Silfra Fissure Snorkeling
Seth’s Rating
Why you ABSOLUTELY need to go Silfra Snorkeling in Iceland
Silfra Fissure Snorkeling, WOW, this experience gets 10 STARS EVERY TIME!!!!
Do you want to snorkel between tectonic plates? Do you want to freeze your butt off while doing it? How about staring into the blue depths of the most beautiful ravine of glacier water?
You better answer YES to all of those questions…even the freezing part?
Just kidding, you won’t freeze, at least not fully!
What is Silfra Fissure Snorkeling?
Are you seriously asking what Silfra Snorkeling is?
When I first heard about Silfra Fissure Snorkelling, two things popped into my head: one, what in the world is that, and two, that sounds scary.
Let me tell you, as a person who is very cautious at heart, it is not scary at all once you get in the water!
The Silfra Snorkeling experience in a nutshell: snorkeling through ravines of clear blue, freezing cold water. It may be some of the most beautiful water and views you’ve ever seen. Without hesitation I would get back into this water and experience it again. It marks one of the best vacation excursions I have ever done.
The Geology of Silfra
So what is it? The Silfra Fissure, according to silfra.org, is a tectonic fissure located within the rift created by the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Basically, as I understand it, the tectonic plates split long ago, forming the rift between them.
The split hit a spring of glacial water, which filled up the “Silfra Fissure”, which is what we snorkel and dive in today!
What was my experience actually like, start to finish? (honest review)
I’m going to give you a short summary of the whole tour from start to finish. I’ll leave out ultra-specific questions, such as what to wear and where to park, below.
Morgan and I drove our camper van through the Thingvellir National Park (slowly…40km/h speed limit, budget for extra time) to get to the parking lot. Once we were there, we forgot to pay for parking and ran to the gear up site we saw driving in (you can’t miss it). We were late.
Troll Expeditions (who we booked with, not sponsored) suited us up in these drysuits and gave us dry bags for our jackets, boots, belongings, etc.
We got fitted for snorkels, gloves, and some wraps wround the ankles, wrists, and neck (to keep the water out…a little discomforting but better than freezing cold water!) and then made the short 3-5 minute walk to the snorkel site. Once we were there we waited for about 30 – 45 minutes for groups ahead of us to go first (the only annoying part).
You take a couple of pictures on the ramp, your guide shows you how to float with the dry suit, and bam, you’re snorkeling!
Then you spend the next 30-45 minutes in awe of the natural beauty, pack up and walk back to some hot chocolate!
Us suited up on the ramp, final picture before getting into the water!
How long does it take?
I’m not sure how long they advertise it takes on the Silfra websites, but honestly, it takes a couple of hours start to finish.
First, it took us at least 45 minutes from parking the car to getting everyone briefed, suited up, and starting walking to the ramp. From there, we waited about 45 minutes to get in the water because of groups ahead of us (morning tours probably wouldn’t have experienced this delay). Then, a good 45 minutes inside the water, 5 – 10 getting everyone comfortable floating in the suits and the safety practice, then 30 minutes touring the fissure.
Finally, a solid 5-minute walk back in the gear and undressing, etc. I would recommend budgeting 3 hours AT Silfra for your experience, excluding the drive to and from.
Keep in mind there can be delays etc. So, if you’re in a jam-packed, minute-to-minute schedule, it could put you off.
How much does Silfra Snorkeling cost?
The experience is expensive…I guess? For a group experience (with a couple of random people) it’s $220 ish USD per person, so like $290 ish CAD. Probably would be more expensive for a private tour (not needed in my opinion they swim in the same water infront or behind you haha).
I’m not saying that’s a tiny amount of money, but for what you get, I would pay it every time, which leads me to my next point.
Is Silfra Snorkeling really worth it?
YES, IT’S WORTH IT!!!
To put this in perspective, I don’t like snorkeling masks because I feel like I can’t breathe out of the tube, I’m not a big fan of water activities (trying my best to improve that), and tours are not my thing. But the Silfra Experience is worth the price every single time for me!
If I were to recommend one experience close to Reykjavik, it would be this one, hands down!
If you want to book the EXACT company and tour I used, Troll was the company, the link is here: Silfra Snorkeling Iceland
Disclaimer: The link is an affiliate link, so I receive a small commission if you purchase the tour through my link. This helps me continue creating blog posts and content for everyone, so thank you if you ever use one of my links. Again, this is the EXACT company and tour I used!
Do you have to be a good swimmer?
No you do not have to be a good swimmer to complete the tour!
Yeah, you should know how to swim, otherwise it will NOT be fun! But do you have to be a good swimmer? In my opinion, that’s subjective, because the suits float. You’ll have to be comfortable and enjoy yourself a little bit in the water; otherwise, you won’t appreciate what you’re seeing. If you can wear a snorkeling mask and use flippers for 30 minutes, then you’d better go to this activity!
