Silfra Fissure Snorkelling Tour - Iceland
Have you ever wanted to visit a rift between two techtonic plates? How about snorkel between them? The Silfra Fissure in Iceland is the only place in the world where you can have an experience like this, and snorkel through some of the clearest water on earth!
This tour comes with a high price tag, and after tossing up the idea for a while, I decided this is a once in a lifetime experience and I couldn’t miss out. Let me tell what you can expect.
Getting There
You can either take a tour which will pick you up and drop you off, or parking in the parking lot. The parking area is P5 – and from there you walk a short 5-10 minutes back up the road to where the trailers are for the different operators.
The Silfra Fissure is in Thinvellir National Park and is located in a rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly drifting apart, at a rate of about 2 cm per year. This is what makes this such an iconic experience and brings in many tourists every year.
Getting Ready
There will be different operators that you can do this tour with, for my experience I was booked with Arctic Adventures (book here) who offered pick up and drop off in Reykjavik. Each guide has up to 6 swimmers to look after. First you’ll be given a suit to put under the drysuit. You keep a thermal layer and socks on and put this suit overtop. Then you will be provided the drysuit which you will put up to your waist. The guide will then give you gloves, before helping you get the drysuit over your head. They make sure it is secure around your hands and neck to give you the best chance of no water leaking in. Finally you put your hood on, and are given fins and a snorkel. Initially I was nervous about the area around the neck being too tight, however this wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought and I could still breathe comfortably.
Once fully geared up you’ll walk with your group to the entry point of the Silfra Fissure. There is often a bit of a line up here so it can sometimes take up to 30 minutes to get into the water from this point. You’ll be given some anti-fog for your goggles to prepare for the swim.
The Swim
When your group is next in line to get in the water you’ll put your snorkel and fins on, then wade into the water. The guide will help get any remaining air out of the drysuit, and get you to test your snorkel by holding the railing and looking into the water.
After that you’ll smoothly head off the platforms where you’ll also practice rolling onto your back. The water temperature is consistently cold – between 2 and 4 degrees celcius – so this activity can be done year round. You will feel the cold on your face (mainly your lips) and your hands, but I swear to you that you’ll quickly forget about this!
Finally it’s time to start snorkelling! Now instead of just kicking your feet you do more of a frog like (breastroke) kick. This will propel you through the water better than kicking the air. It’s no race, you have plenty of time to swim through so take your time and really glide through each kick.
The visibility is insanely clear, giving you an incredible view of the underwater wonderland. It’s one of those things you have to do yourself to really capture the beauty.
You have roughly 30 minutes to get through the fissure with your group, and then you have a bit of free time to explore the lagoon at the end.
Coming Back
Once you’ve had your fun it’s sadly time to exit the water and head back. There’ll be 2 guides by a ramp who will get you to lay on your back. They will remove the snorkel, your fins, and unzip the drysuit from your back so you can be a bit more comfortable. You’ll then walk back to the trailers were they’ll provide a hot chocolate and a biscuit.
It’s important to note that there are no changing rooms here. If all went well then you should be completely dry, however if you’re like me and a bit of water got in, you’ll have to change under a towel, ask to change in the trailer, or change in the bathrooms (there are only 3 and there is a sign saying don’t get changed here though!).
If you came on a tour then you’ll have a time that your driver will pick you up, otherwise if you came on your own then you’re all finished with the experience!
Most operators include photos so these are available online at the conclusion of your tour once they are uploaded.
My Thoughts
To wrap this up it truly was a once in a lifetime experience. I was in constant awe of the landscape, and honestly would jump at the opportunity to do this again. The other 3 ladies in my group said it was amazing but never again – so the experience really differs from person to person!
If you are in Iceland, this is one of my top recommendations, I think it was absolutely worth every dollar!
Compare Silfra Fissure tours from multiple operators – all offering the same unforgettable snorkeling experience.