- Open Water course
- ISK 115,000
Updated July 2026
Good to know
Good to Know
- The only site on this list that's a genuine, easy Reykjavík day trip by car is the Þingvellir fissure cluster (Silfra, Davíðsgjá) plus nearby Bjarnagjá and Kleifarvatn on the Reykjanes Peninsula and Garður/Akranes on the coast — all are drivable round-trip in a day.
- Everything in North Iceland (Strýtan, Little Strýtan, Nesgjá, Litlaá) and East Iceland (El Grillo wreck) or the Westfjords requires a separate multi-day trip with its own base (typically Akureyri) — don't expect to combine these with Reykjavík sightseeing on the same day.
- Iceland diving is a dry-suit-only affair everywhere on this list; a dry-suit certification (or logged recent dry-suit dives) is a hard requirement at Silfra and most other sites, so sort this out before arriving if you don't already have it.
- Silfra and the other freshwater fissures are prized for visibility and geology, not fish — if you want an actual wildlife-dense dive, Garður or Strýtan are the better picks.
- Silfra is diveable in every season since its temperature barely changes year-round, but topside conditions (daylight, snow, road access) are easiest June–September.
- A plain PADI Open Water certification from home is not enough to dive Iceland's famous sites — you'll need (or need to add) a Dry Suit specialty, which is why most local shops sell 'combo' packages bundling Open Water + Dry Suit + a Silfra dive together.
- Course pricing is broken into modular pieces here (pool weekend, each open-water dive, dry suit add-on) more than in many other dive destinations, especially in the winter-schedule version — read the fine print on what's actually included before comparing operator prices.
- PADI eLearning theory can be completed before you arrive, which is worth doing given Iceland's cold-water logistics and short course windows.
- If you just want to see Silfra without full certification hassle, guided snorkeling tours (not diving) are the common budget/no-certification alternative offered by the same operators.
Dive Sites And Conditions
- Access Summary
- Diving from Reykjavík splits into two very different categories: freshwater fissure/lake sites in and around Þingvellir National Park (45–75 minutes' drive from the city, done as day trips with no boat needed) and North Iceland/fjord/wreck sites (Strýtan, Nesgjá, Litlaá, the Westfjords, El Grillo) that are 4–7 hours' drive or a short domestic flight away and are realistically only doable as a separate multi-day trip based out of Akureyri or another northern town, not as a Reykjavík day excursion. There is no liveaboard diving in Iceland — everything is shore-entry or short day-boat, but the northern/fjord sites are effectively out of reach for a Reykjavík-based day-tripper.
Sites
Silfra Fissure
- Type
- freshwater tectonic fissure / crack dive
- Access
- shore dive, day-trip accessible from Reykjavík — the single most accessible named site covered in this list
- Location
- Þingvellir National Park, about 53 km (roughly 45–75 minutes' drive) from Reykjavík
- Best Season
- Year-round; water temperature and visibility are essentially constant through the seasons, though summer (June–September) brings easier logistics, longer daylight and milder topside weather, while winter adds snow and ice at the surface
- Water Conditions
- A steady 2–4°C year-round with visibility that regularly exceeds 100 m, among the clearest water anywhere, because the glacial meltwater is filtered through porous lava for decades before reaching the fissure.
- Marine Life Highlights
- Not a wildlife dive — this is a geology/visibility dive. Dwarf Char (a small Arctic char subspecies) live in the fissure year-round, with Arctic Char visiting more frequently during their August–September spawning season; a fissure-endemic amphipod, Crymostygius thingvallensis, is present but effectively invisible to divers, and bright green 'troll hair' algae is most visible in summer.
- Notes
- Depth is capped around 18 m by park rules; dry-suit certification (or logged recent dry-suit dives) is required by every operator, and diving is only permitted with a licensed guide — you cannot self-guide here.
Davíðsgjá
- Type
- freshwater fissure
- Access
- shore dive, day-trip accessible from Reykjavík
- Location
- Also within Þingvellir National Park, near Silfra
- Best Season
- Year-round, similar constant-temperature conditions to Silfra
- Water Conditions
- Described as a deeper, darker sister site to Silfra with similarly cold, clear glacial water.
- Marine Life Highlights
- Minimal marine life, similar to Silfra — valued for geology and clarity rather than fish or invertebrates.
- Notes
- Far less crowded than Silfra since visitor numbers are restricted; a good alternative for divers who've already done Silfra.
Bjarnagjá
- Type
- freshwater fissure
- Access
- shore dive, genuinely close day-trip from Reykjavík — one of the closest named sites to the city
- Location
- Reykjanes Peninsula, about 30–40 minutes from Reykjavík
- Best Season
- Year-round
- Water Conditions
- Cold, clear fissure water typical of the Reykjanes/Þingvellir volcanic fissure system.
- Marine Life Highlights
- Little to no fish life; a geology-focused fissure dive rather than a wildlife site.
- Notes
- Often paired with Silfra or Kleifarvatn on the same day since it's on the peninsula south of the capital.
