Bjarnagjá is an 18-metre-deep lava ravine at the tip of the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland, where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet. The fissure is filled mostly with fresh groundwater, but because the coast lies only a few hundred metres away it carries a distinctive touch of sea salinity — a rare chance to dive fresh and salty water in a single place.
Sheltered rock walls draped in lime-green algae rise on either side of the crack, and for divers with the right training and experience the site also offers sections in an overhead environment. It sits close to the town of Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon, making it easy to pair with an ocean dive at nearby Garður or a soak in the geothermal waters afterwards.
Related tours
PADI Open Water Course
A three-day PADI Open Water Diver course in Iceland that takes you from beginner to certified diver. Complete your theory online, build skills in the pool, then log four open-water dives. You finish certified to dive worldwide to 18 m — and dry-suit certified to dive Silfra.