Ice water

By Pierce Hoover

updated 2:54 p.m. ET Nov. 17, 2005

North America and Europe are splitting apart, and the crack has filled with water; you can scuba dive between the continents. After several hundred retellings, this became the abbreviated geography lesson — and justification — supplied whenever I was asked why.

Why, when you could choose from a stellar roster of world-class diving locales for an annual scuba vacation, would you want to plunge into a narrow crevice filled with freezing-cold water and no fish — on a frigid, out-of-the-way island in the North Atlantic?

The more fanatical among my dive buddies understood why, even without the geology tie-in. For everyone else, it helped that the island in question has become the new darling of the travel and adventure media.

Iceland isn’t just cold anymore; it’s cool. Playboy and E!, the entertainment channel, have documented the legendary party scene in Reykjavik; images of the island’s fire-and-ice backcountry crop up regularly in print and on screen.

But topside attractions aside, there was a valid question still to be answered: Would Iceland’s icy waters really be worth a dedicated dive trip?

Fields of White

It’s my first day in the country, and I’m having second thoughts. With the windshield wipers pushing slush to reveal a white horizon and tires struggling for traction on an icy gray road, the vibe is more ski trip than dive vacation.

Iceland grazes the Arctic Circle, but remnants of the Gulf Stream encircle the coastline to create a moderate but volatile marine climate. This can result in mild sunshine and blue skies in February or a wicked snowstorm in April — like the one raging when my Icelandair flight from JFK touched down at Keflavik International Airport just before sunrise.

Hedinn Olafsson easily culled me from the lineup of deplaning locals and off-season tour groups; I was the only guy carrying a dive bag. The must-be-a-diver scene repeated a half-hour later when photographer Stuart Westmorland came off the Milwaukee flight toting an underwater camera housing, and then again in the parking lot, where our ride was obviously the diesel panel truck emblazoned with a life-size mural of a diver suspended in sparkling-clear water.

Right after “hello,” the conversation turned to diving, and it stayed there as we crossed the stark volcanic plains of the Reykjanes Peninsula. Hedinn had come to diving recently, earning a PADI certification in 1999. In short order, though, he rose through the sparse local diving ranks to earn Divemaster and Instructor credentials. He became quite active in the country’s only dive club, opened his own dive shop on the Hafnarf waterfront, only six miles from central Reykjavik, and now divides his time between hosting dive tours for an international clientele and spreading the diving gospel to locals.

Today he will do a little of both. The plan is to stash our bags at the Hotel Vik, swing by his shop to pick up tanks and weights, then drop some demo gear by a local indoor swimming pool where the dive club is hosting an annual Discover Scuba event, which is expected to attract more than 200 curious neophytes. Based on the number of divers per capita in neighboring Norway, with socioeconomic and water conditions similar to those of Iceland, Hedinn figures his country should have 10 times as many divers as are currently certified — fertile ground for his planned expansions, which include a dive boat and the country’s first nitrox station.

Three hours later, we’re headed for the high country on a route that overlaps  Iceland’s signature day trip. In season, the Golden Loop is a user-friendly circuit that delivers craters, waterfalls, glaciers, historical sites and hot springs, all located within easy walking distance of the parking lot, with full souvenir and snack-shop support.

It’s too early in the year for the big tour buses, but we do cross paths with some off-season adventurers negotiating the icy roads and snowdrifts in lifted four-wheel-drives sporting balloon tires and snorkels. The adventure-travel business is booming in Iceland, and there’s a lot of hard-core outdoor activity among both locals and vacationers.

MORE FROM ACTIVE

Active Section Front

Most roads closing for winter in Yellowstone Winter Trails celebrates 15th year with freebies The year of living dangerously Quest for the one-horned rhino America’s best hikes Colo. offers ‘snow virgins’ a free 3-month trip World’s wildest bungee jumping spots 10 places you thought you shouldn’t visit ... A new type of bachelor bash Become one with nature on High Divide trail Active Section Front   Add Active headlines to your news reader: