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Silfra Snorkeling Day Tour
Snorkel the world's clearest water
Silfra - between the continents
Snorkel the clearest water in the world
Immerse yourself in the clearest water in the world and float between two continents in Iceland! A snorkeling adventure in the famous Silfra fissure is an unforgettable experience.
We offer daily snorkeling tours of Silfra where the astonishing clarity of the water reveals a mesmerizing underwater world full of colors you don’t see above the surface. Silfra is a fissure created by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates cutting through Iceland. The Silfra fissure fills with glacial water that has been filtered underground for decades through hardened, porous lava rock. The filtering process of the glacial water makes Silfra one of the clearest bodies of water on earth with up to 120 meters of visibility.
If you choose the tour option with pick up, we will pick you up in Reykjavík and drive with you to Thingvellir National Park. During the one-hour drive, your guide will provide you with background information about the unique geology and cultural history of Iceland and Silfra as well as the surrounding area of the UNESCO world heritage site. If you do not need transportation from Reykjavík and would rather drive yourself to the site, please book the Self-Drive.
Upon arrival at Silfra, your guide will give you your dry suit and snorkeling equipment. Your snorkel guide will explain how to use this equipment and how to ensure that you will be warm and comfortable during your 30 to 40 minute snorkeling tour of Silfra Hall, Silfra Cathedral, and Silfra Lagoon.
During your snorkel you will explore the four main parts of Silfra. You will float through Big Crack, Silfra’s narrowest section and where the continental plates are so close you can almost touch them. The fissure then widens into Silfra Hall. Here the full spectrum of Silfra’s colours and clarity become all the more apparent. At this point if you look at just the right angle you can see all the way to lake Thingvallavatn, over 150m away. Near to the opening to Thingvellir lake we will enter the Silfra Cathedral; as the depth reaches 23m you feel like you are flying over the boulders and glacial silt. Your snorkel is finished in the endless visibility of Silfra Lagoon.
Make sure to drink some of the Silfra water while you are snorkeling! Who knows when you will be able to drink water so pure again.
Our Souvenirs can be purchased in your booking process by selecting them under "Extras". If the Souvenir you are looking for is not listed below please contact us or leave a comment in your booking and we will bring it on tour with us.
One of the most memorable experiences of my life
THIS IS A MUST DO IN ICELAND. It’s amazing that you get to snorkel in water that took 50 years to flow into the fissure from the glacier (you get to drink it too). You’re snorkelling in between two tectonic plates which really is a one of a kind experience. The guys at Dive.is were timely with the pick up and kept us entertained the whole way. They help you with all the equipment so no stress if you haven’t snorkelled before. Our guide Jonas was super friendly and chill, and gave us a really informative briefing before we went into the water. Yes, it’s chilly but the view is amazing you really don’t notice the cold. This was without a doubt one of my favourite memories in Iceland.
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All year round, daily. Don't see a tour time that works for you or want to book this tour for a special occasion? Contact us to book this tour as a Private Tour!
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Approx. 2.5 hours at the site, 5 hours if with transportation from Reykjavík
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Maximum 6 snorkelers per snorkel guide
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From 15.990
Please bring:
- Long underwear
- Thick socks
- Suitable clothes for the weather of the day
- Contact lenses if you wear glasses
Included:
- Guided snorkeling trip
- All necessary snorkeling equipment
- Hot chocolate and cookies after the snorkeling trip
- Entrance fee into Silfra
- If you choose the option with Pick Up from Reykjavík, the price includes transportation between Reykjavík and Silfra in our comfortable vans
For your safety, all participants must:
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have read, signed, and followed directions on the online Snorkeling Silfra Medical Statement (link provided in confirmation email) PDF
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have our Snorkeling Medical form signed off by a doctor if they are age 60 or older PDF
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sign our liability release form at the start of the snorkeling tour PDF
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be at minimum 150cm / maximum 200cm
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be at minimum 45kg / maximum 120kg
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fit within our dry suit size chart PDF
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be at least 14 years of age on the year
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be comfortable in water and be able to swim
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be physically fit
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be ready to wear a sometimes tight & constricting dry suit
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be able to communicate in English
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not be pregnant
Upgrade to best value: Golden Circle & Silfra tour
Upgrade to best value: Golden Circle & Silfra tour
Your bookable extras
Frequently asked questions about our Snorkeling Silfra Day Tour
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Are photos always taken on the Silfra Snorkeling Tours?
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In general the answer is yes. However, it can happen in rare occasions that your Silfra snorkeling guide is not able to take photos because he/she might be busy assisting other snorkelers in the water. Another uncommon reason could be that the camera has a problem. In this unlikely case you will be refunded for the tour photos should you already have purchased them online in advance.
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Are there any Souvenirs available?
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Yes, we offer a variety of Souvenirs of Silfra and DIVE.IS including photo packages, t-shirts, jumpers, hoddies, hats , logbooks, postcards and stickers. Please have a look at our Souvenir page for more detailed information.
