Silfra

Silfra is one of the most popular dive sites in Iceland and is a fissure between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park. The rift was formed in 1789 by the earthquakes accompanying the divergent movement of the two tectonic plates. Silfra is the only place in the world where you can dive or snorkel directly in a crack between two tectonic plates. The earthquakes of 1789 opened up several fissures in the Thingvellir area, but the Silfra fissure cut into the underground spring filled with glacial meltwater from the nearby Langjökull glacier. The water is filtered through porous underground lava for 30-100 years before reaching the spring that feeds into Silfra. The underwater visibility of the water in Silfra will rarely if ever, be surpassed.

Silfra is said to have the clearest water in the world; feel free to have a sip of this pristine water at any point during your dive or snorkel. Although Thingvellir Lake has an abundance of fish species and trout fishing is very popular in the lake, the fish usually do not venture far into the Silfra fissure. The marine life in Silfra consists mostly of bright green “troll hair” and different types of algae that provide a color scape, unlike anything that occurs naturally above the surface.

Location: Thingvellir National Park, Reykjavík, Iceland.