When planning your next dive vacation, Iceland might not be at the forefront of your mind. But the icy waters in Silfra’s fissure will give you your money’s worth and then some. The crystal clear water has amazing visibility and you can reach out and touch Europe and North America at the same time!
For many divers, Silfra is a bucket list item. If asked, most will say they would love to go there, but very few actually make the journey. Perhaps it is the remoteness of Iceland, or the cold, or maybe it is the lack of dive resorts, or the cold, but most likely it is simply. . . a fear of the cold. Surprisingly, Iceland isn’t all that chilly. It has the gulf stream to thank for that, which brings warmer temperatures to the island.
Traveling around Iceland is a big adventure. If you plan to make a trip there, diving the fissure is just one of many attractions. Other “must do” activities include visiting the island’s glacier parks, ice caves, waterfalls, geo-thermal sites, northern lights and black sands beaches. My trip included all of these things, ending with an afternoon at Silfra.
There are certain requirements if you want to dive Silfra. You must be drysuit certified, or be able to show a logbook, signed by an instructor, that you have done at least 10 drysuit dives in the last two years. Because I had a lot of activities planned for Iceland, I chose not to take my own diving gear. I decided that packing an extra bag for a drysuit wasn’t practical. This choice was both good and not so good. It was good because everything was provided for me, and I didn’t have to schlep around my extra gear. It was not so good because the drysuit was not my size and of a different material than I had used before. As a result I had difficulty controlling my buoyancy in the first few minutes of the dive.
Snorkelers are also welcome at Silfra. Drysuits are provided by the operation you sign up with and it is a bit easier than diving because you don’t have the extra weights and tank needed to do a dive. The site is as shallow as just a few feet and although there are very deep parts, snorkelers can see everything a diver sees.
I was apprehensive about diving in Silfra because I knew that the water is a constant 37 degrees Fahrenheit. This turned out to be a non-issue. I was completely toasty in the neoprene drysuit they provided along with thick gloves. Only a tiny strip of skin on my face was exposed to the water and even that was not noticeable.
The moment I put my head under the water in this beautiful environment, I was blown away. The water comes from a glacier and is filtered through volcanic rock for 50 to 100 years before it reaches Silfra fissure. It is so clear that you can see up to 300 feet and they say you can even take a drink while you are there it is so pure. There is a green algae that grows on some of the rocks that lends some brilliant color to the scene. Put all these elements together and you have a truly remarkable and unique site.
There is a slight current when you enter the water from the flow coming from the spring. It pushes you along gently so you hardly even need to kick. The dive takes about 30-40 minutes and starts in the narrowest part of the fissure. Sometimes you must go over shallow rocks to enter the next part of the site. The variety of things to see is terrific and the dive ends in Silfra Lagoon.
Entry and exit to Silfra are via staircase making it very simple to get in and out of the water. Perhaps the hardest part is walking down to the entrance from the parking lot with all your gear. You must walk about 100 meters to enter, and about 250 meters along the path back. Dive guides are very helpful and will assist you with your gear if you let them know you want help.
Iceland has some incredible adventures in store for those who want the experience. Silfra fissure is certainly one of the most iconic and a highlight of my trip. All the tours I went on were provided by Arctic Adventures and I was very pleased with their service and can highly recommend them.
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