Kleifarvatn
- Type
- volcanic lake dive
- Access
- shore dive, day-trip accessible from the Reykjavík area
- Location
- Reykjanes Peninsula
- Best Season
- Year-round, though summer gives easier surface access
- Water Conditions
- Cold lake water in a striking, starkly volcanic landscape.
- Marine Life Highlights
- Not a marine-life destination; valued for its volcanic setting rather than fauna.
- Notes
- Less commercialized than Silfra — fewer operators run structured tours here.
Garður
- Type
- ocean/kelp reef dive
- Access
- shore or short boat dive, doable as a (longer) day trip from Reykjavík
- Location
- Tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula, roughly an hour's drive south of Reykjavík
- Best Season
- Summer (June–August) for calmer seas and more active marine life; diveable other months with more variable conditions
- Water Conditions
- North Atlantic coastal water, 6–12°C depending on season, noticeably warmer than the inland fissures.
- Marine Life Highlights
- Iceland's premier ocean dive site — over 42 recorded species of algae forming kelp-forest structure, plus cod, wolffish, starfish, nudibranchs, crabs and other North Atlantic reef life; described by operators as the 'garden' dive of Iceland.
- Notes
- This is the real marine-life counterpart to the geology-focused fissure dives — go here if fish and invertebrates matter more to you than clarity.
Akranes
- Type
- ocean/kelp reef dive
- Access
- shore or short boat dive
- Location
- Coastal town north of Reykjavík across Faxaflói bay, about an hour from the capital
- Best Season
- Summer for best conditions; diveable outside peak season with more variable visibility
- Water Conditions
- North Atlantic coastal water similar to other Faxaflói-area sites.
- Marine Life Highlights
- Kelp forests with fish, crabs and other North Atlantic invertebrate life.
- Notes
- Sits about an hour from Silfra, so sometimes combined with an inland fissure dive on the same trip.
Nesgjá
- Type
- freshwater fissure ('the Northern Silfra')
- Access
- shore dive, but only realistically reachable via a dedicated multi-day North Iceland trip, not from Reykjavík in a day
- Location
- Öxarfjörður area, North Iceland, near the Arctic Circle — several hours from Reykjavík, not a day trip
- Best Season
- Year-round for the fissure itself, though a North Iceland road trip is easiest in summer
- Water Conditions
- Shallow, extremely clear freshwater filtered through lava, similar in character to Silfra but generally regarded as even more pristine and undisturbed.
- Marine Life Highlights
- Little fish life; notable for translucent microbial algae mats on the rocks and striking blue-green water clarity rather than fauna.
- Notes
- Frequently marketed as a twin site to nearby Litlaá; both require basing yourself in North Iceland.
Litlaá
- Type
- freshwater fissure/lagoon (geothermally warmed)
- Access
- shore dive, only accessible as part of a multi-day North Iceland excursion, not a Reykjavík day trip
- Location
- Near Nesgjá, North Iceland — several hours from Reykjavík
- Best Season
- Year-round, but trips are concentrated in summer
- Water Conditions
- Geothermal heating under the riverbed keeps the water around a comparatively mild 17°C, unusually warm for Iceland, with strong visual clarity through volcanic sand.
- Marine Life Highlights
- Not a wildlife site — the draw is the warm-water sand formations and clarity rather than fish or invertebrates.
- Notes
- Access to Litlaá is normally bundled into multi-day North Iceland dive packages rather than sold as a standalone dive.
Strýtan
- Type
- hydrothermal chimney / pinnacle dive
- Access
- short day-boat dive out of a dedicated North Iceland dive centre — not shore-accessible and not reachable from Reykjavík in a day; requires basing yourself in Akureyri
- Location
- Eyjafjörður fjord, near Hjalteyri, about 20–25 minutes from Akureyri — roughly 4–5 hours' drive or a short flight from Reykjavík
- Best Season
- Runs year-round but is more weather-sensitive in winter; summer gives the most reliable boat access
- Water Conditions
- A protected 55 m geothermal chimney with its top at around 15 m and base near 70 m; hot (72°C) mineral-rich freshwater pours from the vents at roughly 100 litres per second, creating a visible thermocline.
- Marine Life Highlights
- Cod and pollock circle the chimney in large schools, the structure is coated in crustaceans, anemones and sponges, and wolf eels/wolffish are regularly seen; humpback whales are commonly sighted in the fjord from the dive boat itself.
- Notes
- Iceland's single most distinctive dive — the only place recreational divers can reach a hydrothermal vent, versus roughly 2,000 m depth for comparable vents elsewhere. Advanced Open Water certification and good buoyancy control are required due to strong currents and the need to avoid contact with the fragile vent structure.
Arnarnesstrýtan (Little Strýtan)
- Type
- smaller hydrothermal chimney field
- Access
- day-boat dive from the same Akureyri-area dive centre as Strýtan — not shore-accessible from Reykjavík
- Location
- Eyjafjörður fjord, near Strýtan, North Iceland
- Best Season
- Year-round, weather-dependent
- Water Conditions
- A cluster of smaller geothermal chimneys sitting around 25 m depth.
