Icelandic fault Silfra - between two parts of the world

The main attraction of the Thingvellir National Park is certainly the underwater gorge Silfra (Silfra). It is wildly popular with divers from all over the world: firstly, because of the excellent visibility (more than 100 meters), and secondly, because of the beauty of the underwater world. Moreover, when diving, you can swim between the junction of two tectonic plates, and in some places - reach out and touch both parts of the world - Europe and America at the same time.

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1. Silfra - a gorge that is part of the Atlantic Rift and the dividing line between the continents of Europe and America and is located in the Thingvellir National Park in Iceland.

2. In the Silfra Gorge, the water is cold (during the whole year it is only 2-4 degrees Celsius) and clean, so much so that you can drink it. The thing is that the water in the gorge appears due to the melting of the glacier on the Hofsjokull mountain, and before getting to Silfra it goes through all the circles of natural purification.

3. The gorge is very popular with divers, because the visibility in the water is up to 300 meters, and swimming along it you can touch both parts of the world - Europe and America at the same time. Silfra also impresses with its beauty of the underwater world.

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5. Silfra Gorge consists of 3 sections - Silfra Hall, Silfra Cathedral and Silfra Lagoon.

6. The dive begins in the section of Silfra Hall, which is also often called the "chess cabinet", and all because the giant boulders resemble chess pieces.

7. Sailing further, divers find themselves in Silfra Cathedral, considered the most beautiful place in Silfra: this is where America and Europe meet. In addition, Silfra Cathedral is also the largest site in terms of area: the depth is up to 20 meters, and the length from one canyon wall to another is about 200-300 meters.

8. The final part of the dive is Silfra Lagoon, which is a shallow lake (about 2 meters deep) with a diameter of about 150 meters, the bottom of which is completely visible from any of its points. Arrival at Laguna signals the end of the swim.

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