Silfra Fissure Scuba Diving Tour from Reykjavík

This Silfra diving tour takes certified divers into the Silfra fissure in Þingvellir National Park, where you swim between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in glacier water so clear you can see for tens of metres.

• One guided dive of about 30–40 minutes through the Silfra fissure
• Swim between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates
• Some of the clearest water in the world, with visibility of 100 metres or more
• All diving equipment, dry suit and Silfra entrance fee included
• Hot chocolate and cookies afterwards
• Runs all year, including winter

Your day, stop by stop

2Drive to ÞingvellirAbout an hour's drive, with background on the geology and history of the park.

Silfra is in Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the site of Iceland's original parliament. The drive takes about an hour from Reykjavík. The guide gives background on the geology and history of the park, and context on the rift valley you are about to dive in.

Time here · about 1 hour drive

Read our Þingvellir National Park guide →

3Gearing upFitted with a dry suit, thermal undersuit and full dive gear.

Your guide checks your certification and experience, then fits your dry suit and thermal undersuit and gives a safety and buoyancy briefing before you enter the water. There is a changing area at the site. You need a PADI Open Water certificate or equivalent, plus dry suit experience.

Facilities · changing area at the siteRequirement · PADI Open Water or equivalent, plus dry suit experience

4Diving the fissureA guided dive through Big Crack, Silfra Hall, Silfra Cathedral and Silfra Lagoon.

A guided dive through Big Crack, Silfra Hall, Silfra Cathedral and Silfra Lagoon, in a small group of up to three divers per guide, moving slowly through the narrow crack and the wider, brighter sections further along. You are underwater for about 30 to 40 minutes in water at around 2 to 4°C all year.

Time here · about 30–40 minutes underwaterWater temperature · around 2–4°C year roundGroup size · maximum 3 divers per guide

5Warming upA short walk back to the vehicle for hot chocolate and cookies.

A short walk of about 250 metres back to the car park for hot chocolate and cookies. Change into dry clothes before the drive back to Reykjavík.

Walking · about 250 metres back to the car park

About the Silfra diving tour

Silfra is a water-filled fissure in Þingvellir National Park, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart. The water comes from Langjökull glacier, filtered through porous lava rock for years before it reaches the fissure, which is why it is so clear and so cold, around 2–4°C all year.

This is a dry suit dive, not a snorkel, so you need a diving certification and dry suit experience to take part. Your guide fits you with a dry suit and thermal undersuit, gives a safety briefing, and leads you through the main sections of the fissure: Big Crack, Silfra Hall, Silfra Cathedral and the shallower Silfra Lagoon, where visibility often extends 100 metres or more.

Because the water is so cold, most of the discomfort on this tour comes from temperature, not exertion. Warm base layers under the suit make a real difference. After the dive you walk back to the vehicle for hot chocolate and cookies before the drive back to Reykjavík.

Þingvellir is about an hour from Reykjavík and busy with sightseeing traffic in summer, though the dive site itself is calm and well organised. Winter dives run in daylight hours, which are short from November to January.

• PADI Tectonic Plate Awareness course

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