Silfra – Dive Between the Continents
Silfra is a water-filled fissure in Þingvellir National Park in southwest Iceland and one of the most renowned dive sites in the world. It lies in the rift valley between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, so here you can literally dive between two continents. Its glacial meltwater has been filtered through lava rock for centuries and is so clear that visibility often exceeds 100 metres.
Silfra suits any certified diver with a dry suit certification who wants to experience something that exists nowhere else on Earth: epic visibility, living geology and a dive that belongs on every diver’s bucket list.
The dive
You descend into the fissure between walls of lava rock and follow the crack, with the North American plate on one side and the Eurasian plate on the other. The divide is constantly shifting, and the clarity of the water is the first thing everyone notices: the walls, the bottom and your buddy are visible far ahead, and the dive feels more like floating than swimming.
The water stays at a refreshing 3°C (37°F) all year, so every dive at Silfra is made in a dry suit. Once you are in, the cold is simply part of the adventure. There is time to take in the fissure, play with the light and get the photographs you came for.
What you will see
The main attraction at Silfra is the water itself. Filtered through lava rock for centuries, it is pristine and surreal in its clarity, and with visibility often beyond 100 metres you see the fissure as a whole: the lava walls of the rift on both sides, the crack continuing ahead of you and the light coming down from the surface.
And then there is the geology. You are floating in the gap between the Eurasian and North American plates, a divide that is constantly on the move. There is no other place on Earth where you can float between two continents like this, which is why Silfra is on the bucket list of divers all over the world.
Who is it for
Silfra suits any certified diver who holds a dry suit certification; with water at 3°C all year, that certification is a requirement, not a recommendation. Whether you are drawn to the visibility, the geology, or simply want to tick one of the world’s most extraordinary dive sites off your list, this is the dive you will remember forever.
Not dry suit certified yet? Have a look at our diving courses. The dry suit course can be combined with Silfra, so you earn the certification and dive between the continents on the same trip.
Good to know
- Location: Þingvellir National Park, southwest Iceland
- Type: freshwater fissure dive between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates
- Water: glacial meltwater filtered through lava rock, 3°C (37°F) all year, always dived in a dry suit
- Visibility: often more than 100 metres
- Requirements: Open Water certification and a dry suit certification
Tours and pricing
Silfra is on two of our day tours: Silfra – One Dive, and Davíðsgjá & Silfra, which adds a dive in Davíðsgjá, another fissure in Þingvellir National Park. If you still need your dry suit certification, the dry suit course and Silfra combo covers both. Compare it with our other dive sites in Iceland.
- Silfra – one dive: 40,000 ISK per person
- Davíðsgjá & Silfra: 85,000 ISK per person
- Dry suit course and Silfra combo: 105,000 ISK per person
Discount: bring your own dry suit and receive a 10,000 ISK discount.
Included: all necessary dive equipment, hotel pickup and drop-off, and transportation to and from the dive site. A minimum of two divers is required per tour. Private tours get a separate quote on request. See all our dive tours in Iceland.
Silfra is also part of our adventure dive tours: the Reykjanes Dive Explorer, the Tear of Odin Highland Tour, Diving Across Iceland and the optional extra day of Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Book a dive at Silfra
If you are interested or have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at icedive@icedive.is. We’d love to dive with you!