Does anything live in the Silfra fissure?

Does anything live in the Silfra fissure?

Answer: Although there is plenty of life in Silfra, most of it is either plant life or microinvertibrates, which are not visible with the human eye. Throughout the rest of the year, the only fish who live in the Silfra fissure are the Dwarf Char, a subspecies of the Arctic Char.

What do you wear to Silfra?

What to bring to Silfra

• Clothes suited to dress under a drysuit such as long warm underwear or sweat suit, warm socks.
• Warm clothes to wear prior and after the snorkeling.
• Towel.
• Lunch or Snack.
• Camera.
• You can rent a GoPro camera from us.

What do you wear under a Silfra dry suit?

If you choose a drysuit, we recommend wearing thermal underwear under your suit. Go for wool or synthetic materials and avoid cotton. Your base layer will help keep you warm, and it will also feel more comfortable for you to have a layer of personal clothing.

Can you snorkel Silfra on your own?

Anyone can snorkel Silfra, even without any snorkeling experience, as the route along the fissure is simple and easy. The drysuit will keep you buoyant, so all you have to do is float along and enjoy the surreal underwater world below.

What makes Silfra so special?

Why is Iceland’s Silfra so Special? Anyone with any diving or snorkeling experience can tell you that the weightlessness and the ultimate peace of the underwater world can be experienced in any waters. It is the unique geological and hydrological characteristics which make Silfra so special.

Where is the clearest water in Iceland?

Silfra
Silfra, also known as “The Rift,” is home to astonishingly clear waters — some say the clearest in the world. The water is fed by glaciers and keeps to a temperature of about 2 degrees C (34 F), even in May.

How deep is the Silfra crack?

The Cathedral is a 100 metres (330 ft) long fissure with visibility almost from end to end. Shallow at the entry points and at the ends of the fissure, Silfra descends to a maximum depth of 63 metres (207 ft) but diving to this depth is seldom done as it requires technical diving skills.

Can you dive silfra in a wetsuit?

It won’t protect you entirely from the just-above freezing glacial water – but our wetsuit does an amazing job of keeping you relatively warm. Unlike the drysuit, which allows you to float on the surface, the wetsuit enables you to dive a little under the surface to explore the beauty of Silfra a bit closer.

Why is Silfra fissure so clear?

Why is the Water so Clear in Silfra? The cooler the water the clearer it is. The water temperature at Silfra is constantly between 2 and 4C (35 to 39 F), making it too cold for most creatures to live there.

Is Silfra snorkeling worth it?

At first, it might not sound appealing to go snorkeling in Iceland, but it’s a unique experience you don’t want to miss during your trip to Iceland. Silfra snorkeling is cold but so worth it. And luckily you get to wear a dry suit and other gear to keep you warm.

Is Silfra salt water?

The Geology of Silfra Silfra is a fissure between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park. The glacial meltwater remains very cold in Silfra, but as fresh water is constantly filling the fissure, the water never freezes and remains 2°C – 4°C year round.

How high can you dive at Silfra fissure?

Ten to 30 meters (32 to 98 feet) are the most common visibility range for most popular diving sites globally. Silfra Fissure exceeds 100 meters (328 feet)! Many experienced divers would rank Silfra as a top 3 diving location after they tried out other diving spots around the world.

Is Silfra fissure the most interesting activity in the world?

Rated one of the top ten activities in the world by TripAdvisor in 2019. Iceland’s Silfra Fissure is located within the heart of Thingvellir National Park (Þingvellir) where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates have been moving apart at the rate of 2 centimeters per year.

Who was the first person to dive in Silfra?

Tómas Knútsson, the founder of DIVE.IS, first dived in Silfra in 1976. Like the original Silfra divers, Tómas used a wetsuit when diving in Iceland. He switched to a dry suit in 1989, when he started to dive year round in Silfra and elsewhere in Iceland.

What are the regulations for snorkeling and diving in Silfra?

As Silfra is located in Thingvellir National Park, the snorkeling and diving activities are subject to rules and regulations set by the national park authorities. The national park authorities stipulate that all divers must have at minimum Open Water diving certification from an internationally recognized diving organization.