Silfra Rift Dive and Snorkel Experience – One of the Top 10 Dive Spots in the World 

İzlanda an island country and this island is as if the world is not yet finished. With geysers, waterfalls, glaciers, hot springs, volcanoes ready to erupt at any moment, it makes you feel like you are walking in the first scene of a dinosaur movie. To immerse ourselves a little more in this movie, my wife dived and I snorkeled in Silfra rift, one of the most special places in the world. Silfra rift diving and snorkeling You will find information about our experience and why Silfra is special in this article. Keep reading!

One of the Top 10 Diving Spots in the World

Click on the image below to watch the video of our Silfra experience, which is considered among the top 10 diving spots in the world by diving lovers!

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Thingvellir National Park

Thingvellir National Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland with its proximity to Reykjavik and the important places to see in the park. It is also the starting point of the Golden Circle, Iceland's most touristic route. The national park, which is free to enter, is 47 kilometers from the capital Reykjavik, and you can reach the national park entrance from the capital in a maximum of 1 hour. In addition to many sights for the park such as lakes, glaciers and craters, there is also the Silfra rift, which is the most important point of the park. 

Thingvellir National Park also has an important place in world history as the place where the first parliament in the world met. At a point overlooking the Silfra fracture, the Vikings took their first steps towards democracy and convened a parliament here. The parliamentary meetings were called the Althing and the national park got its name from here. 

Due to its geological and historical importance, the park; It was given the status of a national park in 1930 and entered the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list in 2004. 

Silfra Cleft

Iceland is also the place where the continental continents of North America and Europe are broken apart. So looking west it's North America, looking east it's Europe. These two huge continents are separated by a fault. The place where this fault rupture emerges is the Silfra rift in the Thingvellir National Park. The continuation of the fault line continues completely from the bottom of the ocean. That's why the Silfra rift is one of the most special places on earth. 

Looking at the Silfra rift from above/outside, an innocent stream seems to open into a lake. However, when you enter the water through that slit, you can see the broken state of the slit, and you can put one hand on the North American continent and one hand on the European continent. These tectonic rifts are called the rift valley, and there is a great rift valley in Africa that starts from Kenya and reaches as far as Israel, those who know will remember. 

Located in the Silfra rift, the water comes to the national park from the Langjökull glacier. The temperature of the water is around 2 degrees throughout the year. This fresh water from the glacier is both very delicious and has been filtered and cleaned many times, as it comes through the lava fields after the glacier melts. You can drink this crystal clear water with peace of mind, it is extremely clean. 

Silfra Diving and Snorkeling Experience Silfra Diving and Snorkeling Experience Silfra Diving and Snorkeling Experience 

One of the activities that excited us the most on our way to Iceland was the diving and snorkeling activity in Silfra. Let's talk about how to dive or snorkel in this fresh water with a water temperature of 2 degrees, how much this experience costs. 

Is Dry Suit Certification Required?

The Silfra rift is considered one of the top 10 diving spots in the world. My wife has been diving for 10 years and has been diving in many parts of the world. When our Iceland trip was finalized, of course, Silfra diving immediately entered our agenda. Dry suit diving certification is required to dive in Silfra. Although my wife is a 3 star dive master, she did not have a dry suit certificate. On the other hand, I only had a 1 star diving certificate, so I wouldn't give you a dry diving certificate with this inexperience, said Öztan Hodja from Divefan 🙂 That's when I realized that I was going to snorkel instead of diving in Silfra. My wife, on the other hand, was going to get the dry suit certificate and make our dream come true. For an experienced diver, a one-day training and diving organization is sufficient to obtain a dry suit certificate. 

As a result of our research, the most established company that organizes diving in Silfra. dive.is We saw that there was a place and we made our reservation from there. After that point, the company keeps you informed by e-mails. You fill out a form requesting a health claim for diving or snorkeling. 

Where is Silfra?

The place to dive in the Silfra rift is 12-13km inland from the Thingvellir National Park entrance. When you enter the Silfra sign, you first see the parking area of ​​the diving companies, but it is not possible to enter here with your private vehicle, this is an area reserved for tours only. After 400 meters, you will see the general parking lot, this parking lot is called P5. You have to leave your car in that parking lot and walk to the other parking lot. 

What to Bring and Dry Clothes

If you are a diver with you on the day of the event; your diver card, your dry suit certificate, underwear (top and bottom) to wear inside the dry suit and two layers of wool or thick socks. For example, we brought wool and ski socks. If you are going to snorkel, you need the same clothes except for the certificates. Because both divers and snorkelers wear the same dry suit. It was 3 degrees outside and very windy on the day we dived. Of course, we had many concerns such as whether we would freeze in the water or how cold we would be. Into the dry suit; first they give you a jumpsuit on top of your underwear. This jumpsuit is a very thick fleece jumpsuit. On top of this overall, they wear another thick dress, called a dry suit, which is in no way waterproof, in the form of a jumpsuit. For your head, hands and feet, you go with a hood, gloves and booties. When you are fully equipped, only your face remains open. Before you enter the water, you cover half of your face with a mask, as a result, everything is covered except for only your lips and a part of your cheeks. I was worried about getting too cold in the water, but I have to say that I wasn't even as cold as I was outside. They already do these diving / snorkeling organizations in summer and winter, I guess they can't do it even if it's that cold. 

