Destination landing page reykjavik gray line worldwide. Silfra fissure is a crack between the north american and eurasian continents, meaning you get to swim right where the continental plates meet. Fissure, then strap on a headlight and step into the eerie and pitch black. The silfra fissure is a deep, watery crack that separates the north american and eurasian continents. At a point, when you turn into road 36, you will feel like you are driving into the middle of.
The first section is known as big crack, an impressively deep caynon that narrows at depth so that the north american and eurasian tectonic plates are nearly touching. My snorkeling group gathered inside the park, near the silfra fissure, a crack in the earth formed by the continuous movement of the north american and eurasian plates, which both run through iceland. During your snorkel you will explore the four main parts of silfra. The crack between two tectonic plates in iceland causes frequent volcanic activities that formed and shaped a diverse range of amazing sceneries and landscapes in the area. Jan 09, 2020 the silfra fissure has four important, and distinctive sections that can be dived or snorkeled. Best snorkeling tours in silfra iceland guide to iceland. First, big crack is silfra s narrowest section, where the continental plates are so close that it is almost possible to touch them both at the same time. Silfra fissure, iceland in thingvellir national park, you. Icelands silfra fissure is located within the heart of thingvellir national park. How to plan your 10 day iceland road trip itinerary. Snorkeling between europe and america in icelands silfra fissure. Silfra fissure snorkeling tours iceland extreme iceland. The space between the walls widens out to 8 meters 26 feet. Dec 27, 2018 the silfra fissure is situated 60km from reykjavik in the thingvellir national park.
Hilary hahn, hauschka, hilary hahn, hauschka silfra. The first of the five sections of silfra that divers and snorkelers have access to is known as big crack. Silfra is a fissure between two continental plates with over 100m visibility underwater. Woke early for my first dry suit scuba dive, in silfra fissure the seam of the earth, where. Here, the continental drift between the north american and eurasian plates is visible to naked eye and one can dive in between the tectonic plates in the silfra fissure. Map crack definition is a minute crack as on the surface of mortar, concrete, plaster. The islands are also known for their abundance of sea life like sharks, rays, eels, octopus and sea turtles. Best farflung dive and snorkel spots the points guy. The first section near the entrance is the silfra deep crack, which is long and narrow as it winds a little to the left and right. Snorkeling between continents in silfra with photos. May 17, 2019 the silfra crack in iceland runs beneath. Black crack is a american imperial stout style beer brewed by southern star brewing company in conroe, tx.
You need to decide whether youre a snorkeler or a scuba diver. Big crack, silfra hall, silfra cathedral and silfra lagoon. Snorkeling tours allow you to immerse yourself in one of the worlds most astonishing underwater sites, silfra ravine in. Upgrade your style with iceland tshirts from zazzle. Apr 24, 2020 the silfra crack what a feeling it must be to swim in between the growing gap of north america, and europe. Perfect if you are only staying around the reykjavik area. Located in the thingvallavatn lake, in the thingvellir national park in iceland, silfra is part of the atlantic rift the dividing line between the continents of europe and america. This section is 120m long and holds the deepest area of the main fissure. Silfra fissure scuba diving tour arctic adventures. Upgrade your style with iceland flag tshirts from zazzle. The 10 best diving spots in europe the adventure junkies. Photo by jabin botsfordthe washington postgetty images while its definitely not a warmweather, tropical paradise like the caribbean or southeast asia, you can have oneofakind underwater experiences in iceland like diving through a geothermal chimney or in hydrogen sulfide.
During your dive, you will explore the four main areas of silfra. Jan 25, 2011 because silfra from the outside is stunning. The silfra fissure is a crack between the north american and eurasian continental plates and it the only place in the world where you can dive or snorkel directly between two continental plates. On this combo trip you will experience caving in a perfect example of an icelandic lava tube and snorkeling in silfra fissure at.
Jun 05, 2015 the place is called silfra crack and is in thingvellir national park in iceland. These are the silfra big crack, the silfra hall, the silfra cathedral and the silfra lagoon. Black and blue lava tube caving and silfra fissure. You will float through big crack, silfras narrowest section and where the continental plates are so close you can almost touch them. Silfra is the impressive result of a musical collaboration that developed gradually and organically over more than two years. At a point, when you turn into road 36, you will feel like you are driving into the middle of nowhere.
