Snorkeling the Silfra Fissure in Iceland
I bet most people would answer that question with a resounding NO! Maybe not even just ‘no’ but ‘hell no’. Well before you answer too quickly let me tell you why it may be worth saying ‘yes’. First, I have to back track. I went to Iceland last Thanksgiving and after seeing the Northern lights the second to do item on my list was to swim between 2 tectonic plates. The proper name is Silfra Fissure snorkeling in Thingvellir National Park. Well, the road to get there was closed due to a storm so I left not getting the chance to do it.
I planned a trip back in February and was in luck this time! (Although, the road closed on the way back as we were driving lol). The drive time from Reykjavik is a little over an hour. There are lots of things to see along the way. We stopped to see the horses.
Once you get to the National Park you park and walk over to a second parking lot where there are lots of vans and people.
Here they suit you up and get you ready to go! You leave on one thin layer of clothes and then are given a suit, almost like a ski suit, to put on over your clothes. This is to help keep you warm. It does do a pretty good job! After that comes the drysuit. It is an experience in itself getting that on! It has built in feet but the hands are open so you are give wetsuit gloves. The last step, they tie what is like a dog collar around your neck to help prevent water leaking in. Again, another interesting experience! Then I was ready to go!
It takes about 5 minutes to walk to the entry point from the parking lot. I am not sure why but before you get in they make you spit in your mask to help keep it from fogging over. And then in you go. The day I went in the water it was a little bit warmer than it was outside but it is still a shock to get in. I didn’t find that my body was cold, just my hands and feet. You do feel a lot of pressure around the suit as well. The water carries you in the right direction up until a certain point and then you have to paddle to get to the exit point.
The views underwater are beautiful. It is some of the clearest water in the world and the fact that you are between the North American and Eurasian Continental plates is amazing.
The walk back to the ‘changing parking lot’ is pretty brutal. My lips were huge from the cold and my hands and feet were painful because they were so cold. I even developed icicles in my hair. I changed as quickly as possible so that I could rush back to the car and blast the heat!
Even though it was the coldest I have ever been, I would definitely recommend giving it a go if you find yourself in Iceland…better yet try it in the summer and not the dead of winter like I did! Ha!
More to come! Stay tuned.
Lots of Love,
Buffy x
