Silfra Diving from Reykjavik: Between Two Continents
Dive the crack between continents, touch both plates, walk back out the same fissure
Silfra diving from Reykjavik is a scuba dive in a tectonic fissure at Thingvellir National Park where you descend into the gap between the North American and Eurasian plates. The dive covers four sections (the Big Crack, Silfra Hall, Silfra Cathedral and Silfra Lagoon) with over 100 meters of visibility through glacial water filtered for decades through lava rock. Hotel pickup from Reykjavik, all diving equipment including a heated drysuit, a PADI instructor guide, and the park entrance fee are included. Groups stay at three divers maximum.
Step-by-step itinerary
Dive Silfra and explore tectonic plates
- Pick up in Reykjavik
- Drive 45 minutes to Thingvellir National Park
- Receive drysuit and diving equipment
- Get briefing on Silfra and safety
- Change in heated van and gear up
- Walk 5 minutes to Silfra dive site
- Scuba dive four main parts of Silfra
- Take photo touching two continents
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from Reykjavik.
- heated drysuit, undersuit and all necessary scuba equipment.
- PADI instructor guide.
- Silfra entrance fee.
- hot chocolate and cookies after the dive.
Times
- Every day 09:30
Before you book
Operated by DIVE.IS - The Sport Diving School of Iceland
Prices and times updated 3 days ago
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The experience
You're picked up from your Reykjavik hotel and driven about 45 minutes to Thingvellir National Park. Once your group of no more than three divers is formed, your PADI instructor guide fits you with a drysuit and all necessary gear in a heated changing van. You'll wear thermal underwear and thick socks underneath. The guide walks you through how the drysuit keeps you warm and dry, then briefs you on Silfra's geology, the continental plates, and safety protocols. The whole setup and briefing takes roughly an hour.
From there it's a 5-minute walk to the water's edge. Your 30 to 45-minute dive drops you into the Big Crack first, then moves through Silfra Hall and Silfra Cathedral before finishing in Silfra Lagoon. The glacial water is so clear (filtered through underground lava rock for decades) that you'll see over 100 meters ahead. At one point you'll be able to touch both tectonic plates at once. Most divers bring an underwater camera for that moment. The underwater landscape here exists nowhere else on Earth.
After you surface and change out of the gear, hot chocolate and cookies are waiting. The whole experience from pickup to drop-off runs about 5.5 hours. You need to be PADI Open Water certified with drysuit certification and either a logged drysuit dive within the past two years or at least 10 logged drysuit dives on record. Your instructor will ask for written proof. Height and weight limits apply (4'11" to 6'7", 100 to 264 lbs), and anyone 60 or older will need a doctor's signed approval form before booking.
Is this one for you?The dive demands drysuit certification and logged drysuit experience. You're not learning to dive or to use the suit on the day. Groups stay at three divers, so the pace is unhurried and the guide can focus on each person. If you want a private dive or a larger group, this setup won't work for you.
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Top questions
What does the visibility actually look like when you're underwater in Silfra?
Silfra's glacial water has been filtered through underground lava rock for decades, giving you over 100 meters of visibility: far clearer than most dive sites. You'll see the rock walls, the fissure structure and other divers with striking detail throughout the dive.
Do I need to be a certified diver to book this, or can I learn on the day?
You must be PADI Open Water certified with drysuit certification before the dive. You'll also need either a logged drysuit dive within the past two years or at least 10 logged drysuit dives on record, with written proof from an instructor. This is not a certification course.
How long is the actual time spent underwater diving?
The scuba dive itself lasts 30 to 45 minutes, covering the four main sections of Silfra. The full experience from hotel pickup to drop-off is about 5.5 hours, which includes the 45-minute drive each way, gearing up, the briefing and the dive itself.
What happens if I'm uncomfortable in a drysuit or it doesn't fit right?
Your guide will help you into the drysuit in a heated changing van and explain how to stay warm and comfortable inside it. The operator asks for your height, weight and age after booking so they can bring the best-fitting drysuit for you. Drysuits can feel tight and constricting, so wearing thermal underwear and thick socks as a base layer helps.
Is hotel pickup included, or do I need to meet somewhere?
Hotel pickup from central Reykjavik is included. At checkout, provide your hotel or hostel details and the driver will collect you. If you prefer to meet at the BSI Bus Terminal instead, note that in the hotel field at checkout.
What's included in the price, and what costs extra?
The price includes hotel pickup and drop-off, all diving equipment and the drysuit, a PADI instructor guide, the Silfra entrance fee (1,500 ISK per person), and hot chocolate and cookies after the dive. Souvenir photos are available to purchase separately. Tips and gratuities are not included.
Silfra Diving from Reykjavik: Between Two Continents
5h 30m · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 349 per person
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