In actual fact you can do the silfra dive all year round, however, there is something quite spectacular doing this dive when the surrounding area is snowladen. Officially known as the silfra tectonic fissure, or just silfra for short, this freshwater rift between two continents is not only geologically intriguing, it also happens to be stunningly. The music on this ambitious and freespirited collection is a tribute to the. You will float through big crack, silfra s narrowest section and where the continental plates are so close you can almost touch them. Silfra fissure, iceland in thingvellir national park. We conduct a variety of different snorkeling day tours, such as the all time bestseller, the snorkeling silfra day tour or a number of combo tours where you can combine snorkeling in silfra with the golden circle or caving in a lava tube or a visit to the blue lagoon or horseback riding or more.
Stunning black sand beaches you have to visit thrillist. Silfra fissure is the only place in the world where you can dive between two continents. Snorkelling trips to silfra in the national park thingvellir are operated by dive. Whats the difference between snorkeling and scuba diving. There, you can touch both plates at the same time and see some of the clearest water on. This remarkable crack between two tectonic plates is therefore filled with the clearest water. The silfra fissure is a crack between the north american and eurasian continental plates. Fissure, then strap on a headlight and step into the eerie and pitchblack. The first is because silfra is a crack between the north american and eurasian tectonic plates. Snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of silfra fissure in the national park of thingvellir. Officially known as the silfra tectonic fissure, or just silfra for short, this freshwater rift between two continents is not only geologically intriguing, it also happens to be stunningly beautiful. Map crack definition of map crack by merriamwebster.
Mar 03, 2017 float through four distinct areas including big crack, silfra hall. The underwater visibility in the silfra fissure is over 100 meters, making it some of the clearest water on the planet. This new world highline listen to america podcasts. Silfra constantly fills with glacial water that has been trickling through underground lava rock for 30 years. The crack widens about 2 cm per year tearing the continents apart slowly but steadily. Silfra is a rift formed in the divergent tectonic boundary between the north american and eurasian plates and is located in the. The next section, silfra hall, is significantly wider, which allows more light so that the full spectrum of silfra s colors reveals itself. Dive site silfra in thingvellir national park, iceland dive. For about 30 minutes, you will dive in the crystalclear water that fills the crack. We conduct a variety of different snorkeling day tours, such as the all time bestseller, the snorkeling silfra day tour or a number of combo tours where you can combine snorkeling in silfra with the golden circle or caving in a lava tube or a visit to the blue. This means that you can literally swim, snorkel or dive directly above where these two continents meet.
Post jobs, find pros, and collaborate commissionfree in our professional marketplace. Discover the glacial depths of one of icelands best diving spots, the striking silfra fissure, during a guided snorkeling tour. Silfra fissure is a rift formed within this incredible feature and when you place yourself at silfra, you are literally standing between two continents. Its the only place in the world where you can dive or snorkel directly between two continental plates. The canary islands are one of the best scuba diving spots in europe because of their warm crystal water and variety of marine life. After being filtered for centuries through the lava rocks, this is the purest water you will ever swim in. Leaving the big crack behind, you will arrive at a place called silfra hall. Silfra is protected by the thingvellir national park laws, which only allow snorkellers and divers to enter the water with a local guide, provided by select companies, such as dive. Snorkeling in iceland silfra snorkeling extreme iceland.
Here the full spectrum of silfras colours and clarity become all the more apparent. Visitors can also scuba dive or snorkel in the crack between the plates, called silfra. The fissure lies between the plate s of europe and america making it possible for divers to touch both continents at the same time. More light and brighter colors fill the water and massive boulders and rocks lie on the bottom at a depth of 14 meters 46 feet. Black crack southern star brewing company beeradvocate.
Located in the thingvallavatn lake in the thingvellir national park in iceland, silfra is part of the atlantic rift the dividing line between the continents of europe and america. The swim is an up and down for the diver since at certain spots the diver needs to swim over rocks that have got stuck in the crack at shallow depths. If youd prefer to stay on dryish land, glacier treks and ice caves are one of the most interesting ways to experience the true meaning of iceland. This then widens slightly into what we appropriately call the silfra hall, which leads to the deepest point at 22m called the silfra cathedral. Silfra snorkeling day tour with transfer iceland easy.
