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Polaroid Impressions

A collection of photos around our tour operations

Images of our Icelandic Dive Life

Over the years we have collected a number of photos on our tours that capture the atmosphere of diving and snorkeling with us here on our little island on the arctic circle. A couple years ago we created an album of some of our favorite photos in the collection in the style of old polaroids and printed them as a christmas gift for some of our partners, friends and colleagues.
Now we found one stash of these Polaroids in a box on our attic and decided to scan them and put them here for you to enjoy. We hope you will.

A diver explores the bubbling underwater hot springs in Kleifarvatn Lake, Iceland

Diving above hot springs in Kleifarvatn Lake

Kleifarvatn Lake is one of our favorite dives sites near Reykjavík. The underwater hot springs on the lake's floor provide a fascinating and thrilling experience for both divers and snorkelers. Gases trapped underground push through cracks in the lake's floor and bubble up to the surface of the lake. The vibrations of this activity create an atmosphere that divers have described as "diving in a glass of champagne".
Because of the lake's position on the fault lines of the mid-Altantic ridge, earthquakes often lead to changes in the water level of the lake. For some time it seemed that the lake would disappear entirely, but thankfully the water level rose again and we can continue to enjoy the unusual underwater views of the hot springs on snorkeling and diving tours.

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Diving Strýtan, the hydrothermal chimney

Strýtan is a hydrothermal chimney in the northern fjord that leads to Iceland's second biggest town, Akureyri. It is the only place on earth where a hydrothermal chimney is shallow enough for recreational divers. Strýtan is a spectacular dive site and we love getting to dive there on our multiple day tours and expeditions. In this picture, hot water can be seen seeping out of the chimney. The warm water allows for unusual flora and fauna around the chimney.

Diver between icebergs in Greenland

Iceberg diving in Greenland

It is an indescribable experience to dive right next to one of these majestic icebergs.
They are huge from above and we know that approx. 90% of its volume is underneath the surface. So when we submerge and see it with our own eyes, we can finally not only understand the concept theoretically, but be there... feel it... experience it... understand it... believe it.
The water is sometimes bit below 0°C, the visibility is usually 30-50 meters.
We dive in Greenland on our Fire & Ice Tour when we split 10 tour days evenly between Iceland and Greenland.

Instructor Jammi teaches a student during one of the pool sessions of the PADI Open Water Diver Course in Reykjavík, Iceland

Instruction during a PADI Open Water Diver Course

All of our guides are also instructors and they love to teach! Because of Reykjavík's small population, our dive center doesn't have demand for as many Open Water courses as one finds in warmer weather diving destinations, so our instructors jump at every opportunity to teach. Here is our Operations Manager and Instructor, Jammi, with a student underwater at a local pool during one of the pool sessions in which students practice the basic skills required of diving.

Icelandic wolf fish showing off his teeth

A wolf fish is showing off his teeth

The abundance of marine life in the Atlantic Ocean around Iceland is great.
To come so close to these wonderfully freakish cold water creatures and observe their natural behaviour is fantastic.
We love especially our ocean dives sites in Eyjafjörður and there particularly the dive around the under water hot springs of Strýtan, the geothermal chimneys.
We have a couple of Multiple Day Dive Tours on which we offer to dive here.

Joined on our dive by Guillemots diving for food off the coast of Grímsey, Iceland

Guillemots diving off the coast of Grímsey

Colonies of the strong yet elegant Guillmot bird can be found along the coast of Iceland during their breeding season. Being joined underwater by Guillmots diving for food is an incredible experience we won't forget from one of our expeditions in the north of Iceland. This picture was taken just off the coast of Grímsey, an island to the north of Akureyri.

Diver Crossing Traffic Sign at Silfra, Iceland

Divers Crossing Traffic Sign

At Silfra divers have to dress up into their dive equipment on the Silfra parking lot which is on the other side of the road as the Silfra crack itself.
We are glad the authorities of the National Park Thingvellir put up this sign for our safety... and guest amusement. It has become a popular snapshot for visitors to Silfra.

A diver shines her torch into the El Grillo shipwreck at Seyðisfjörður, Iceland

Diving the El Grillo shipwreck

The oil tanker SS El Grillo was sunk by German air forces during WWII. There were no casualties and the shipwreck now provides a fascinating dive site off the eastern coast of Iceland near Seyðisfjörður. The diver in this photo shines her torch into the door of the ship. Just beyond this door, a staircase leads down into the now cavernous and dark spaces of the wreck.

Boat dives near Hornstrandir, Iceland

Divers returning to the yacht Aurora near Hornstrandir, Iceland

One of our favorite expeditions of recent years was our 10-day adventure sailing around the Westfjords in the yacht Aurora. We dived some of the most magnificent ocean dive sites and visited parts of Iceland that are accessible only by boat

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Divers Night in Silfra

DIVE.IS and the Icelandic dive community host an annual "divers night" at Silfra. Local divers gather for a fun dive in Silfra in the dark and the crystal clear water of Silfra is illuminated by an array of torches. The incredible visibility in Silfra allows you to see as far as the torch reaches. Thingvellir is usually completely empty at night, providing a atmosphere at Silfra. Arctic char from Thingvallavatn lake have a greater tendency to venture into Silfra in the dark and it is quite fun to see them briefly in the spotlight.

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