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My Iceland vacation thoroughly exceeded my expectations. And, if I’m being honest, I was expecting a lot. There were three things I wanted to do in Iceland: Ride Icelandic Horses, photograph the Northern Lights and snorkel Silfra. I achieved all three and snorkeling Silfra with DIVE.IS was most definitely a highlight of my Iceland adventures!Wait, what? Stop it. You snorkeled in Iceland? Yep, you did not read wrongly. Just not the first place you would think of to snorkel is it? Well, me neither and I find it so ironic that Iceland is one of the destinations where I’ve needed my swimsuit most! But, I digress because I didn’t wear my swimsuit to snorkel.
Silfra
Silfra, located in Þingvellir (English: Thingvellir) National Park in Iceland, is a fissure created by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. This fissure, formed in 1789 by earthquakes along with the divergent tectonic plates, goes right through Iceland. It is the only place in the world you can snorkel and dive between two tectonic plates (so between two continents).
The Silfra fissure is filled via an underground spring containing glacial water from Langjökull glacier. Because the water is filtered for 30-100 years through underground lava before reaching the spring and filling the fissure, it is not only extremely pure but it is said to be the clearest in the world!
Silfra with DIVE.IS
The Pre-Party Pickup
If you’re staying in the heart of Reykjavik and are being picked up for a tour in a mini-bus or larger sized vehicle, you will most likely be picked up at the bus stop closest to your hotel. Due to the extreme popularity and convenience of day tours from Reykjavik, you can imagine how clogged and backed up the narrow city streets can become. But, don’t worry, Reykjavik is small and there are several bus stops so you shouldn’t have to walk far.
Since I was staying at CenterHotel Midgardur, DIVE.IS picked me up at Bus Stop 10 a whole 2 minutes away. But fair warning…that is an insanely busy stop at 8 am. There were swarms of people lining up to board 2 full-sized buses and I was looking for a mini-bus wondering where it was going to pull over.
Thankfully, both the tour company and I were doing what we were supposed to: looking for each other.
Because we were both looking for each other, I saw the mini-bus coming up in traffic and therefore saw a guide jump out of the passenger seat. I headed to him and he confirmed my name and we were safely in the mini-bus before traffic moved again. That was smooth and considering I was left last summer at my hotel by a different tour company in a different country, this was both refreshing and impressive.
Left: Remco, from The Netherlands Right: Nino, from Italy
Once inside the bus, I officially met both my guides for the day. Meet Remco (the guide who jumped out to find me) from The Netherlands and Nino (driver of the mini-bus) from Milan, Italy. These two made a great team and kept us laughing as you can probably tell from the photo.
On our 45-60 minute drive out to Þingvellir, Remco and Nino briefed us on how the day would go and once we arrived, it was time to get into our gear.
Getting Into Costume (Character)
By gear, I mean dry suits. I had honestly never heard of a dry suit, only a wetsuit. But here’s the thing. I’m quite sure it’s already dawned on you at this point (otherwise there would be no shock factor to snorkeling in Iceland) that the water is very cold freezing here. Okay, so not quite on the freezing part, but it’s pretty dang close. The average temperature is 2-3 degrees Celsius which is 36-37 degrees Fahrenheit! 😱
Who’s ready to jump in?? 😜
The reason wearing a wetsuit wouldn’t work is that it lets in a small amount of water that your body will then use to insulate you. Yeah, no thanks. A dry suit keeps your body dry. And, now you know why I didn’t have to wear my swimsuit to snorkel.
Instead, we were instructed to come dressed in warm base layers like this top and these bottoms, but only one set (the suit does need to fit). We could, however, wear 2 pairs of warm merino wool socks if needed. I brought two pairs but only ended up needing one.
If for some reason we couldn’t come already dressed in our base layers, they do have this changing van but otherwise, there are no changing rooms at Thingvellir National Park. There are two restrooms but changing isn’t permitted in them as it would make long lines for people who need to actually use the restroom. So, it makes things much easier (and faster) if you come ready to go and our entire group did just that.
While we were in the van, we put on what looked like a down jumpsuit (with a stirrup for your heel) over our base layers. Then we got out of the van to be helped into our dry suits.
Getting into a dry suit takes two people. It’s an act in itself and I found it pretty amusing. Imagine putting on a giant, body-conforming onesie with built-in boots. Each part of the suit required two people to pull on. Each leg, each arm, each head (just kidding-seeing if you were paying attention 😂)…but seriously, every single part.
I would pull up on one part of the suit while Nino pulled up the other side. Then you have to get it over your head. My head and face were too small for the headpiece so it kept flipping up covering my lips. Nino and I both pulled it down and rolled it over on itself, but it didn’t stay. Your neck seal is tested and if needed, a tightener is placed. I needed the tightener but even after it was placed, the headpiece still kept flipping over my lips!
