April 2026 – Diving Silfra and Davíðsgjá, my fourth time diving the exceptional clear waters of Þingvellir National Park in Iceland.
Silfra is a breathtaking freshwater fissure located in Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It sits directly in the rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart (about 2 cm per year). The fissure formed after a major earthquake in 1789, and today it offers divers and snorkelers the incredible opportunity to swim between two continents – the only place in the world where you can do this.
The water in Silfra is gloriously clear because it originates from glacial melt that filters through layers of lava and porous rock for decades (sometimes up to 100 years) before emerging. This natural filtration results in visibility often exceeding 100 meters! The water stays a chilly 2–4°C (35–39°F) year-round, making drysuit diving essential.
Nearby, Davíðsgjá (David’s Fissure) is another stunning site in Lake Þingvallavatn. It’s a deeper, darker, and somewhat spookier sibling to Silfra – popular with local divers for its dramatic walls and mysterious atmosphere. Both sites deliver an otherworldly experience, but they demand respect for the cold and require proper cold-water training.
I recently returned to these magical waters for my fourth time diving Silfra and Davíðsgjá – and it was every bit as spectacular as I remembered.
The visibility was, as always, mind-blowing – easily around 100 meters. It feels like flying through liquid air. The water temperature hovered between 1 and 2°C, and during our second dive, we even had ice on the surface. Nothing beats the crisp, invigorating shock of slipping into that glacial clarity!
This trip marked a special gear milestone for me. For years, I’ve captured these dives with a GoPro, which does a solid job. But this time, I brought along my new Nauticam housing protecting my Canon R5 Mark II. The difference is night and day. The colors, sharpness, dynamic range, and overall image quality are in another league. I’m thrilled with how the footage turned out, and I can’t wait to share more edits soon.
Whether it’s the ethereal blue hues in Silfra’s Cathedral section, the towering rock walls, or the surreal feeling of drifting between continents, these dives never disappoint. Iceland’s underwater realm is raw, pristine, and utterly addictive.
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