Scuba Holidays

C-Life Ltd invite you to an exclusive 5 days diving and nature trip. We will do 6 guided dives at the most fascinating dive sites Iceland has to offer. Plus one day Whale Watching

We will dive the ocean dive sites Óttastaðir and Garður on the Reykjanes peninsula, explore Silfra extensively and drive north to Akureyri to dive Strýtan, the geothermal chimney.

Drysuits can be supplied from us or on location. Expect similar conditions to a normal winter lake dive apart from the air temp will be hot.

 

The country with the chilly name is rapidly becoming one of Europe's hottest destinations. Much of Iceland's popularity is due to its natural features, which include glaciers, hot springs, geysers, active volcanoes, portentous peaks and vast lava deserts.

In addition to its expansive landscape, it has a rich history and folklore tradition. However, Iceland's appeal is tempered by the most expensive prices in Europe. That doesn't mean it can't be visited on a shoestring, but it does mean that budget travellers will have to work a little harder.

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland) is a country of northwestern Europe, comprising the island of Iceland and its outlying islets in the North Atlantic Ocean between Greenland, Norway, Ireland, Scotland and the Faroe Islands. As of April 2007, it had a population of 309,699. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík.

Due to its location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is very volcanically and geologically active; this identifies the landscape in various ways. The interior mainly consists of a plateau characterized by sand fields, mountains and glaciers, while many big glacial rivers stream to sea through the lowlands. Due to the Gulf Stream, Iceland has a temperate climate compared to it's latitude, which provides habitable environment and nature.

Iceland has a history of habitation since about the year 874 when, according to Landnámabók, the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson became the first permanent Norwegian settler on the island. Others had visited the island earlier and stayed over winter. Over the next centuries, people of Nordic and Gaelic origin settled in Iceland. Until the twentieth century, the Icelandic population relied on fisheries and agriculture, and was from 1262 to 1944 a part of the Norwegian and later the Danish monarchies. In the 20th century, Iceland's economy and welfare system developed fast.

Today, Iceland is a highly developed country, the world's fifth and second in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and human development respectively. It is based upon a free market economy where service, finance, fishing and various industries are the main sectors. Thanks to its beautiful and exotic scenery, the tourism industry is fastly growing. Iceland is a member of the UN, NATO, EEA, and OECD.

Silfra Crack - Dive Between the Continents! Silfra crack, Thingvellir Lake, National Park Thingvellir, Iceland

SILFRA is an absolute world class dive site due to two main reasons. First of all you will be diving in a crack between the American and Eurasian continents. It's the place where the continental plates meet and drift apart about 2cm per year. Secondly the visibility that you will experience will rarely be surpassed, if ever. 100m+! The reasons for this clarity are twofold: the water is cold ( 2°C - 4°C all year ) since it's the melting water from a glacier about 50km away and has traveled through the lava fields for many years before coming out at the north end of Thingvellir lake through underground wells.

The Silfra water is as pristine as water can get and you can drink it at anytime during the dives. The National Park ThingvellirThe official website of Thingvellir National Park has been declared a WORLD HERITAGE SITE by UNESCO, both for its cultural & historical significance as well as natural & geological uniqueness.

On the second dive we will pay the Silfra Lagoon a visit.

It is approx. 120m in diameter and shallow (max. 5m) So clear we can see straight through to the other end. You can get a nice picture if a diver comes a bit closer into the center of the lagoon and the others wait in order to get a perspective of size and clarity. In the second part of this dive we will look a bit around in the crack, where it is possible to do some fantastic swim-throughs under huge rocks that fell into the crack many years ago.

The geothermal chimney Strýtan - truely unique !

In the North of Iceland not far from the second largest town Akureyri in the middle of the Eyjafjord is a very special dive site. At a depth of about 70 meters a hot spring has been releasing hot water into the ocean. As soon as the dissolved minerals in the hot fresh water get in contact with the cold ocean water, they coagulate. Throughout the last approx. 11.000 years this process has created a 55 meter tall limestone chimney, that reaches up to 15 meters under the surface. Strýtan has been a natural reserve since 2001!

Here divers can explore the flora and fauna that has developed and settled under these special circumstances and even feel the hot water that wells out of Strýtan. Apart from all the little creatures scurrying about, divers might see schools of cod swimming up and down the chimney.

