While living in Australia, I fell in love with scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Since then, I’ve explored underwater in Hawaii, Thailand and Indonesia (where I earned my certification to dive!). I’ve always equated snorkeling and scuba diving with bikinis, sunshine, tropical locales–so I was quite surprised when I found out that you can go snorkeling and diving in Iceland! And not only that–you can go under the midnight sun.
Snorkeling under the midnight sun at Silfra with Dive.Is was unlike any experience I’ve ever had in the water before. Silfra is the crack between the American and Eurasian continents: it’s where the continental plates meet and drift apart about every 2 centimeters every year. It has, arguably, the best visibility in the world, up to 100+ meters and it’s extremely, unbearably cold–because it’s pure, melted glacier water.
Because of that, it’s certainly not a place that you need a bikini for: instead, you’ll go underwater in a full dry suit with warm, form-fitting clothing underneath (I’d recommend thick leggings, wool socks and a long-sleeved tee). It’s super bulky and slightly uncomfortable–although, to be fair, I realized later that my suit was much tighter than it needed to be. But as soon as you hit the freezing water, you’re very grateful for every bit of you that’s covered up: only the lower half of your face is exposed, but it’s just enough to numb it. It’s too cold (35 degrees Fahrenheit!) for brightly-colored fish or vibrant coral. However, this is the view when you’re underwater: the sun glinting off the water and glittering through a field of moss is supremely stunning.
And the best part? To make it truly an “only in Iceland thing”, we went under the midnight sun. During the summer months in Iceland, the sun never sets–so we were picked up in Reykjavik at 4 p.m., were in the water around 7 p.m. (with the sun shining brightly!) and back in Reykjavik by 9 p.m.: perfect for a late-night courtyard beer!
I don’t know how many times I’ll be seeking out the chance to wear a dry suit again–it takes almost an hour just to get suited up!–but I can say that I am absolutely thrilled to have had such an once-in-a-lifetime experience. How many people can say they have seen the continental split between Europe and America–let alone swum in it? A massive change from the tropical beaches I usually frequent, but certainly an unforgettable switch.
Note: Dive.Is kindly offered me a complimentary tour, but all opinions are my own. Special thanks for providing me with such stunning underwater photos to share!
