Looking for a good outfit to dive with at Silfra - Iceland

[Snoweman]

wow. bucket list turns to sht list pretty quick. I was really looking forward to diving Silfra and now it sounds like I should find another big crack in the ground.

Iceland is a wonderful place to visit. I would go back, but I probably wouldn't do the Blue Lagoon again. Glad I did it, but it a one and done.

I have no interest in jumping in freezing cold water just for amazing viz (and nothing else to see).

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

Yeah, it’s a good one to tick off for ‘dive bingo’ but 100% a ‘one and done’

‘Iceland is great though...I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Food was average at best though...

 

[KiltGirl]

I went with dive.is they were very professional and we dived in very small groups 3:1. Amazing experience......but rather cold for my now Caribbean blood! Enjoy.

 

[al248005]

Iceland is a wonderful place to visit. I would go back, but I probably wouldn't do the Blue Lagoon again. Glad I did it, but it a one and done.

I have no interest in jumping in freezing cold water just for amazing viz (and nothing else to see).

I agree..I def want to go back again. Iceland is a beautiful country. The reason I went was to be able to dive silfra and actually I would say it was probably the biggest disappointment of the whole trip. From The northern lights, glaciers, volcanoes, black sand beaches, waterfalls and ice caves it truely was a remarkable trip. Next time I do go though I want to go to the North end of Iceland and dive the geothermal chimney. There is so much more to Iceland than Silfra.

 

[Johanan]

I dove Silfra about 7 years ago. The air was about -1C* and the water was +2C*. The operator was Dive.is. It was on the expensive side but they picked me up from the hotel. Good luck on that day - I did not hire a personal guide, yet had a private tour as there were no other divers on that day. The DM was OK. He took photos of me during the dives and carried my weight belt to the parking lot. Everybody craves THAT photo with one hand on the Eurasian tectonic plate and with the other hand on the North American one. On the way back the guide took a longer and more scenic route to give me a bonus trip. But I don't see him now among the team on their webpage.

Was it worth? It depends on what you already have seen. For me, it was the first time with such impeccable visibility and such cold water. The cliffs looked spectacular. If you have been in Mexican caverns or caves, Silfra will not impress you too much. There is no marine life, just cliffs and colours. If most of your dives have been in a local quarry, then Silfra will be an adventure.

Apart from cold conditions, it is a benign place, almost like a pool. The park regulations did not permit to go deeper than 18 m or enter the overhead area on the bottom. It is a short distance even if you go all the way to so-called "Laguna". So don't hurry, take your time, use your gas. Stay in the "Cathedral" section as long as you can.

 

[Telvar]

Thanks all for your replies. I am well aware that I am clearly not the only person wanting to make that dive and that its one of the main tourist traps/attractions of the island. I guess 'll try and get there as early as possible in the day to make the dive. I've seen a little of the carribean, the med, some atlantic and a lot of Holland so 100+ meter visibility alone should make the dive worthwhile.

I'll definitely keep the whole car scam in mind, make sure that I book it here and do a thorough visual/camera inspection before and after.

 

[Louie3]

Dive.is is who i also went with.

It was just 3 of us and a dive guide. They let the snorkelers get out ahead of you so your dive is nice and peaceful. I honestly really enjoyed it. Sure its not a carribean dive teaming with wildlife, but there was just something that was so peaceful about it that i enjoyed. I went just this past january. It was freezing outside, it was actually warmer to be in the water. Our dive guide was fantastic and friendly, did not rush us during the dive at all, allowed us to take in the moment, and he snapped a bunch of pictures of all of us along the way.

Iceland is a beautiful country and i would live to go back in the summer time.
Myself and a few friends just rented a car and drove the main road around the entire country, stopping at different sites throughout.

I highly suggest picking up the international photographer map of iceland. It has all of the great stops all mapped out. We used it as a guide for our stops and it was handy when we got lost with no internet.

Try the traditional dishes while there as well, sheeps head, puffin, fermented shark, whale tail...

 

[al248005]

Thanks all for your replies. I am well aware that I am clearly not the only person wanting to make that dive and that its one of the main tourist traps/attractions of the island. I guess 'll try and get there as early as possible in the day to make the dive. I've seen a little of the carribean, the med, some atlantic and a lot of Holland so 100+ meter visibility alone should make the dive worthwhile.

I'll definitely keep the whole car scam in mind, make sure that I book it here and do a thorough visual/camera inspection before and after.

You just can't show up and dive. You have to have a reservation whomever you choose to go with so they can bring the right sized drysuit and undergarments. All operators to my knowledge require a booking to be made. If you know when you're going to go I would highly recommend you booking in advance because things in Iceland seem to fill up rather quickly.

 

[David Novo]

I think whomever you dive with silfra is the same deal...a long line of divers queueing up waiting to get in the water...across the road and into the carpark it’s basically like a mass baptism ceremony...

My experience was far from what you described. We were 5 divers with dive.is and were divided in 2 groups (3+2). I was in the "larger" group and did not see the other 2 divers except on the van.

Don't you need to be dry suit certified to dive Sifra?

When I went you either had to be dry suit certified or to have 10 dry suits dives done during the two years before the Silfra dives.

I went with dive.is they were very professional and we dived in very small groups 3:1. Amazing experience......but rather cold for my now Caribbean blood! Enjoy.

+1 (the cold part was an interesting experience, specially the face numbness)

 

[Telvar]

You just can't show up and dive. You have to have a reservation whomever you choose to go with so they can bring the right sized drysuit and undergarments. All operators to my knowledge require a booking to be made. If you know when you're going to go I would highly recommend you booking in advance because things in Iceland seem to fill up rather quickly.

Lol, thanks, but I never show up unannounced. I always book my dives, usually even before going on holiday. I was referring to getting a reservation as early as possible in the day in order to -maybe- avoid the big crowds.