- Marine Life Highlights
- Often hosts more visible life than the main Strýtan chimney, including notably friendly wolffish that make for close photo opportunities.
- Notes
- Both Strýtan sites are protected areas and diving here requires permission/booking through the site's licensed dive centre.
El Grillo Wreck
- Type
- wreck dive
- Access
- day-boat dive out of Seyðisfjörður, but requires a dedicated trip to East Iceland — nowhere near Reykjavík day-trip range
- Location
- Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland — about 700 km (roughly 7+ hours' drive) from Reykjavík
- Best Season
- Summer months for calmer fjord conditions
- Water Conditions
- Sits at about 45 m depth in the fjord.
- Marine Life Highlights
- A colonized steel wreck rather than a marine-life hotspot; divers come for the wreck history and structure.
- Notes
- A British oil tanker sunk by German aircraft in February 1944; its oil was fully pumped out in 2002, leaving a clean wreck. Requires at least PADI Advanced Open Water certification given its depth and remoteness.
Westfjords Coastal Sites
- Type
- reef and wreck dives
- Access
- day-boat/shore dives once based in the Westfjords; not accessible from Reykjavík without a multi-day trip
- Location
- Westfjords region, northwest Iceland — a long drive or flight from Reykjavík, not a day trip
- Best Season
- Summer for the most stable weather and sea conditions
- Water Conditions
- Regarded as having some of Iceland's clearest ocean water, set against steep fjord cliffs.
- Marine Life Highlights
- A variety of dive sites including several wrecks, plus general North Atlantic reef and kelp fauna.
- Notes
- Treated by operators as a distinct regional dive destination in its own right, separate from both the Reykjavík/Þingvellir fissures and the Akureyri/Strýtan sites.
Typical Courses And Pricing
DIVE.IS
- Course
- PADI Open Water Diver (standard 3-day, April–September)
- Elearning Fee
- ISK 15,000
- Note
- Total course price not itemized separately from add-ons in current listings; eLearning registration fee is billed on top of the course fee.
DIVE.IS
- Course
- PADI Open Water Diver – Winter version (5 days over 3 weekends, pay-per-weekend)
- Per Dive Price
- ISK 29,990
- Referral Weekend Price
- ISK 34,990
DIVE.IS
- Course
- PADI Dry Suit Diver Specialty
- Price From
- ISK 64,990
Arctic Adventures (Diving Centre)
- Price
- ISK 115,000
- Course
- PADI Open Water Diver
Operator Density
- Summary
- Small, concentrated market rather than a large number of independent shops. Two dedicated PADI dive centers actually run their own courses and dives in the Reykjavík area; most of the other 'diving' listings a visitor finds online are travel-marketplace resellers packaging those same operators' trips rather than distinct dive shops.
- Reseller Note
- Sites such as Guide to Iceland and similar travel marketplaces list PADI Dry Suit and Silfra course packages, but these are booking-platform listings for trips operated by the core dive centers above, not separate dive shops.
- Outside Reykjavik Context
- Strýtan Dive Centre, a well-known PADI operator known for cold-water and hydrothermal-chimney diving, is based near Akureyri in North Iceland — a multi-hour drive from Reykjavík, so it is not part of the Reykjavík-area cluster.
Confirmed Operators
- DIVE.IS — Iceland's largest dive operator, a PADI 5 Star IDC Development Centre with its own shop in Reykjavík (Hólmaslóð 2, 101 Reykjavík) and pool training in nearby Hafnarfjörður; describes itself as the biggest PADI Dry Suit course provider in Europe.
- Arctic Adventures — runs its own in-house 'Diving Centre' offering PADI training from Reykjavík.
Certifying Bodies
Certifying Bodies
- PADI
Local Specialty Note
Because Icelandic water is near-freezing year-round, a plain PADI Open Water card alone is not enough to dive most local sites — a Dry Suit certification is effectively required, and operators bundle it into 'combo' packages aimed at Silfra fissure specifically.
Levels Commonly Offered
Levels Commonly Offered
- PADI Scuba Diver (entry-level, always guided, limited to ~12m depth)
- PADI Open Water Diver (most common starting certification, to 18m)
- PADI Open Water Referral (theory + pool done locally or abroad, dives finished elsewhere or vice versa)
- PADI Dry Suit Diver Specialty (a near-mandatory add-on locally, since almost all Iceland dive sites including Silfra require it)
- PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (to 30m)
- Higher professional levels: Divemaster, Instructor, Staff Instructor
Freediving Crossover
- Detail
- No evidence found at the time of research of Reykjavík-area dive shops running standalone freediving certification courses (e.g., AIDA/SSI freediving levels). The crossover that does exist at sites like Silfra is guided snorkeling tours offered as a non-certified, cheaper alternative to scuba diving by the same operators — not a formal freediving program.
- Confirmed
- No
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.