Æðaklettar - Silfra & Thingvellir
Perry Ledge, now there's a site we always enjoy, even on a day when the visibility isn't playing ball. It’s got this wonderfully rugged feel to it, a proper Cornish dive. We often drop in at the higher parts, around 10 to 15 metres, and just let the gentle current carry us along the ledge itself. You'll find yourself drifting past walls absolutely plastered with beadlet anemones, their tentacles just swaying with the surge. The real draw here, for us, is the rocky overhangs and crevices. We’ve spent whole dives just poking into every nook and cranny. Keep an eye out for nursehounds tucked away, and you'll almost certainly spot a spotted ray or two cruising along the sandy patches at the base. It’s a great spot for macro too; those little flat periwinkles and common shore crabs are everywhere if you slow down and look closely. It’s not about huge pelagics here, more about the intricate beauty of the temperate reef. Suits divers who appreciate a good rummage and don’t mind a bit of a current.
- Location
- Silfra & Thingvellir, Iceland, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 65.400000, -22.233300
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Breiðafjörður
Best Time to Dive in Silfra & Thingvellir
The warmest water temperatures in Silfra & Thingvellir occur in August, averaging 12.2°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 3.7°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 3.9°C
- February: 3.7°C
- March: 4.4°C
- April: 5.9°C
- May: 7.8°C
- June: 10.1°C
- July: 11.8°C
- August: 12.2°C
- September: 10.5°C
- October: 8.0°C
- November: 6.0°C
- December: 4.6°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Silfra & Thingvellir
- ANDRI - 10m (wreck)
- CHARLES H. SALTER - 12m (wreck)
- CLAM - 50m (wreck)
- ESKE - 20m (wreck)
- Faxasker (reef)
- GJAFAR - 8m (wreck)
- GODAFOSS - 37m (wreck)
- HENRIETTE - 14m (wreck)
- HMS Graph (wreck)
- HMS Newcastle (wreck)
- HRAFN SVEINBJARNARSON III - 10m (wreck)
- INGE BENEDIKTE - 14m (wreck)
- KING SOL - 2m (wreck)
- KOPANES - 2m (wreck)
- LEO - 0m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to Æðaklettar
- DIVEICELAND.COM - PADI
- DIVE.IS - PADI 5 Star Dive Center Iceland - PADI
- Freedive Iceland - ["PADI"]
- Sportkafarafélag Íslands
Marine Life in Silfra & Thingvellir
Home to 30 recorded species including 8 seagrass & algae, 6 whales & dolphins, 6 reef fish, 3 clams & mussels, 3 sea snails & nudibranchs, 1 other.
Notable Species
- Orca (Orcinus orca) - Whales & Dolphins
- Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) - Clams & Mussels
- salmon (Salmo salar) - Reef Fish
- Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) - Whales & Dolphins
- Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) - Seagrass & Algae
- bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) - Seagrass & Algae
- harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) - Whales & Dolphins
- dab (Limanda limanda) - Reef Fish
- dulse (Palmaria palmata) - Seagrass & Algae
- spiral wrack (Fucus spiralis) - Seagrass & Algae
- knotted wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) - Seagrass & Algae
- Oarweed (Laminaria digitata) - Seagrass & Algae
- Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) - Reef Fish
- laver (Porphyra umbilicalis)
- dabberlocks (Alaria esculenta) - Seagrass & Algae
- channelled wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata) - Seagrass & Algae
- basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) - Sharks & Rays
- whiting (Merlangius merlangus) - Reef Fish
- long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Æðaklettar
Based on average water temperature of 7.4°C, currents 4 cm/s.
- Drysuit - water at 7°C demands a drysuit with thermal undergarments
- Hood & Gloves (7mm+) - critical to prevent heat loss
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories