In Eyafjörður, a little north of Akureyri, there are some very special formations that ‘grow’ up from the seabed: Strýtur = pouts or vents. These are geothermal ‘chimneys’ (Hydrothermal vents) made of silicates (not biological structures). Ystuvikurstrýtur is the highest, standing 60 meters above the seabed. The water inside is measured to be 72 degrees Celsius. 100 liters of water come out of Ysturvikurstrýtur per second. Arnarnessstrýtur is wider, but shorter, shallower and has an internal temperature of 78 degrees. The vents are over 10,000 years old, they were formed just after the last ice age. The Strýturs were discovered some 100 years ago, but they disappeared from the map again because no one noticed them anymore. But then, in 1997, the pouts in Eyafjörður were rediscovered by Erlendur Bogason and Árni Halldórsson. See the episode “The Moth and the Flame” from the BBC-series “Forces of Nature” for the story of how they rediscovered them.
Some experts believe that life on Earth originated in shallow thermal structures in the ocean, like here. The Eyafjörður therminal vents are the only ones in the world that can be reached with regular scuba diving equipment, the others are located at depths of several thousand meters. They typically occur in the spreading zones between continental plates, such as in Iceland, where there’s a short distance to high temperatures from the Earth’s interior. Erlendur Bogason has developed a diving center around the vents existence. A diving trip here includes a visit to both Ystuvikurstrýtur and Arnarnessstrýtur. You can see the water coming out, and lots and lots of fish surround them. A very special experience! AND – you get to say hello to Erlendur’s two friends: The tame catfish!
Erlendur feeds them mussels – and if he doesn’t, they look back and forth between him and the food with saddened eyes, until he breaks them and offers the catfish a well-prepared meal.
P.S.: Always learn to know your photo equipment before going on a special dive! Due to not being aquainted with the new GoPro, we don’t have any pictures of the Stryturs themselves. But you can easily find that by a little internet search.