Unforgettable Iceland: Snorkeling in the Silfra Fissure

What first pops into your mind when you think of Iceland? I don’t know about you, but I immediately think about glaciers, “fire and ice”, the Blue Lagoon…and…snorkeling?

What?

Yes, you heard me right. In a country known for its cool temperatures (it literally has the word “ice” in its name), you can actually go snorkel.

Naturally, when I first learned that snorkeling was even a possibility in Iceland, I was intrigued and knew I simply had to go. Purely for journalistic purposes of course, and not at all because I wanted to cross off swimming between tectonic plates off my bucket list 😉 .

Needless to say, snorkeling in the Silfra Fissure was an unforgettable adventure and a great addition to my day driving around the Golden Circle. Keep reading to see if you should add this unexpected activity to your Iceland bucket list!

About the Silfra Fissure

The Silfra fissure is possibly one of the most unique dive/snorkeling locations in the world. For starters, the fissure is located in between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, which actually are separating at a rate of 2 cm a year!

Silfra is also special in that it is home to some of the clearest, cleanest water in the world. The fissure is filled with cool glacial water which gets filtered through lava for between 30-100 years! It is so clean that we were actually able to drink the water while snorkeling (it was delicious). Not only is the water quite tasty, but it is incredibly clear, with visibility over 300 feet! While it is possible to take full advantage of this by diving in the fissure, I opted to snorkel instead.

 

Getting There

The Silfra Fissure is located in the beautiful Thingvellir National Park, and is a great first stop if you are planning on driving around Iceland’s Golden Circle. Whether you book a diving/snorkeling excursion or not, the fissure and park are worth checking out! It took us about an hour to drive there from Reykjavik, and we did have to pay a small fee to park our car.

You’ll also want to check out nearby Öxarárfoss waterfall. It is beautiful to watch the water cascade over the rocks.

 

Cost

If you are a budget traveler, then a dive or snorkel in the Silfra Fissure might not be for you. While I was definitely traveling around Iceland on a budget, I wanted to include one activity or excursion on my Iceland itinerary and decided to splurge. (I was choosing between snorkeling and a glacier walk, to be honest, I’m sure both would have been awesome!)

My friend and I booked our tour with Dive Iceland. The snorkel tour alone (without transport from Reykjavik) costs 16990 ISK (~$158) per person, although we did manage to save a little by booking during a sale.

The basic diving package costs 39,990 ISK (~$373) per person. 

If you are planning on going, be sure to book a tour in advance so it doesn’t sell out. You will also want to check the website to make sure prices haven’t changed!

We also chose to purchase photos of the tour, which cost an extra 3,000 ISK (~$28).

This post was not sponsored by Dive Iceland, I am simply sharing my experience with you! 

What to Bring

Dive Iceland recommended wearing warm layers and socks, both of which I highly recommend. The dry suits were actually warmer than I expected, but your feet and extremities do get a bit chilly as the tour goes on. If you can, bring a couple of pairs of wool socks to keep your toes toasty and wear warm layers.

If you have a GoPro, today is definitely the day to use it! If not, consider purchasing pictures so that you have mementos of the occasion. The pictures in this post were taken by our guide, and I was really happy with them!

 

The Experience

Suiting Up

Once we arrived at the correct parking lot (we took an accidental detour along the way because I am a terrible navigator) we met our guide Marie and the rest of the group. I loved that there were only 6 of us (7 with Marie). The small number helped the day run smoothly and eliminated any waiting around. Once we handed in our waivers, we stored our bags and extra layers in the Dive Iceland changing room and started the suiting up process.

Since the water is so cold (35-40°F) a dry suit is necessary. And let me tell you, suiting up was a hilarious and thoroughly entertaining endeavor. We all struggled to stuff our arms, legs, and faces securely in the dry suit so that no water would leak in during our swim. Marie was super helpful, especially because none of us had a clue how to properly get the suit on.

In case you were wondering, dry suits are EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE. (Photo evidence below)

Once we were all (mostly) waterproof, we walked to the entrance of the Silfra fissure where Marie explained some snorkeling basics and help us put on our fins and masks.

Jumping In

Okay, okay. We didn’t actually “jump” in. We waded in, made sure our masks were leak-free, and practiced breathing and moving around in the bulky dry suits.

Once everyone was confident and comfortable, we tipped onto our stomachs and beginning our snorkel adventure.

The fissure has a little bit of a current, so it is super easy to simply float through the fissure as you take in the scenery below.

While there aren’t really any fish to observe, the water clarity was incredible, and the water is an incredible shade of blue.

It’s pretty crazy looking into the fissure at the rocks below and at the eerie plant life floating on the rocks on either side of you.

The water around you is only around 35-40°F year round, so your face will probably get a little chilly, and towards the end of the tour, I was definitely ready to warm up!

In total, the snorkeling tour lasts around 30-40 minutes, which I felt was the perfect amount of time to avoid getting cold.

Our whole group had a great time and was really impressed by the unique underwater landscape we encountered.

At the end of the tour, we got some hilarious pictures with our lips all swollen because of the cold. Don’t worry though, this is only a temporary side effect which only lasted a few minutes.

Warming up

Once we were all ready to exit the lagoon, we headed back to the Dive Iceland trailer to remove our dry suits and enjoy some hot cocoa and cookies, which was the perfect way to warm up again after the tour.

I was surprised at how dry the suits actually stayed, and was glad mine didn’t have any leaks.

After saying our goodbyes to Marie and the rest of our snorkeling group, we headed back to our car to continue our day driving the Golden Circle.

 

Overall thoughts

My friend and I both had a great time on the tour and felt that Dive Iceland was a super professional company, and we especially loved our friendly and helpful guide Marie. Snorkeling was a great way to kick off our Iceland road trip, and I am glad we were able to fit the adventure into our jam-packed itinerary!

While snorkeling isn’t the most budget-friendly activity in Iceland, I am glad we decided to go, and our memories of squeezing into our dry suits and snorkeling in crystal clear glacial water between tectonic plates will last a lifetime! Plus, it’s a great story to tell at parties.

If you decide not to fit snorkeling or diving into your itinerary, I’d highly recommend dropping by to see the fissure and Thingvellir National Park.

 

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Would snorkeling or diving in the Silfra Fissure make it on your Iceland itinerary? Let me know in the comments!

Don’t forget to check out some of my other Iceland posts:

• The Ultimate Guide To Camping In Iceland
• Everything You Need To Know About Visiting Iceland’s Blue Lagoon
• The Ultimate Iceland Packing List For Ladies

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