However, this dive site is only for advanced divers!

Divers that decide to take a trip to this fantastic phenomenon need to be in very good control of their buoyancy to not come in to contact with anything. They also need to be physically fit since the currents can be strong.

Garður - is a great dive site for many reasons.


On our dives we pay Tommi the Wolffish a visit. He lives in a hole in the pier.

The reason is, that we can enter the water easily by walking into it or by climbing down a ladder from the pier.

At a depth of 3-6 meters there's a large sand patch which offers perfect conditions to do some exercises or to get accustomed to buoyancy control in a dry suit. But don't misunderstand this, Garður has much more to offer than a large sand patch. Huge rocks lie around, which make a home for many different kinds of fish, hermet crabs, starfish, etc. We see Monkfish on most of our dives here. Garður is due to its easy accessibility also one of our favorite night dive sites in this area.

Many years ago Tómas Knutsson and his Blue Army cleaned up what we call the garden dive site and its surroundings from tons of trash that had been thrown into the sea in earlier years.Today it is completely clean and awareness towards the environment has risen strongly in the area, which is for a large part to thank Tómas and his environmental actions and education. Nobody throws anything into the garden today!!

Óttastaðir - between Keflavik and Reykjavik.

Óttastaðir is a nice naturalist dive site where many different species can be observed. Parts of the site are influenced by fresh groundwater inflow increasing the biological diversity. At dusk many nocturnal animals become active making this an interesting site for night diving.

In the old days small fishing boats entered the water here and the old rails where the boats have been pulled up on land are a good walking path into the water for divers today.

This dive starts with a bit of surface swimming before we descend to approximately 18 meters and slowly make our way towards shore.

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Land Tours

Ice Cave

Geysir

Gulfoss Waterfall

Is Thingvellir National Park the Geysir geothermal area, the waterfall Gullfoss, the Mývatn lake, the central highlands (from May to September if the weather permits), the town Akureyri, the waterfall Goðafoss, etc...

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Whale Watching Day Tour

Tour features;
Only few places in the world are better suited for whale watching as the coastal waters off the Snæfellsnes peninsula. On these tours we set our course for the open sea and keep a sharp lookout for whales. Many species of whales appear off the Icelandic coast in early summer in search of food and remain here until the end of summer. They then return south to their breeding grounds. You will also see numerous sea birds, which likewise feed in these rich waters.

En route;
an unforgettable stop at Bjarnarhöfn, where the old national delicacy “cured shark” is prepared for consumption.

Locations visited
Ólafsvík village, Snæfellsnes peninsula and Bjarnarhöfn cured shark production.

Operation
English: From June 01 - August 31 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 08:00. Duration: 10 hrs.
Pick-up at hotels and guesthouses 30 minutes before departure

Includes:
Bus fare, guidance, admission fee to Bjarnarhöfn and boat tour. Lunch and refreshments not included. Note: The boat trip is dependent on weather.

 

Hotel Keflavik is a first class hotel in the heart of Keflavik town.
For arriving and departing passengers the Keflavik International Airport is only a five minutes drive from the hotel.

Hotel Keflavik is the closest hotel to the Blue Lagoon and offers 10 trips daily to the Blue Lagoon - Geothermal Spa, Iceland´s most unique and popular attraction.

Breakfast is served from 6-10 am for those who need to catch an early flight. The hotel provides transportation to and from the airport.

Here at the hotel we have restaurant, bar, coffee house, Chinese take-away, subway-sandwiches, fully equipped gym and solarium.

Rooms

Our rooms are first class, they are all equipped with satellite tv, minibar, safety deposit box, trouser press and wireless internet access.

Whirlpool bath tubs are in suites.

The Lobby is open for 24 hours, and our employees will happily assist you booking tours, rental cars and so on

Gym

The hotel offers excellent gym facilities. The gym offers aerobic and bicycle classes, as well as being equipped with solarium, sauna and massage service.

All you need to do now is contact the office for the booking forms and return;

£200 Holiday Deposit required. Scuba Kit may also be hired through C-Life or in resort please call. Confirmation of the flights etc will be forwarded. Balance required 10 weeks prior to departure.