Wildlife
Private Ocean Diver tour
The North Atlantic is full of wildlife
Scuba dive in the sea around Iceland
On the Private Ocean Diver Tour you will swim through Iceland’s cool coastal scene and visit the inhabitants of the underworld in the North Atlantic.
Our favorite local ocean dive site is Garður, located in Reykjanes peninsula. We have other wonderful options in the area for shore dives and will decide on the best location of the private ocean dive tour the day before departure.
We will dive around kelp forests, which offer a great habitat for a number of marine species, including nudibranchs, lumpsuckers, and a wide variety of invertebrates.
Colorful algae also flourish here off the coast of Iceland. Soft orange coral intermittently decorates the sandy ocean floor.
You will most likely notice pairs of eyes sticking out of the sandy patches of the ocean floor where the flounders live. In the area of the kelp forests, a wolf fish might pay you an unexpected visit or stick its head out of a pile of rocks, looking a bit like a prehistoric creature.
All divers on this Private 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.
The structure of your Diving Tour
Our private tours include a private guide, the diving tour and all necessary equipment for diving as well as hot coco and cookies after the tour.
The Private Diving Day Tour includes one dive which will take about 30-40 minutes, with a maximum depth of 18 meters.
If you have your own transportation, you can meet us directly at the meeting point which will be provided in the confirmation e-mail after booking.
If you choose the pick up option, your private guide will pick you up and drop you off at your location in Reykjavík. During the one-hour drive, your guide will provide you with background information about the unique geology and cultural history of Iceland.
Your guide will give you a detailed briefing of the dive site and will then assist you in setting up our dive equipment. We use high quality BARE and Aqualung brand SCUBA equipment and APEX or Aqualung regulators.
After the tour, we will have hot coco and cookies before driving back to Reykjavik. We recommend visiting the Blue Lagoon after your tour. If you have booked transportation, we can drop you off there and you can book transportation back to Reykjavik.
The start time of this tour depends on the tides. Note that ocean dives in Iceland depend on the weather and it can happen that scheduled ocean dive trips 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 Bjarnagjá, Kleifarvatn or Silfra that do not depend on the weather as much as the ocean.
Our Souvenirs can be purchased in your booking process by selecting them under "Extras". If the Souvenir you are looking for is not listed below please contact us or leave a comment in your booking and we will bring it on tour with us.
Second time back with Dive.IS
This is our second dive trip back in Iceland. We loved silfra diving so much first time we asked if we could go to other dive sites. In total we did three other dive sites - David’s crack, the ocean dive, and another fissure near Grindavik. We want to thank the guides thomas, Silvia, and Rami for the great experience. We highly recommend the David’s crack. It’s right next to silfra but in my opinion much prettier than silfra. If you are a diving enthusiast and wants something different, you should definitely do this. Unfortunately on the second day the conditions for our ocean dive wasn’t great but we still saw some wildlife in the sea. Lots of starfish and kelps. The smaller fissure we visited after was really cool. It has a man made ship wreck and the water was very clear (though not as clear as silfra and David’s crack). All in all, Iceland has amazing diving sites not just silfra. Diving with company has always been great and we hope to come back next time.
Tour Details
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1 April - 30 September
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Available on request. Start times that fit your schedule, day or night
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Private guide
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For up to 3 divers
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Approx. 2.5 hours at the site, 5 hours if with transportation from Reykjavík
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Pick up can be arranged for an extra fee
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Not looking for a private experience? Check out our Ocean Diver Day tour
Included
- Private guide
- 1 guided dive
- A start time that fits your needs, avoiding the crowds
- All necessary snorkeling equipment
- Hot chocolate and cookies after the dive tour
- Photos from the tour
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
This tour is depending availability. If we are able to go on the requested date and time, we will confirm the booking and send you a payment link for the total amount. You choose the day you want to go on this page, then choose the location and start time on the next page.
