Strýtan · Iceland · Pinnacle
Strýtan
The only hydrothermal chimney shallow enough to dive on scuba
Strýtan is a hydrothermal chimney standing on the floor of Eyjafjörður, and the only one discovered so far that is shallow enough to dive on scuba. It rises from a base that published figures put at 65 to 70 m up to a top at 15 m, and geothermal freshwater pours out of it at around 72 °C, roughly a hundred litres every second. The vent field has been a protected preserve since 2001.
Also known as Strýtan hydrothermal field, Strýtan chimney.
Where it is and how deep
65.8509° N, 18.1931° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Boats run out from Hjalteyri and reach the cone in about ten minutes on a zodiac, the second dive of the day tour after Arnarnesstrýtur. The top of the chimney sits at 15 m, and the structure keeps going below you to a base on the fjord floor that published figures put at 65 to 70 m, far below where the dive is worked. Groups are kept small: the usual ratio is four divers to a guide, dropping to two when divers only meet the minimum requirements.
The cone vents the whole time you are on it. Around 100 litres of freshwater leave the chimney every second, and published figures for the outflow run from 72 to 75 °C. What you are swimming alongside is a smectite cone, built from what that flow leaves behind since the last ice age, and in places you can see where it is still growing.
Background
Reports of the vents reached the Icelandic Coast Guard in 1987 and were dismissed. In 1997 the commercial diver Erlendur Bogason, together with Árni Halldórsson and the German submersible JAGO, explored the formation and identified it as a real geologic feature; Bogason was the first to dive the chimney. The cone began forming after the last ice age, more than 10,000 years ago, and scientists put the age of the water leaving it at around 11,000 years. Iceland designated the vent field a protected preserve in 2001, its first protected underwater area.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Strýtan: The vent's flow is constant year-round; ratings mainly reflect daylight hours, fjord sea state, and overlap with Eyjafjörður's summer whale season.
Know before you go
- The vents discharge water at 72 to 75 °C. Keep hands, gauges and hoses clear of the openings rather than reaching into the outflow.
- The fjord floor at the base of the cone is 65 to 70 m down, far below any recreational profile, so the structure invites depth. Work the top and let the guide set the turn.
- Diving here without permission from Strýtan Dive Center is not allowed: the vent field has been a protected preserve since 2001 and the centre is its official protector.
Dive videos
Strýtan in Northern Iceland - The only hydrothermal chimney you can scuba dive at · The Jetlagged Underwater Films & Ocean Adventures on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Strýtan?+
The top of the cone is at 15 m, which is where the dive is worked. Below that the structure runs down to the fjord floor, published at 65 to 70 m, well below recreational limits.
Can you dive Strýtan without a guide?+
No. The vent field has been a protected preserve since 2001 and Strýtan Dive Center is its official protector, so diving here without the centre's permission is not permitted. Dives run from Hjalteyri, usually with four divers to a guide.
Sources
- Strýtan (dive site page) — Strýtan DiveCenter
- Strýtan (diving-place page) — Strýtan DiveCenter
- Diving places overview — Strýtan DiveCenter
- The Strýtan Day Tour — Strýtan DiveCenter
- Erlendur Bogason — Strýtan DiveCenter
- Strýtan Dive Center — home — Strýtan DiveCenter
- Eyjafjörður — Wikipedia
In The Logbook
- Why you get cold diving, even in a wetsuitBody & health · 8 min read
- Cold-water diving: is it worth the drysuit?Cold water · 8 min read
More dive sites in Strýtan
Pinnacle
Venting chimneys with a wolffish in almost every crevice
Similar dives elsewhere
Sheer rock stacks, crevices and caves on a far island of the bay
A rounded pinnacle whose lee side can often be dived when current runs
Rock pinnacles walled in jewel anemones, dived on slack water
Pinnacle
Pinnacle Rock
Barkley Sound · Canada
Rock pillars and a great canyon cut into the outer Broken Group