North Iceland and Eyjafjordur

Before Entering

• Confirm active, written permission and site briefing from Strytan for protected vents. The operator expressly requires prior contact.
• Verify exact certification, drysuit training, recency and logged dives; the Arnarnes tour page has conflicting qualification bullets.
• Use an appropriate thermal suit, trained buddy, local guide and surface support. Nesgja cold-water conditions are a real immersion hazard, not offset by a warm river elsewhere.
• Ask for weather limits, currents, boat recall, first aid oxygen, emergency extraction, dive computer and no-decompression plan. Do not plan to descend to the 65 m chimney base on an ordinary recreation certification.
• No public water quality testing or unescorted freshwater access permission was verified for the exact day and location. Confirm both locally.

After Diving

• Keep a conservative interval before flying from AEY or RKV. DAN recommends at least 12 hours after one no-stop dive and 18 hours after repetitive no-stop dives, with longer intervals for dives requiring decompression; these are not guarantees.
• Report any concerning symptoms promptly to 112 or an emergency department, explicitly stating there has been a scuba dive.

Whale-related Water Activities

Strytan markets drysuit whale snorkeling. Do not infer a safe or lawful activity from the listing: clarify approved operations, trained rescue coverage, distance/approach rules, participant health and cold-water ability and the decision to stay aboard if whales are disturbed. Never pursue or touch whales. The Icelandic whale-watching industry code directs participants not to swim with cetaceans, an unresolved conflict with the marketing.

Akureyri Hospital emergency ward accepts acute patients 24/7 (entrance C; +354 463 0800). Landspitali has a hyperbaric and diving-medicine department at Fossvogur in Reykjavik and provides 24/7 specialist consultation via +354 543 1007. Emergency recompression is not a walk-in tour facility; hospital guidance requires emergency-department physician assessment/referral. A northern incident may require medical transport. Ask the operator to review evacuation arrangements, confirm insurance for cold-water scuba and decompression/air or ground evacuation, and avoid self-transport when symptoms could represent DCI.

Two Protected Natural Monuments

The Icelandic environmental authority confirms the Strytan formation was protected in 2001 and the Arnarnes field in 2007. The current operator states that its permission and site education must precede diving. The 2024 agency guidance also addresses reporting Strytan dives to Akureyri harbor authorities the same day and use of a designated buoy at Arnarnes; seek up-to-date interpretation rather than attempting to use coordinates independently.

• Never touch, fracture or extract pieces from vent structures or disturb their microbial and marine communities.
• Do not drop anchors or attach new lines or markers inside protected boundaries.
• Avoid feeding, handling or chasing marine life independently, whether fish, birds or whales.
• Leave freshwater banks, aquatic vegetation and bird habitats undisturbed; the sightseeing nature of the water circuit creates no automatic rights over private property.
• Operator photos or a previous visitor's dive report are not proof of independent site permission.

Cetacean Welfare

Ordinary whale watching and the operator-advertised whale snorkeling are different products. The Icelandic voluntary whale-watching conduct code says never to swim with, touch or feed cetaceans, while Strytan marketing mentions small-group drysuit snorkeling. The latter listing cannot by itself establish permission or wildlife-welfare compliance. Verify how any particular trip is allowed and supervised under current rules, and otherwise choose boat-based observation.