The tour company brings with it a minibus that can be used as a “changing room”, a changing room, because there is no suitable place in the parking lot. You leave your clothes and valuables in this minibus. Therefore, be careful not to carry too many items with you when you come here. However, if your hair is long, your hair will definitely get wet, because it is outside the clothes. A towel works great for wrapping your hair when you get out.

When Does Diving Start?

Our dive start time was 08:00 and snorkel start time was 08:30. Hours of each company may be different. There is a separate minibus for divers and a separate minibus for snorkelers. dive.is minibuses were the first to arrive in the parking area, it was very good to get ready and get into the water before it gets crowded. Even when we went in September, it was quite crowded, there was a serious queue in the summer months, and you might have to wait for a long time to enter the water. We got our fill at the guesthouse where we stayed early in the morning and arrived at the parking area 08 minutes before 00:15. We were both very excited. dive.is After meeting with the crews and getting dressed, it was time to walk to the waterfront for diving/snorkeling. You have to take a short walk and cross a road with the clothes you are wearing. The diver can pass sign on the road is very fun 🙂 

The Silfra Rift Route

The depth of the water where you enter the water from the Silfra crevice is around 10 meters. That point is actually the most beautiful part of the experience for me, since it is the place where the water comes to the surface, it is the place where the water is the clearest and the cleanest. I tasted the water right there, missss. As you progress, the depth of the rift increases to 30 and then 42 meters, this is the deepest point of the rift. But the visibility is over 100 meters. Crossing the 42-meter rift, we come to a shallow section, where your chest almost touches the floor. There is a narrow passage where the shallow section ends, after which the rift begins to deepen again. We continue to swim up to a section called the Cathedral, this is one of the most impressive spots. At the end of the cathedral, a sand slope greets us, from here we turn around. Our return point is Silfra Lagoon. Before we reach the lagoon, there is a second and smaller crevice, and we pass over it and admire nature once again. My dive leader said that those who want to swim in the lagoon can have some fun. I can't get out of that magnificent water anyway. Our group is 4 people, they give each leader a maximum of 4 people. I'm the last to get out of the water 🙂 Even though I want this experience to never end, it does. The activity takes a maximum of 40 minutes, I think I used it to the end 🙂 

While I was snorkeling, my wife had already finished her first dive and enjoyed hot chocolate and coffee. He has another dive, I change my clothes and accompany him to the dive starting point. The diving route and the snorkel route are the same. If one of us is out of the water, we have had this experience because of it. Both have their pros and cons. It's easier to understand the shape of the rift when snorkeling from above, they say, while divers go right through the rift. Of course, diving is much more expensive, snorkeling is almost a third of the price, these should also be taken into account. 

I also share the questions I received about Silfra diving below as a question and answer: 

How much does it cost to dive and snorkel in Silfra? 

Prices are over ISK, but I'll give you approximate euro prices. 2 dives are 300 euros, snorkeling is around 115 euros. Due to the crowd in the summer, they were doing one dive, not two, for the same price. 

Are there any living creatures that can be seen underwater in Silfra? 

There are no living things in Silfra, only algae in the shallow parts that see daylight, that's all. There is also a lake at the end of the Silfra rift, fish rarely come from the lake, but they do not stay long. 

When is the best season/time to dive and snorkel in Silfra? 

You can dive or snorkel in Silfra in summer and winter. Since the wind is less in the winter, the underwater views can be even more beautiful if the weather is clear outside. Since the summer months are high season for Iceland, it is very crowded, if you go in September like us, the weather will not be too cold outside and you will encounter fewer people. 

How deep is diving in Silfra? 

The maximum diving depth in Silfra is 18 meters, and the average dive is 10 meters. The average is quite low as it is passed through shallow areas. If the diving group is not experienced enough, it is not possible to descend to 18 meters. 

About Dive.is

For diving and snorkeling in Silfra dive.is I said that we preferred the company. One of the main reasons for this was that it is the oldest company in this region and it is really good at its job. Established in 1997, the company has also set the standards for the diving organization in Silfra. Thomas Knutsson, the founder of Dive.is, made Silfra popular as a diving center. When we went there, we saw how advantageous it was to have Dive.is guests, the first diving/snorkeling groups. I must also mention that the whole team is incredibly helpful, caring and professional. 

Each team leader accompanies 3 people in diving and 4 people in snorkeling. They check all the details over and over at every point, from wearing clothes to entering the water. This makes you feel safe. 

There are also tour packages where they combine diving or snorkeling packages with a Golden Circle tour. You can examine the websites in detail. 

Our Silfra experience was literally amazing. Instead of enjoying the hot water in the Blue Lagoon, we preferred to see the place where two continents separate in 2 degrees water and we are very happy with this choice!

My Iceland Travel Articles

You can find my travel tips about Iceland such as transportation in Iceland, accommodation in Iceland, car rental in Iceland from the links below:

• Car rental in Iceland
• Iceland trip cost
• accommodation in Iceland
• Iceland Keflavik Airport 
• Silfra rift diving and snorkeling experience
• Iceland Golden Circle Route places to visit
• Iceland Ring Road Route places to visit
• Iceland travel guide

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