Once that was on, they came around and put on our “glittens”. That’s my word for whatever these part glove, part mittens were. They had a place for your thumb and then one for your index finger like gloves, but then there’s one large compartment for the other three fingers like mittens. And there you have it-glittens!
The many bins of different sizes of snorkel equipment
Then we were fitted with masks/snorkels and flippers and proceeded to de-fog our masks. If you’ve snorkeled or dived before you know what this means. If you have never done either of these, you spit into your mask and rub it all around the inside. This ensures that your mask doesn’t fog up and believe me, that’s the first thing it will do in most any water, but especially 36-degree water!
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Walking the Red Carpet Brown Plank
We carried our flippers and masks and headed on the 2-minute walk to the pier.
Here is my group waiting our turn to get in the water.
Funny Story: It took me a while to find myself in this photo and I thought at first DIVE.IS had sent me the wrong ones. A person looks all different when wearing a mask and I automatically skipped over the small, short girl in the middle because I’m used to being the bigger one in the group (you can read my fairly recent weight loss story here). Also, at 5’6″ I’m not used to being the short one in a group. But when none of the other faces looked like me and I knew I was in the middle, I realized the short girl was, in fact, me! 😂
Our turn finally came and Remco (who was the snorkel guide for our part of the group) got in the water and showed us how to rescue float and what to do to keep the water OUT. Don’t wave your arms around or try to swim. Let your arms float (or move as little as possible for people like myself who were using a GoPro) along with your body as the current will keep you going. Kick slightly with your flippers if needed but don’t make big splashes in the water as it disturbs the view for others behind you.
And, with that, we were ready to start our 30-minute snorkel adventure. It was time! 😁🙌🏼
Snorkeling Silfra
I’m not going to lie, the shock of how cold the water was hit me like a car hitting a brick wall at 40 mph! Yes, I had on the dry suit which covered my head but the seal around the headpiece isn’t 100%. So your hair and obviously your face does get wet. 😳❄
I’m fairly certain I just got a tiny taste of what the polar plunge feels like. Pipe down polar plungers…I said tiny!
But it was SO completely worth it! Don’t you agree?
How gorgeous is this? 😍 And yes, that’s me on the right with my hands underwater (letting in the cold water) to use my GoPro The things one does for photos and videos. And, I would totally do it again!
Let’s just say that if a jaw could drop while wearing a dry suit…
then this would be jaw-dropping scenery!
For obvious reasons, Silfra was so different from any other snorkeling experience I’ve had. The rock formations, the clarity, the way the light hits it…
Boo!
Time for my closeup…although a snorkel mask isn’t my recommendation for a headshot. 😂 However, you can see a relative close-up of the glitten on my left hand. See what I mean?
I look like I’m sleeping here but I’m really looking straight down as far as my eyes can see!
I’m on the right
I love this shot because it shows depth. I know the water looks murky here, but it’s actually the sun beaming into the water. If the sun wasn’t there (which I was thankful it was because the lighting was beautiful), the middle would look just like the left and right sides in this photo.
Such a cool visual with the shallow and the deep. I’m taking it all in!
Near the end, the water became really shallow and the colors were absolutely gorgeous!
The Exit
When it was time for us to exit the water, for whatever reason, I thought it would be warmer. It’s not that I had gotten used to the water and it felt warmer by the end of the course because believe me, that didn’t happen. But I was just as cold or colder when I got out. In fact, we kept our masks on to protect our eyes and face from the cold on the walk back.
Once we were all out of the water, we made our way back to the “dressing lot”. A “dressing lot” is what occurs when you cross a parking lot with a dressing room! 😉
Getting Out of Costume (Character)
It was a beautiful day and after we were helped out of our dry suits, we climbed back into the van to take off the jumpsuit and put back on our own clothes and shoes. There was time to use the restroom if needed and during that time I took a moment to admire this view!
Because I read that only my hair and hands would get wet (which is what happened), I brought my microfiber hair towel I travel with sometimes. I was able to wrap my hair up in it when we were done and put my snow hat on over that. This not only allowed me to not have to deal with wet hair, but it kept me warmer too. Every girl on our tour made a comment about how they wish they had done the same thing. So girls and guys with long hair-bring one of these with you!
The Wrap Party Dropoff
Remco hamming it up for the camera!
On our 45-60 minute drive back, we enjoyed hot chocolate and cookies with a yummy chocolate layer. Chocolate is one of my love languages people. Everything is awesome with chocolate! Before I knew it we were back in Reykjavik!
Thank you to Remco for taking photos of me while I was filming and to DIVE.IS for providing me with them!
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TIPS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
- IMPORTANT: It should go without saying, but please understand that no matter when you go, the water is near freezing. It was 36 degrees F (2 degrees C) the day I snorkeled on October 5th.
