POPSUGAR UK

Touch 2 Continents at Once on This Epic Dive in Iceland — the Photos Are Out of This World!

01/11/2018 - 07:03 AM

And you thought the Four Corners was cool. There is a famous spot in Iceland [1] where you can dive or snorkel between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates — and it should be your next travel bucket list item [2]. There are even places where you can touch both continents at once!

The fissure is called Silfra, and it was caused by earthquakes in the late 1700s. Located in the Thingvellir Lake in Iceland's Thingvellir National Park, the spot is fed by glacier runoff and is famous among divers for its exceptionally clear, clean water and its amazing underwater landscape, which includes sand, algae, and lava rock formations.

Silfra has three main dive sites: Silfra Hall, Silfra Cathedral, and Silfra Lagoon. The Cathedral is the most spectacular section at more than 300 feet long with visibility from end to end. The water temperature ranges from 36 to 39 degrees, or just above freezing, so be prepared for a chilly dive!

The fissure is on many divers' bucket lists, and although you usually have to be at least 18 years old to go in the water, a 13-year-old girl from the UK got special permission to do the dive in 2015.

The opportunity to swim between two tectonic plates is extremely rare (and it's the only place on Earth divers can touch two continents at once), so it's definitely worth looking into on your next trip to Iceland. As a diver wrote on Instagram [3], "This was one of the coolest experience in my life!" In the meantime, check out more photos ahead to see just how breathtaking it is.


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/smart-living/Snorkeling-Silfra-Iceland-45379945