So you got your trip to Iceland booked and now you’re wondering what you should do over there? Iceland is a wonderful country full of adventurous activities and plenty of things to do around the island.
You can read my entire 7-day Iceland itinerary I wrote here. It covers my exact itinerary around the Ring Road, all the hotspots, things to do, eat and where to sleep and if you are planning a trip to Iceland, it is invaluable!
From hiking to glacier and ice cave climbing, white water rafting, kayaking, whale watching and soaking in hot geothermal pools, Iceland is pretty special.
And so is snorkelling or diving Silfra, the fissure between the North American and Eurasian tectonic places. It’s also the only place in the world where you can dive or snorkel between the tectonic plates crack.
A major earthquake in 1789 opened up the fissure in Thingvellir and the plates are moving apart year after year at about 2 centimetres. If you happen to come to Iceland, snorkelling the crystal-clear glacier waters in Silfra is a once-in-a-lifetime experience! I did my snorkelling experience with Dive.is and our tour guide Lasse was simply great and lots of fun!
How To Get To Silfra
If you are travelling in a campervan around Iceland, you can easily make your own way to the Silfra meeting point from where you get geared up and briefed before you go into the water.
If you opt for the Silfra snorkelling or diving experience and self-drive, note that you need about 45 minutes to 1 hour from Reykjavik downtown to drive out to Thingvellir National Park, where the crack in the Earth is located. All depending on the weather and road conditions of course.
The Silfra Meeting Point is kind of in the middle of nowhere but if you have Internet along the way, Google should show you a “Silfra Meeting Point” or “Silfra Diving” when you type it in and get you there.
Silfra Water Temperature
Yes, the water is pretty cool up here in the north of the northern hemisphere!
Year around, Silfra has a water temperature of 2-4 degrees, even in winter which means the water is just above freezing and make it warmer in winter than the outside temperature. The water you snorkel in comes right from the glacier and is said to be the clearest in the world. You can even drink the water! Our guide Lasse encouraged us to take a sip as we entered the water as it’s filtered for tens of years by lava rock. A true hydration boost!
What To Wear When Snorkelling Silfra: Thermals & Dry Suit
Since you will be in the water in Silfra from 30 to 45 minutes, you will have to put on a dry suit to protect you from the cold. I put on thermals as well as thick socks underneath the dry suit.
I could’ve probably worn two pairs of socks as I did feel the cold a fair bit, but it is all manageable. Getting into the dry suit is an experience in itself. Not for anyone who has claustrophobia! I told myself this was necessary to not freeze to death in the water and after a bit of discomfort and extra tape around my wrists and neck, I looked absolutely hideous but was ready for the experience.
If you have long hair, I braided mine, which made it easier to slip on the face suit and mask, but keep in mind your hair stays outside of the dry suit and gets wet, it’s not bad though. Just bring some warm clothes to change into after and maybe a beanie.
Once in the water, only your hands and face get cold and wet and your lips will feel like you had a Botox injection! You’ll get hot chocolate and cookies at the end of the snorkelling which helps you feel normal again.
In total, the snorkelling Silfra tour takes about 2 to 2.5 hours excluding pick up and drop off or driving there yourself.
The Silfra Snorkelling Experience
How was I crazy enough to even consider snorkelling in 2-degree freezing water?
Well… first of all, it’s absolutely unique. How many people do you know that have been snorkelling between two tectonic plates? Yer, I thought so!
Book your Silfra snorkelling adventure here.
Book your Silfra diving experience here.
People come here to snorkel and dive and experience the clearest water in the world and oh boy, it’s pretty damn clear! Once you put your head under water and start your doggie paddles, everything becomes secondary, the cold, the tight tape around my wrists and my gloves that are slowly soaking in with water.
It’s breathtakingly beautiful!
I could see meters and meters ahead while swimming through the four sections of the Silfra fissure: Silfra Big Crack, Silfra Hall, Silfra Cathedral and Silfra Lagoon. The visibility is up to 120 meters, crazy!
What surprised me is that there was no fish swimming around even though Thingvellir Lake has trout and other species, however, they do not swim up into the Silfra fissure. What you do see is a mix of narrow rocks at the beginning where the two plates are still so close, to colours of deep blue and algae that glows neon green like troll hair, until you reach the Silfra Cathedral with a depth of 23 meters and endless visibility in the lagoon.
This was one of the highlights in Iceland and some of the best experiences in my life and despite feeling like a gigantic floating marshmallow, I surely would do it all over again!
I recommend you add snorkelling in Iceland to your bucket list!
Thank you to Dive.is for making this experience possible!
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