THORSTEINN - Silfra & Thingvellir
Forget what you think you know about Icelandic diving. Thorsteinn isn't in a glacial fissure, but an old trawler sunk deliberately in a sheltered bay. Down at 8m, this 1963-built vessel, now split into three main pieces, offers easy exploration. You’ll find sections of the hull and superstructure home to sculpins and anemones. It’s a great spot for newer wreck divers to get a feel for penetration in the wheelhouse and engine room, provided conditions are calm. We’ve seen decent visibility here, maybe 10-15m on a good day, allowing you to appreciate the scale.
- Location
- Silfra & Thingvellir, Iceland, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 63.830000, -22.200000
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 8m
Marine Protected Area: Hvaleyrarlón og Hvaleyrarhöfði
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
- Æðaklettar (reef)
- 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)
Nearest Dive Centres to THORSTEINN
- 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 THORSTEINN
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