Dive Tours

Strytan Divcenter is located in the small fishing village Hjalteyri 22. km north of Akureyri. GPS location N 65°51.055′– W 18°11.583′. From the harbor of Hjalteyri it takes 5-10 min sailing with our dive boat to Strytan and Arnarnesstrytan. Assistance in finding suitable accommodations in North Iceland, can be provided.

The Environment Agency has made a contract with Erlendur Bogason, on behalf of Strytan Divecenter, to take over the administration and operation of the protected natural phenomena Strytan and Arnarnesstrytur on the bottom of Eyjafjordur.
The contract is according to the nature conservation act no. 44/1999, article 30.

Three days diving

Strytan, Arnarnesstrytan, The northern water circle and some of  Erlendur Bogason, the discoverer of Strytan,  favorite diving places. Price/person:  100.000,-ISK

Five days diving

Strytan, Arnarnesstrytan, The northern water circle and some of  Erlendur Bogason, the discoverer of Strytan,  favorite diving places.

Price/person: 150.000,-ISK

If you want to stay for a longer time and dive with us, we will make you an offer. You can even participate in our Strytan research team.

April:

Cod spawning in Thistilfjord (Þistilfjörður) Research, photographing and fun divingtours. Erlendur Bogason the owner of Strytan has dived in april every year since 1996 in Thistilfjordur doing research of cod. He has been studying cod and his behavior in the nature and how cod behaves around fishing gear.You can see videos of cod on Youtube/Erlendur Bogason/Linuveidar/Handfari. This is on of few photos showing cod spawning in nature, female on top.

May:

1. – 10.    Is the time with bad visibility because of brown algea in Eyjafjordur. The visibility goes down to less than 1 meter.

Strytan

Strytan - by Siggi V

Strytan is the only geothermal cone found in the world you can scuba dive to, the others are found at 3000m or deeper. Strytan is rising from the seafloor at a depth of 65m to 15m under the surface so the Strytan in Eyjafjörður is 50m high. Around 100 liters of freshwater per second at 72°c is coming from the cone. A professor at the University in Akureyri tells us the fresh water from the cone is 1100 years old. Strytan is the first underwater protected area in Iceland.

• Availability: All year around.
• Dive skills: Advanced scuba diver. Experienced dry suit diver. Boat dive.
• Duration: 4-6 hours
• Please bring: Warm clothes
• Included: Transport from Akureyri to our dive center at Hjalteyri. Two guided dives.
• Minimum: 1 diver
• Price/person: two guided dives: 35.000,- ISK
• Price/person: one dive Strytan: 30.000,-ISK

Arnarnesstrytur

- The home of Stephanie, the wolffish

Arnarnesstrytur - photo EB

Are group of small cones rising from the seafloor at depth from 18-46 meters. Arnarnesstrytur was protected in 2007 and are the second underwater protected area in Iceland and the protected area is 400 meters wide and 1000 meters long with lot of samll cones. We usually dive at the shallowest cone at 18m depth. There you can see 78°c hot fresh water steaming from the cone. In the dive we take hot water on a thermo from the cone to make hot cocoa to drink in the boat after the dive. This 1100 years old 78°c hot water taste little sweet. In end of may and beginning of june we also take the eggs from the Guillemot bird to cook at the cone. In the dive at Arnarnesstrytan you can see lot of the animal life found close to the arctic circle. We also take with us in the dive the shell Artica Islandica to feed the cod and wolffish.

• Avaitability: All year.
• Dive skills: Open water diver. If you don’t have a dry suit experience you can take dry suit course with us.Boat dive.
• Duration: 4-6 hours.
• Please bring: Warm clothes
• Included: Transport from Akureyri to our divecenter in Hjalteyri. Two guided dives. Hot cocoa made with water from the cone.
• Minimum: 1 Diver
• Price/person: for two guided dives: 35.000,- ISK
• Price/person: for one guided dive: 30.000,ISK

The Northern water circle. Dive and Snorkel tour

Nesgjá – Litla Á – Dettifoss – Lake Mývatn – Godafoss

Nesgjá, Ásbyrgi

Do you like to dive, snorkel or do you just like water. First stop is the new discovered crack Nesgjá and Lake Lón where we can dive, snorkel or just enjoy the nature. Next stop is one of my favorite places the 17°c hot river Litla Á. You can see and feel the hot water coming from the ground like small Geysir. The river is also known for big touts. Then we visit Dettifoss the 100m wide waterfall that have a drop of 44m to the canyon Jökulsárgljúfur. Dettifoss is the largest waterfall in Europe in terms of volume discharge. You will see the mud Geysir at Leirhnjúkar and Námuskarð. At Lake Mývatn we can take bath in the geothermal spa or in one of the warm cracks. On the way back to Akureyri we will stop at the water fall Godafoss. In the end of the tour back in Akureyri we invide you for Icelandic meal. We also offer a shorter dive and snorkel tour to Nesgjá and Litla Á from Akureyri.

• Availability: All year.
• Dive skills: Open water or snorkel.
• Duration: 10-14 hours.
• Please bring: Warm clothes and good shoes.
• Included: Everything
• Minimum: 2 participants.
• Price/person:  55.000,- ISK
• Price/person short tour: 40.000,-ISK

Grímsey

Guillemot diving

The arctic circle cross this beautiful small fishing island. So when you are diving you can dive under the arctic circle. In the sea around Grimsey and in the cliffs are millions of  sea birds. So when you are diving the Puffins and the Guillemot birds come to you to dive to your dive bubbels. In some dives I have seen around 100 birds at the same time diving, the birds fly in the water using the wings to for swimming. Usually the could artic sea is blue and clear and when diving you will see Cod, flat fish like Plaice and big steams of Pollock. This is the only place where I have been diving with Guillemots birds and Puffins in visibility over 20 meters. Because the ferry only goes three times every week to Grimsey we have decided to have four dive tours to Grimsey this year.  By special request we can plan a Grimsey tour.

• Availiability: April-July depending of the weater
• Dive skills: Open water diver
• Pleace bring: Warm close and good shoes
• Price: We plan the trip with you and make you an offer.

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.

• Availiability: All year
• Dive skills: Open water diver
• Duration: 1-2 hours
• Pleace bring: Warm clotes
• Incluced: All dive gear
• Price/Diver: 30.000,- ISK