Safety requirements
Participants must:-
be a certified diver at the level of PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent
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have dry suit diving certification and a logged dry suit dive within two years of the Silfra tour date 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 the online Diving 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 at the start of the Silfra dive tour 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
- (If you have booked a private tour with pick up you will first meet your driver at the selected pick-up location in Reykjavik)
- Arrival at the meeting point by the ocean, check-in with guides
- Briefing and gear-up with your guide (∼1 hour total)
- Once you are fully dressed, you will make your way to the entry point
- Weight check upon entering the water
- 30-45 minutes spent in the water
- Exit the water
- Take off equipment, enjoy hot chocolate and cookies to warm up
- At this point, you will have time to chat with your guide, ask any questions you might have and take a look at the pics taken during the tour
- (if you have booked a tour with pick up, your driver will drop you off at your location in Reykjavik)
Bookable extras
Experience the tour
Guides on this tour
You will dive here
Frequently asked questions
Dive around kelp forests, and visit a number of marine species, including nudibranchs, lumpsuckers. We dive in Reykjanes, about 1 hour drive from Re
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Are photos always taken on the Diving Day Tours?
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Our dive guides always bring along an underwater camera on the dives at the breathtaking Silfra and other marvelous dive sites. During these dives, our dive guides strive to capture as many splendid underwater photographs as possible. However, the safety of our divers is our utmost priority, and there may be occasions when the dive guide chooses to focus solely on dive safety during challenging conditions or with less confident divers. In such cases, it is possible that only a few or no photos are taken. We sincerely appreciate your understanding should this be the situation.
Typically, the photos from the dives are available for purchase after your incredible dive tour. For more information, please visit our our Souvenir page.
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Do you pick me up at my hotel or do I need to come to a pick up point?
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We will either pick you up at your hotel in central/downtown Reykjavik, or, if you are staying on either Hverfisgata or Laugavegur we will pick you up at a designated pick up location If you are however staying outside of Reykjavik, you will unfortunately need to arrange your own transport into Reykjavik, preferably to the BSI bus station, where we will then pick you up. You can then of course also meet us in the National Park Thingvellir if you have your own transport.
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What is the weather in Iceland like?
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During the summer months (June, July & August) it's sunny and warm(-ish) or overcast and wet, and often somewhere in between. The Icelandic weather famously changes at the drop of a woolly hat. So be prepared, bring your sun screen and shorts, as well as your all-weather gear. Even in the middle of summer the temperatures can get low (to below 10°C at night) so a good fleece - or better yet, Icelandic wool - will be essential, along with a hat and gloves.
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When is the best time to dive in Iceland?
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Each season has its own pros and cons. Spring and fall are best for those who like to stay out of the crowds. While we dive in small groups, some of the on-land sites we visit are popular among your run-of-the-mill tourists and, frankly, can get a little crowded, although we do know of quite a few out-of-the-way gems. Late spring you'll see the vegetation come alive and the birds and the bees buzzing by with excitement. The autumn colors of the turning leaves are definitely something to behold, and the weather is often calm and the air crisp. Summer is the busiest season and for a good reason. It's the warmest and most lush time of the year with nature in full bloom.
For the diving tours, the main difference between the seasons is that in the summer (April-October), we have all the dive sites available, whereas in the winter (November-March) we only have the Silfra dive site available, and occasionally Daviðsgjá. All the other dive sites are sadly not available due to road closures (ice and snow), and the water is frozen over or unsafe conditions.
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Why do I need to fill out a Diving Silfra Medical Statement?
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Every diver joining our Silfra Diving Day Tour needs to fill out the Diving Silfra Medical Statement to make sure that he/she understands the difficulties and risks associated with the Silfra dives as listed on the left-hand side of the form and by completing the medical questionnaire on the right-hand side of the form the participant confirms that he/she is fit and healthy to join the Silfra Diving Day Tour. This is done so that all divers enjoy a safe and happy dive tour.
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