Official protector of Strýtan
Special 1 – 5 Day Dive or Snorkeling Tour
Erlendur Bogason
Strytan Divecenter is located 22. Km north of Akureyri, in a small fishing village called Hjalteyri (N 65°51.055′– W 18°11.583′). From the harbor of Hjalteyri it only takes about 5-10 min sailing to our main dive sites Strytan and Arnarnesstrytan. We offer a variety of one-day diving tours as well as our exceptional three and five day diving tours. In these tours you will see Strytan, Arnarnesstrytan, The Northern Water Circle (Nesgjá) and some of Erlendur Bogason’s favorite diving locations. If needed, we can also provide assistance in finding you suitable accommodation in the area.
See what we can offer in our special personalized trips designed just for you
Strytan
Strytan – by Siggi V
Strytan is the only geothermal cone found in the world shallow enough for scuba diving. Located in Eyjafjörður, Strytan rises from the to the hight of about 55 meters. Warm fresh water (72°c) flows out of the cone at arate of around 100 liters per second. According to academic staff at the University of Akureyri the water streaming from the cone is 1100 years old.
- Availability: All year.
- Dive skills: Advanced scuba diver. Experienced dry suit diver. Boat dive.
- Duration: 4-6 hours.
- Minimum: 1 diver.
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Arnarnesstrytur
– Home of Stephanie, the wolffish.
Arnarnesstrytur is a group of small cones rising from the seafloor at depth from 18-46 meters. The area is 400 meters wide and 1000 meters long and has been classified as protected since 2007. We usually dive by the shallowest cone at 18 meters depth. There you can see 78°c warm fresh water streaming from the cone.
Using a thermo we will collect hot water from the cone and use it to make hot cocoa on the boat after the dive. This 1100-year-old water tastes a little sweet. During spring time (end of may to beginning of June) we also collect eggs from the Guillemot bird and cook it by the cone. In this dive you we usually see much
animal life native to the Arctic Circle. During this dive we also collect some Artica Islandica shells and feed them to the cod and wolffish.
Arnarnesstrytur – photo EB
- Availability: All year.
- Dive skills: Open water diver. Possible to take a dry suit course with us if needed. Boat dive.
- Duration: 4-6 hours.
- Minimum: 1 diver
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The Northern Water Circle
Nesgjá – Litla Á – Goðafoss
If you like to dive, snorkel, or just like water and nature, these tours could be just right for you.
On the Mid Atlantic Ridge between the North American plate and the Eurasian plate close to the north Atlantic sea is Nesgjá. The water in Nesgjá is very clear and the visibility in the water is usually around 100 meters, but sometimes after a northern storm we get sea into this crystal clear water that can effect the visibility for few days. After a dive or snorkel through Nesgjá we go into the blue lagoon Lón. Only 10 min drive from Nesgjá is the 17°c hot river Litla Á. On the way home we stop at the beautiful water fall Goðafoss.
- Availability: All year.
- Dive skills: Open water or snorkel.
- Duration: 6-8 hours.
- Included: Everything.
- Minimum: 2 participants.
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Mývatn – warm cracks and caves.
We start visiting the most bautiful places in Mývatn like Leirhnjúkar and Námuskard. Then we visit the cave in Grjótagjá with water temp around 46°c before going into the cave in Stórugjá where you can swim in 30°c hot water and even hold your breath and dive between chambers in the cave. Next we visit the warm crack Vogagjá also with water temp around 30°c. After Vogagjá we drive to Mývatn nature baths where we relax before going back to Akureyri.
- Availability: All year.
- Dive skills: Open water or snorkel or swimmer.
- Duration: 5-8 hours.
- Included: Entrance fee for Vogagjá and the nature baths.
- Minimum: 2 participants.
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The Puffin Islands
Diving and Snorkeling with the Puffins
Grímsey
Guillemot diving
Finally a Grímsey tour we can offer for divers and snorkelers. Grímsey is a small beautiful island crossed by the arctic circle where few fishermen, their families and millions of sea birds lives. When diving around Grímsey you can dive under the arctic circle with Puffins and the Guillemot birds. In the blue and clear cold arctic sea around Grímsey you dive with the Puffins where the bottom is covered with celp forest and there you can see Cod, Plaice and big steams of Pollock. Both big and small whales are usually not far away. We will go with the ferry from the harbour in Akureyri late Friday and come back to Akureyri late Saturday. We do 2 dives around Grimsey and after the dives we walk around the island. By special request we can plan a Grímsey tour for you on other days as well.
- Availability: 1st of June until 22nd of July 2016.
- Dive skills: Advanced scuba diver, experienced dry suit divers or Snorkelers.
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Drangey
Drangey is one of the most beautiful island around Iceland with Puffins-Guillemot and so so many other sea birds and lot of Viking Saga. Drangey is less than two hour drive from my divecenter and we can rent the boat in the afternoon to take us out to Drangey. You will see lot of Puffins – The Guillemot birds and other sea birds. Sometime we see seals and the bottom is covered with large celp forest.
- Availability: 15th of May until 27th of July 2016.
- Dive skills: Advanced scuba diver, experienced dry suit divers or Snorkelers.
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The Wreck Standard
In the harbor almost in the center of Akureyri is this old 60 meters long and 11 meters wide ship Standard built in the USA in the year 1874. It sank in the beginning of the world war I but at that time it was owned by German fishing company. Usually its lot of fish around Standard and in one dive I have seen elleven tipes of fish.
- Availability: All year.
- Dive skills: Open water diver.
- Duration: 1-2 hours.
- Included: All dive gear.
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Cods Spawning
Cod spawning, Strytan, Nesgjá and Lita Á
Every year, thousands tons of cod come to spawn at shallow depth 4-20 meters in Thistilfjord (Þistilfjörður) northern Iceland. Sinch 1996 Erlendur Bogason the owner of Strytan Divecenter has spent most of April in Thistilfjord diving, doing research on cod. Erlendur has been studying cod and his behavior in the nature. He has also studied how the cod act and behave around fishing gear. In this dive tour we will focus on the Cod but we will also dive at Strytan, Arnarnesstrytan, Nesgjá and Litla Á.
This is on of the few photos that exist in the world showing cod spawning in nature, female on top.
- Availability: March 26-April 24.
- Dive skills: Advanced scuba diver. Experienced dry suit diver. Boat dive.