Suitable clothes for the weather of the day
Head over to our Merch page and grab a souvenir to remember your adventure by!
Safety requirements
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be a certified diver at the level of PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent
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Have dry suit diving certification OR have at least 10 logged dry suit dives within two years of the Silfra tour date and be able to provide written proof from a diving instructor of these dry suit dives PDF
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have read, signed, and followed directions on our Diving Silfra Medical Statement PDF
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have our Diving Medical form signed off by a doctor if they are age 60 or older PDF
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sign our liability release form PDF
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be at minimum 150cm / maximum 200cm
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be at minimum 45kg / maximum 120kg
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fit within our dry suit size chart PDF
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be at least 17 years of age (signature of legal guardian required for under 18 year old participants)
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be physically fit
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be able to communicate in English
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be ready to wear a sometimes tight & constricting dry suit
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not be pregnant
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eat well before the tour
Timeline of your tour
Bookable Extras
Experience the tour
Guides on this tour
You might be guided by one of these nice guys
You will dive here
Address
Silfra
Thingvellir National Park
801 Selfoss
Ocean dive
Akranes campsite
Akranes, 300 Iceland