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Are there toilet and changing facilities available at Silfra?
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Yes, there are toilet facilities at Silfra. However we kindly ask you to not use them for changing, as there are only 2 toilets at Silfra and it can cause long queues to form. We do have a changing room vehicle, and often several other cars at Silfra for participants to change clothes in. Due to this layout, we highly recommend that participants arrive at Silfra already wearing their thermal base layer.
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Can I buy food at Silfra?
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Unfortunately, there is no food sold directly at Silfra. There is however a restaurant at the Thingvellir Information Centre which is located just 3,5km away from Silfra.
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Can I free dive/duck dive while snorkeling in a dry suit?
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You can try :) However our dry suits are very buoyant and won't let you sink. Due to safety reasons we unfortunately do not provide weight belts. Few people are able to free dive in these suits, most are not. You are more than welcome to try, but please be aware that moving around that much and at extreme angles will raise the risk of water entering your dry suit through the neck seal.
For those of you who are enthusiastic freedivers, we also offer freedive tours of Silfra through our trusted partners who are specialists in freediving. These tours are conducted in a wetsuit, which makes freediving possible.
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Can I use my full face snorkel mask?
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Although we understand that many people prefer to snorkel with a full face snorkel mask (also known as a Easybreath mask or Ninja mask), it is regrettably not possible to use them here in Iceland as it is not possible to get them to seal around the hood that you need to wear. This would result in your mask constantly flooding with water, which would not be an enjoyable experience
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Can I use my own snorkel equipment?
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You are most welcome to bring your own snorkeling equipment, but please be aware of the following. If you are thinking of bringing your own fins, please make sure that they are open heeled fins, as they will need to fit over a drysuit boot. Most people will wear a drysuit with similar sized shoes to their normal shoe size, but sometimes that is not the case, and therefore your fins may not fit. If you have your own neoprene hood and gloves, you are welcome to bring them, but please remember that this is 3°C water - we highly suggest a minimum of 7mm hood and 7mm three finger mittens as these are the warmest options, and what we will supply. You may find that 5mm five fingered gloves are quite cold, and we do not advise wearing anything less than 5mm thickness.
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Do I need to be able to swim in order to take part in Snorkeling?
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Even though the dry suits are very buoyant and keep you afloat, it is a requirement that all participants must be able to swim and feel comfortable in water to join the tour. This is for your own safety and comfort. You do however not need to be a very strong swimmer, merely able to swim and be comfortable in the water.
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Do I need to pay for parking at Silfra?
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The Þingvellir National Park charges a parking fee (750,- ISK for a passenger car ), which allows you to park in any of the five car parks in the park for the duration of the day. Please note that the parking lot for divers and snorkelers at Silfra is called P5 and is about a 5 minute walk to the Silfra meeting point.
You can pay for parking online at www.myparking.is before or during the day of visit, and enter the license plate of your car into the system. Cameras check all license plates entering and leaving the parking lots. If you can’t pay online , you can pay at the Visitor centre. Pay machines will also be installed at the parking lots in near future. The pay machines accept all major credit/debit cards.
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How far is it to Silfra from Reykjavik?
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It is about 60 km from Reykjavik to Silfra and it takes a little less than one hour to drive the distance by car, given the weather conditions are good. If you choose to drive to Silfra yourself and don‘t know the way, we recommend you to study the map before you hit the road. Silfra is located in Þingvellir National Park, which is a bit different from other national parks. At a point, when you turn into road 36, you will feel like you are driving into the middle of nowhere. Please do not turn around, just keep going straight until you see our company cars which are parked at the Silfra Meeting Point, you then drive a little further to parking lot P5 to park. If at anytime you feel lost please do not hesitate to call our office for help.
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How long is the Snorkeling Silfra tour?
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The tour time is between 2 and 2.5hrs from start to finish at Silfra, not including pick up and drop of times. The speed of the tour is dependent on the participants in the group and the number of people at Silfra, so if you are planning a second activity afterwards, please work on a maximum time frame of three hours. Please note that this is the duration of the tour on site at Silfra. If you have chosen to use our transport options, your tour time will be between five and six hours from pick up to drop off.
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Is there anything to see around Silfra?
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Silfra is located in Thingvellir National Park, one of the main sites of the Golden Circle. It is a stunningly beautiful area as well as being one of Iceland's most important historical sites. There are many walking trails around the park and close by Silfra, and many of the areas have information signs telling you about the historical & geological aspects of the area around Silfra and Thingvellir.
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What type of dive certification(s) do I need in order to participate in one of your scuba dive tours?
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To join any of our scuba dive tours you need to:
- be at the level of PADI Open Water Diver or above. Equivalent dive certifications from other dive organizations are sufficient.
- have a dry suit dive certification OR 10 logged dry suit dives within the last two years of the dive tour date and be able to provide written proof from a diving instructor of these dry suit dives.
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