Hvítá (River) Summer Pools

Jökulsárlón (Glacier Lagoon)

Laugarvatn

Þingvallavatn (Lake)

Inland Iceland offers lamb, trout and char from lakes and rivers, skyr and geothermal rye bread steamed in hot springs. Laugarvatn’s bakery is famous for the bread, and the Golden Circle cafés serve soup, flatkaka (rye flatbread) and fresh fish on the way to the sites. Local ingredients and simple preparation let the pure Icelandic flavours shine through in every meal.

Hótel Laugarvatn Edda

Hótel Jökulsárlón

Hótel Grimsborgir

Hella Guesthouse

Iceland’s inland freshwater offers a gentler, surreal side of diving away from the cold ocean. Þingvallavatn, the wide lake above Silfra, holds submerged lava caves, fissures and Arctic char with excellent though less perfect visibility. Laugarvatn is a warm geothermal lake with convection cells, freshwater sponges and thermophilic algae—a surreal hot-bath dive. The Hvítá river’s summer plunge pools allow shallow scuba training in glacial water with strong currents, mainly snorkel territory. Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is iconic for snorkelling among icebergs; scuba is possible but extreme at 0–2°C and needs drysuit and glacier permits. These sites are training-friendly, photogenic and uniquely Icelandic.

Freshwater Lakes & Glacial Outflows (Inland)

Þingvallavatn and Laugarvatn are 45–90 minutes from Reykjavik along the Golden Circle. Hvítá pools are near the Gullfoss area, and Jökulsárlón is a 4–5 hour drive east. Most freshwater sites are shore-access with local guides.

Dive Sites in Freshwater Lakes & Glacial Outflows (Inland)

Hvítá (River) Summer Pools

Jökulsárlón (Glacier Lagoon)

Laugarvatn

Þingvallavatn (Lake)