Hot pool on Drápssker reef requires careful navigation

A hot geothermal pool on Drápssker reef in Breiðafjörður disappears completely under the sea at high tide and re-emerges as the tide recedes, mbl.is reports. Arnþór Heimisson recently visited the pool with relatives and others, but reaching it requires careful navigation through surrounding reefs.

“My cousin Bergur Briem and I have made it an annual tradition to travel each summer with our wives and children to explore the islands and reefs of Breiðafjörður,” Heimisson told Morgunblaðið. Their families own houses on Flatey island.

The group usually travels in two boats for safety. Currents in Breiðafjörður are strong, the difference between high and low tide can reach five metres, and many reefs lie just below the surface.

“A great deal of time therefore goes into preparation,” Heimisson said. The group has received advice about the routes from people familiar with the waters around Flatey and also uses modern technology, including the Navionics navigation app.

Heimisson said the route to Drápssker is not straightforward because the reef is surrounded by numerous other reefs. The group had to choose the right time, account for the tide and carefully check the route before setting out.

The reef’s name may be linked to seal hunting in earlier centuries, when grey seals were clubbed on the reefs, he said.

What makes Drápssker remarkable, however, is its geothermal activity. Scalding geothermal water rises from the ground in an area covered by the sea at high tide.

“Sitting there in the hot pool, in the middle of Breiðafjörður with islands, reefs and the sea all around, was an unforgettable experience,” Heimisson said. He added that the visit highlighted how strongly the tides shape life and conditions in the fjord.

Heimisson has also visited other locations in Breiðafjörður, including Oddbjarnarsker skerry. Although little evidence of its past can be seen today, it was for centuries one of the fjord’s main fishing stations, where large numbers of people stayed during the fishing season.

Oddbjarnarsker also has hot springs that appear only at low tide. Historical accounts even describe a spring in a rock where the water was hot enough to hard-boil eggs.