- HEIGHT/WEIGHT: To be sure the dry suit will make the proper seal, you do have to provide your exact (and correct) height and weight at booking. If not, you will not receive a proper-fitting dry suit. This is NOT the time to put the weight you hope to achieve by the time you leave on your trip.
- MEDICAL RELEASE: There are some conditions that aren’t compatible with this tour. There are others that require a doctor’s signed release form. DIVE.IS will send you a questionnaire and if you fall into the latter as I did (for high blood pressure), you just print out the form, have it signed by your physician, and bring it with you on the excursion.
- WHAT TO WEAR: Come dressed in your required 1 set of warm base layers and 1-2 pairs of merino wool socks.
- TRANSPORTATION: If you don’t have a car you can opt to be picked up in Reykjavik. Be at your designated bus stop early and please watch for your driver. Both of you will appreciate this!
- RESTROOMS: There are restrooms and you will have time to use them before you get into your dry suit and once you take it off.
- VALUABLES: Only bring what is absolutely necessary. It will be locked on the mini-bus while you are snorkeling. I recommend leaving your passport in the safe at your hotel. I did take my US driver’s license (to have a photo ID with me which I do recommend-even if it’s a photocopy of your passport), a credit card, a small amount of cash, my phone and GoPro along with winter clothing items and a bottle of water.
- JEWELRY: Leave it in your hotel safe! Seriously, just don’t wear it. Although small-stud earrings and rings where the stone can be turned around are allowed, why risk it? You could EASILY rip a stud out of your ear or a ring off your finger while getting in or out of your dry suit and not even realize it. Why risk it?
- TOWELS: DIVE.IS does not provide towels, but you are more than welcome to bring your own. As promised, only my hair and hands got wet. If you have LONG HAIR: bring a microfiber hair towel like this one with you! If you don’t have long hair and still want to bring a towel, this regular microfiber towel is a great option.
- CAMERAS: You can bring your own waterproof camera or GoPro as long as it is attached somehow to your person. I brought my GoPro on a waterproof stick mount with a wrist strap.
- DRINKING THE WATER AT SILFRA: Yes! Absolutely, you can drink it. In fact, it’s encouraged and probably the purest water you’ll ever encounter!
- ALL OTHER INFO: There is a ton of information on the DIVE.IS FAQ page so check it out!
PIN IT!
Do you like to do the “most unique” things or have the “only place in the world” type experiences when you travel? Then snorkeling Silfra with DIVE.IS is the experience for you! I couldn’t have been happier with my choice and am so happy to have found them!
Next time, (after I learn to scuba dive), I want to dive Silfra and I would happily choose DIVE.IS again. If you aren’t interested in or are unable to snorkel Silfra, be sure to check out other Iceland tours recommended by DIVE.IS.
Are you an adventure traveler? Have you snorkeled Silfra or would you try it? Please let me know your thoughts below!
‘Til next time…
Trimm Travels,
Oh, I so wanted to do this when I was in Iceland, but I ran out of time due to weather delays on the trip. Thanks for the detail about how you get the suit on and dealing with the cold water. I was a little nervous about those things. Given your great photos and review, I guess I will have to return to Iceland and go see Dive.IS.
Hi Cindy, You will really enjoy it but yeah that water is a shock at first! Totally worth it though, I promise! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Wow, what an epic place to snorkel! My family and I love snorkeling so I’m definitely going to bookmark this. I must admit, I don’t think of snorkeling when I think of Iceland but you’ve changed my mind 🙂
Hi Carmen-I know, right?? When I was researching things to do in Iceland this was the last thing I expected as well. But, it was the best thing ever so definitely do it when you go! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Wow, I imagine that this will be a memorable experience! What amazing photos.
Hi! It was definitely that. Thanks for reading! 🙂
I wouldn’t expect a snorkeling expedition in Iceland, which is probably the reason you wrote this article. You said you also saw the northern lights? On the same trip? So one can see them in non-winter months? Anyway, your experience sounds a bit like the glacier walk that I did in Iceland, just in the way the guides find you, dress you, outfit you, and of course the hot chocolate that follows (as it should). Iceland was truly a unique destination.
Hi Tom-Yes, I did see the Northern Lights TWICE on this same trip. Actually had a chance to see them a third time but we weren’t looking for it since we were in the city, but we should have! You can see them from October-March maybe April from what I understand (with possibilities in late Sept and early April). I saw them in early October and it was extremely cold. We even saw lots of snow (in the north) on the same trip. It is quite hard to see the lights in Iceland though as conditions have to be just right (mainly weather which doesn’t cooperate there a lot). Thanks for reading! 🙂
I would love to try this! I’ve done a lot of warm-water snorkeling, mostly in the Caribbean, so I think the shock of the cold water would be unpleasant for me at first, as you describe. However, the pictures you provide of the underwater scenery, as well as the overall experience, would make it worthwhile! I will be adding this to my list of things to do when I go to Iceland!
