Seeing the Silfra Fissure underwater in Iceland changed into actually like a few subsequent level, different planet, liquid Nat Geo sh*t. I do not know approximately you, however the idea of being in locations immediately is routinely remarkable to me…specially if we are speaking approximately complete continents! That’s why I without a doubt needed to inspect snorkeling among the America and Eurasia continental plates withinside the Silfra fissure in Thingvellir National Park even as I changed into in Iceland!
I signed up for the Snorkeling Silfra Day Tour with DIVE.IS – five famous person PADI dive center, after finding out their internet site and without delay turning into enthusiastic about the underwater pictures they’ve on there! Plus the Silfra fissure in Iceland is a double UNESCO World Heritage Site, making me even greater keen to move see it!
Sure, I changed into a tad bit worried approximately how freezing bloodless it changed into going to be to swim in glacier water even as it is also freezing bloodless outside, however Dive.is did a exquisite process at getting ready me for it each earlier than I arrived, and as soon as I were given there. Here’s how the snorkeling excursion system goes, and all the remarkable matters you could assume to see!
1. How to Book a Silfra Snorkeling Tour
Obviously it is an excellent concept to join matters beforehand of time, specifically if it is some thing that is incredible popular, like snorkeling in-among continents, which could replenish quite fast. You can get the time table and records on their website (dive.is), time table your tour, put together what you want to bring, and discover wherein they may be positioned in Thingvellir National Park. You also can electronic mail them immediately when you have any questions, they may be surely accurate at responding speedy and imparting any viable records you can want.
You also can select the choice to get picked up out of your inn in Reykjavik, however seeing that I had a apartment car, and became staying at Hotel Keilir in Keflavik anyway, I opted to drive.
2. Finding Your Silfra Tour Guides in Thingvellir
Want to realize what is now no longer that clean to do in Iceland? Use GPS, navigation, or street symptoms and symptoms to determine out in which the heck you are going. I could not for the existence of me input the bulk of names or addresses in my apartment vehicle GPS, now no longer to say recognize what any of the symptoms and symptoms said, however fortuitously Dive.is offers you a map that suggests in which to fulfill them withinside the park, and that they have clean to identify trucks so that you do not must wander round like a misplaced Puffin.
Even in matter you do wander off or visit the incorrect place (like me), you could simply ask any of the excursion courses in which to move and they will direct you, however for the maximum part, when you move over the very apparent continental ridge and flip proper into Thingvellir, you will simply hold going beyond the primary car parking zone till you spot the little white homes in which the tenting facts is at the proper. If you byskip that, like I did, you will don’t have any different choice however to park withinside the car parking zone in which the excursion starts offevolved anyway.
3. Getting into that Damn Dry Suit
I’ll admit…I changed into a bit worried once I did not observe getting the advocated thermal underclothes and -pairs of wool socks that they advocated for sporting below the dry suit, however whilst the excursion courses busted out the pre-sized, thick-ass thermal onesies for every people, I felt an entire hell of plenty better! I positioned mine on and changed into all heat and snuggly earlier than I even positioned the relaxation of the water-resistant ensemble on!
The courses had additionally pre-decided on the dry fits for every visitor in step with the measurements we gave whilst we signed up online. They have been humorous searching fits, with neoprene booties connected at the lowest and rubber suction bands on the wrists and neck that made positive no water were given in. It changed into a bit bit perplexing and tough to get on, however quite hilarious to look at and unanimously chortle approximately.
4. Get Yo Gear On
After we have been absolutely freeze/water-evidence in our alien scuba fits, we walked like robots over to the access location of the Silfra fissure to get our equipment on. We have been all quite excited to appearance down into the crystal clean water and spot the long-lasting sun sunglasses of sapphire at the rocky divide, however we nonetheless had to get our fins and mask on earlier than diving (AKA carefully stepping) in. The Dive.is courses helped every one people get our fins on through having us keep onto a railing and raise our ft one after the other as they slid them on for us considering the fact that there has been no manner we might be capable of bend right all the way down to do it ourselves.
5. Into the (actually freezing) Cold
Obviously my overly ambitous-adventurer self attempted sincerely tough to be the primary one to enter the icy water, however the 2d spitting withinside the masks not on time me to 1/3 place. The folks who have been already withinside the water have been arising and down like they have been seeking to get used to the bloodless earlier than plunging their faces in, however I changed into greater keen to get that insanely clean view of the underwater continental divide, and might have simply jumped from the pinnacle if my preceding cliff-leaping reports were not there to keep me back.
Instead, I cautiously waddled my manner down the steel steps in my fins like a fats Puffin, and started stepping in, however in place of gliding in gracefully like all of us else, I determined to release myself face first into the freezing water even as trying to keep my GoPro to movie all of it. in matter you have been wondering…yes, it sincerely is bloodless. But the cautiously-outfitted dry suit, professional assistance, and on the spot adrenaline rush will make you neglect about you actually have a face at all….and if now no longer, than yes, the numbing water will as well.