The continental plates drift apart about 2cm per yearwhich is a lotand not good. Snorkeling trips to silfra thingvellir 2020 all you need. American violinist hilary hahn and german pianist hauschka were introduced by the american folk musician tom brosseau, who is signed to the same label as hauschka. Officially known as the silfra tectonic fissure, or just silfra for short, this freshwater rift between two continents is not only geologically intriguing, it also happens. As if you needed another reason to visit iceland now. Silfra, the first collaboration between hilary hahn and hauschka, will be released in may 2012 by deutsche grammophon silfra is the culmination of a twoyear exploratory improvisation project by grammy awardwinning american violinist hilary hahn and preparedpiano master and innovator volker bertelmann hauschka. Big crack, silfra hall, silfra cathedral and the silfra lagoon. For a scuba diver, these are spectacular places to visit being able to fly through the clear water and explore the fault lines in three dimensions. During your snorkel, you will explore the four main parts of silfra.
The silfra rift, and the midatlantic ridge this globe shows the ages of rocks that make up the seafloor of the atlantic ocean. Its a crack between the north american and eurasian continental plates which has some of the clearest water in the world. The valley, and silfra itself, were formed by the divergent tectonic drift of the eurasian and north american plates. The silfra fissure is actually a crack between the north american and eurasian continents, meaning that you dive or snorkel right where the continental plates meet and drift apart about 2cm per year. Silfra is the only place where you can dive or snorkel directly in the crack between two continental plates. From silfra hall its a 200 meter swim to silfra cathedral. Incredible underwater photos show gap between europe and. The first three sections are deep, expansive canyons, sometimes extending down into dark and uncharted cave systems. Snorkeling trips to silfra thingvellir 2020 all you. Iceland flag tshirts iceland flag tshirt designs zazzle. This widens by 2 cm each year, and a tension is created that causes to build the silfra itself, and the valley. There is also the silfra cave too, which actually leads completely under the surface of thingvellir national park. Silfra is a fissure between the north american and eurasian continental plates. Its the place where two massive tectonic plates once met and now slowly.
Best cold water diving tours in iceland guide to iceland. The most astonishing underwater discoveries page 11. Therefore, you will literally be snorkeling in the crack between the tectonic plates at the silfra fissure. Postsnorkel visit to the geothermal area seltun very similar to hveravellir near myvatn, without having to travel to the northeast. Dec 01, 2017 our main reason for heading here was to snorkel in the silfra fissure, a crack between the north american and eurasian continental plates making it one of the most unique places to snorkel in 2 deg c water yearround, no less. Silfra cathedral is litterally a divine section of silfra.
If you want a onceinalifetime experience, id suggest diving the silfra fissure which is located in the thingviller national park. I love scuba diving this takes two places at once to a whole new lower level. Jan 29, 20 our most extreme iceland adventure has definitely been snorkeling silfra, a crack between the north american and eurasian continents. Its actually warmer getting in the 2c water than it is standing in the 10c air. In a drysuit or a wetsuit, youll swim between two tectonic plates, through pristine water where the visibility exceeds 100 metres. Communities queer voices women black voices latino voices asian voices. This remarkable crack between two tectonic plates is therefore filled with the clearest water on our planet, allowing for over 100 meters visibility. And warm soup, fresh bread, hot chocolate and chocolate biscuits after.
Scuba dive in between two continents at the silfra fissure. There are hundreds of sites to choose from where you can see wrecks, volcanic boulders and sea arches. The tour will last for about 30 to 40 minutes as the guide will show around the four main parts of silfra. Snorkeling the silfra fissure in iceland the blonde abroad. First, big crack is silfras narrowest section, where the continental plates are so close that it is almost possible to touch them both at the same time. Con una telecamera puntata nel largo torre verso est. Southwest iceland silfra snorkelling, geysir, keri. But thats nothing compared to the inside, where the rocks glow red against the water shimmering blue and green.
The rocks that make up the crust on the oceans floor are youngest near the midatlantic ridge. Silfra diving day tour at thingvellir national park. If you choose to drive to silfra yourself and dont know the way, we recommend you to study the map before you hit the road. The silfra crack in thingvellir national park in iceland. The first part of the fissure drops to 23m before it heads down under the rocks to a maximum depth of 45m.