Hi Kelly-This was my first cold-water snorkeling experience too but it was so beautiful and so worth it. The water is a shock but you will love it! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Putting on the dry suit sounds like quite a challenge! Snorkeling in warmer waters is all I’ve experienced but this is so unique and so pretty. Love your writing and how you crack a few jokes, like the “dressing lot”. Wonderful post and it seems like it was a wonderful adventure.
Hi Darah-Thanks! It was quite the adventure! Warm water snorkeling is all I had experienced prior to this. Glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for reading! 🙂
I don’t do diving, BUT I would do snorkeling and never considered doing it in Iceland – it looks so cool! I am intrigued by the thought of doing it in cold water as I have only done tropical snorkeling, it looks like a whole other experience and you need lots of hot beverages and strong alcohol to warm up after! Looks fun!
Hi Andi-I don’t dive either (yet), but I had done lots of snorkeling but never in cold water. It’s a really interesting and cool experience I highly recommend if you go! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Snorkeling between tectonic plates sounds like quite an adventure! The water is so clear and the underwater scenery looks stunning. I don’t know if I’m brave enough but I’d sure love to try this!
Hi Mohana and Aninda-It’s easy to do. The only thing you have to get past is the cold and it is cold but it isn’t THAT bad thanks to the drysuit! Try it out if you go to Iceland! Thanks for reading! 🙂
I really enjoyed reading this. So much information, not only on diving in that trench/fissure, but on how to put on a dry suit, what to look out for while snorkelling. And, like with all your posts, there’s some fantastic photos. Thank you for sharing this.
Hi Chris-Thank you! I’m so happy you liked it! It is one of the most unique things you could ever do and it’s so fascinating! I highly recommend it if you ever visit Iceland. Thanks for reading! 🙂
I would love to do this trip. Touching both plates at the same time seems so cool. BTW, dry suits are the best thing ever (unless you have to pee). My first two years of guiding white water in Washington I had a wetsuit, but once I could afford my dry suit I never went back. This looks like a really amazing experience.
Hi Jenn and Ed-You HAVE to do this!! It’s AMAZING! You would love it! If you have your on dry suit-perfect! And yes, they are awesome unless you have to pee. I made sure that wasn’t the case and besides entering the water here stops that. You don’t exactly get that warming sensation that you do on most snorkeling/diving excursions. 😉 Thanks for reading! 🙂
Oh my gosh, I’ve never been in water that cold and even with warmer water I’ve felt that shock when first jumping in knock the breath out of me – I can’t imagine how that water felt!! However, the photos and video are spectacular, I’ve never seen anything like it. (I’ll admit though, I kept expecting to see an old shipwreck, haha). This would definitely be a unique, once in a lifetime type experience!
Hi Cynthia-Nope, no shipwreck here. No ship could fit in the fissure! It’s the purest, fresh water you could ever come in counter with. It tasted so good (they encourage drinking it)! It is cold and it is a shock, but the dry suit helps a lot. Try it if you ever visit Iceland! Thanks for reading! 🙂
I wanted to do this so badly when I was in Iceland at the end of 2017! So it was great to live through your video, and now your blog post vicariously 🙂 Your guides look like a lot of fun. And I love that mug shot lineup of you all in your wetsuits, lol!!
Hi Sarah-Aw, I hate you didn’t get to do it. Maybe a stopover to Iceland on one of your UK trips and then you can do it? Glad you enjoyed it! The mug shot lineup was pretty funny! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Wow, Heather! I never, never would have thought about snorkeling in Iceland, but now I really want to!! I am the type of person who loves to do unique, only-one-place-in-the-world types of exploring and this would certainly fit the bill. I wondered what it felt like when you got out of the water. I guess (not surprisingly) it felt like you were in Iceland. Haha. Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Juliann-Yes, we both enjoy those “unique-I-can-only-do-it-here” type places so I know you would LOVE this! I highly recommend it if you travel to Iceland. Have you been? Thanks for reading! 🙂
Wow, this has to be such a breathtaking moment.
Hi Lewis-It was and I highly recommend it if you get the chance. Thanks for reading! 🙂
I am quite jealous. I didn’t know this was a thing before I visited Iceland. I also need to go back to get into an ice cave. That means I need to go back in two different seasons. Good thing it is only a four-hour flight from Boston.
Hi Jamie-Yes, it’s one of the TOP things I wanted to do when I went to Iceland. You can do this year-round I think (I did it in mid-October after it snowed part of our trip) so maybe only back for one season? I want to go back for ice caves and puffins! Thanks for reading! 🙂