But again to answer the question: No you do not have to be a “good” swimmer, just know how to swim and control your breathign in a snorkeling mask and you’ll be alright!
Can you get a lifejacket/floatation device?
The suits float, and I mean FLOAT! You don’t have to worry about sinking in these bad boys, I would be so surprised if you can even try to go under the water for a while!
Our guide said to try to go all the way under at the end…it’s impossible. I’m almost 200 pounds and still, I could NOT get myself under!
You snorkel face down and flaot, so you just have to kick yourself forward and use your hands to guide. If you need to breathe adn take the snorkel mask out for a second, or minutes, just roll over on your back and float some more with your face out of the water, no issues!
Should I bring my kids?
I’m not sure what the age requirements are for the activity with the tour companies, but I would say 18 or older; it could be 16, depending on the company. I’m not quite sure.
My primary concern is the water’s temperature, which is cold. It’s not a problem for your body because of the dry suit, but it’s a bit of a problem for your face and hands. If your children can take some cold water…then I guess?
I would consult with the tour company first and see what their age requirements are and their opinion before booking anything!
First picture inside the water, still on the ramp!
Is it really cold?
No, it’s not that cold. Your face will be a little cold at the start because the water is not warm, but it will go numb quickly.
I know that sounds kind of extreme, but it’s not…trust me. You might be cold by the end, but then you’re done and get hot chocolate! Water does not get into your suit… or at least it’s not supposed to (a little got into mine). But that’s okay, it’s part of the fun!
What should I wear to Silfra?
It doesn’t really matter what you wear because you get the suit. I would recommend pants and maybe a long-sleeve or t-shirt. Leave jewelry in the car, earrings, necklaces, etc. They will make you take it off anyway, so you might as well leave it in the car. Wear some comfy socks, and everything else will be put into a dry bag for storage while you snorkel.
Should I bring my phone or camera?
Yes, if you have a waterproof video camera, please bring it. I got some sort of old Sony Action Camera (not sponsored), I don’t know the exact model, but I know I had a waterproof case for it. It worked outstandingly, no issues, even in the cold water. I had a waterproof floating handle from Amazon, so if I dropped it, it wouldn’t sink! It works for GoPro’s too, and it’s hollow inside to hold money for tips or anything!
You can get it here (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3Xg1NEa
Would I bring a phone, no. I don’t think it’s worth the risk; the battery would probably die in the cold, and you would need an excellent waterproof case.
If you have any questions I didn’t address, please leave them in the comments and I’ll respond promptly.
Where is the Silfra Fissure located?
The Silfra Snorkeling Fissure is located inside the Thingvellir National Park, the address we used is this: 7V3M+W2Q Thingvellir National Park, 801 Thingvellir, Iceland. Keep in mind that’s not the address to the parking, but they’re right beside each other. The address to the parking is listed just below in the next section!
The drive to Silfra is pretty nice, there’s not too much I can say about it! If i had any advice it would be this, budget an extra 10 minutes for the slow speed limit, once you turn down the road to Siflra you’ll have to take a right when you see the snorkeling trucks and drive down to the parking.
Is there parking at Silfra Snorkeling?
As I mentioned up above, there’s parking just past the snorkeling trucks, and you CAN’T miss the trucks, tons of people are always walking there from the parking lot! There’s washrooms both at the parking lot and at teh tour company trucks where you get fitted, they will tell you before getting fitted to use the washrooms. You can pay for parking on site!
The walk is about 3 minutes from the parking lot to the snorkeling trucks to get fitted and find your tour company. This is the address to the parking lot we used: 7V4G+8GF, 806 Thingvellir, Iceland
Via Google Maps
Can I actually touch both continents at the same time?
Silfra.org says, “there are even places where they [divers/snorkelers] can actually touch both continents at the same time.”
Sorry to burst your bubble but that’s not exactly true. You will be between both of them in a “no mans land” according to our guides, but you will not be able to touch both of them at the same time.
A common image people like to post saying they’re touching both of them at the same time (which we took also…obviously) is this:
My Final Thoughts
If you’d like to check out my YouTube video POV that features the experience, please do! The quality is NOT great I know, but I was so focused on looking down I forgot to actually record good footage.
I forgot to mention earlier, your guide will take photos of you the whole time and send them to you the same night, so there’s no need to bring your own camera! All the pictures used in this post were from our guide!
If you’re planning to visit Iceland and have more than a day, I would recommend visiting Silfra Snorkeling.
I assure you, it is worth it, without a doubt. I gave it 10 stars for pete’s sake!
I love Iceland, and I’m sure you do/will too, so go to Silfra Snorkeling!
More travel ideas click here, and everything you need to know about Iceland can be found here: Iceland Blogs
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Thank you so much for reading and as I mentioned earlier if you have any questions I didn’t get to make sure to leave them down below and I’ll answer them promptly, it helps not only yourself but maybe others who have the same questions!
