Scuba Diving in Silfra Fissure

The Ultimate Silfra Experience

While snorkeling Silfra is spectacular, diving takes the experience to an entirely different level. Descending into the fissure between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, surrounded by water with over 100 meters of visibility, creates a sensation that veteran divers consistently rank among their greatest underwater experiences worldwide.

DIVE.is runs the diving operation with meticulous attention to safety and logistics. After meeting at Thingvellir National Park and verifying your certification and dive log, guides help you into a drysuit with thermal undergarments. A comprehensive briefing covers drysuit buoyancy control, the dive plan, and communication signals specific to the cold water environment.

Descending into the Rift

The dive follows the same route as the snorkeling trail but the experience is transformed by depth. At Silfra Big Crack, you descend between walls of ancient lava rock covered in patches of bright green troll hair algae. The fissure narrows in places to just a few meters wide, and looking up toward the surface from below reveals a corridor of blue light that is difficult to describe adequately.

Silfra Cathedral is the centerpiece of the dive. This is the widest and deepest section, reaching roughly 18 meters. Hovering mid-water here, you can see the bottom detail with perfect clarity while the fissure walls stretch away in both directions. The blue-to-turquoise color gradient shifts as light filters down through the glacial water. Time seems to slow in this section, and most divers wish they could stay longer.

Cold Water, Warm Reward

There is no pretending Silfra is a warm dive. At 2-4 degrees Celsius, your face and hands will feel the cold. The drysuit keeps your torso comfortable, but the extremities require mental preparation. Most divers report that the visual spectacle overwhelms the cold factor within minutes — your brain simply has too much to process to focus on temperature.

The dive lasts 30 to 40 minutes depending on air consumption and the guide's assessment of conditions. After surfacing, hot chocolate and snacks help with the rewarming process while you discuss what you just witnessed with fellow divers.

Who Should Do This

This dive is appropriate for certified divers who are comfortable with cold water and unfamiliar equipment. The drysuit handling is the main technical challenge — buoyancy control differs significantly from wetsuit diving. If you have never worn a drysuit, consider taking the PADI Dry Suit specialty beforehand. The dive itself has no strong currents and follows a straightforward route, but the 2-degree water and restricted drysuit mobility elevate the difficulty above typical recreational dives. For qualified divers, Silfra consistently delivers one of the most visually stunning dives available anywhere on Earth.