Is Silfra the right dive for you?
The appeal of Silfra is the view along the freshwater fissure. The rock walls seem close enough to touch until another diver crosses the gap and gives the scene its scale. For a trip built around marine life, consider a separate ocean outing. For Silfra, sort out your drysuit paperwork before you settle on dates.
Is Open Water certification enough for Silfra?
DIVE.IS asks for Open Water or equivalent plus a recognised drysuit qualification, or written instructor confirmation of ten logged drysuit dives in the two years before the tour. Its Silfra rules give a maximum depth of 18 metres and prohibit overhead diving. Send your evidence to the operator if you are relying on logged experience.
What can divers and snorkellers book?
DIVE.IS lists one guided Silfra dive from ISK 35,999 per person meeting on site, with equipment and the fissure entry fee included. Its separate snorkelling trip starts at ISK 15,999. Friends can share the outing to the park, but should confirm start times and the swimming and health criteria for their own activity.
Dive sites and departure points
Choose a place for a satellite view. Markers show planning locations. Your operator confirms the meeting point and the day’s dive site.
Planning your trip? Iceland travel guide
Local information and prices checked in November 2026. Silfra participation rules · Silfra diving prices and pickup · Parking and meeting-point map · Guided Silfra snorkelling
Traveling to Iceland and scuba diving? Doesn’t it sound like an unlikely mix? However, Iceland has some great cold water diving and great diving conditions you can not experience anywhere else. Iceland is known as the “The Land of Fire and Ice” and both have their impact of diving in Iceland. Indeed, with lots of random facts and unique features, Iceland is an interesting diving destination to explore!
Furthermore, with the unique features of the country comes unique rules and regulations. Indeed, you may need a medical check-up before you can dive in Iceland, and children under a certain age can’t dive. Also, a dry suit certification is often mandatory… We give more details about all the scuba diving regulations of Iceland in the sections below!
In this page you will find more detailed information about scuba diving in Iceland.
Table of contents
Best Dive Review
At Silfra, the attraction is the view down the clear freshwater fissure in Þingvellir National Park. The operator sets out a maximum dive depth of 18 metres. Davidsgjá is another freshwater site in the Þingvallavatn area. For a very different landscape, the Strýtan hydrothermal chimneys lie in Eyjafjörður in northern Iceland. Confirm access, boat availability and experience requirements with the local operator before planning the journey north.
How to dive Iceland?
Silfra in Þingvellir National Park works as a day trip from Reykjavík. Arrange the dive and drysuit checks before setting out. For marine diving in the north, plan a separate base and contact a local operator about dates and transport. A day at Silfra and a northern ocean dive have very different travel requirements.
Best time to dive in Iceland
Silfra is offered through the year. Longer summer days leave more time for the park after the dive, while a winter booking needs more margin for the road journey and short daylight hours. For an ocean dive, confirm the operator’s season for that particular harbour.
Top liveaboards in Iceland according to divers reviews
Dive courses
If you are learning drysuit skills, discuss a training dive with your instructor before booking Silfra. A sightseeing dive at the fissure has its own entry requirements. Send the operator your qualification or accepted experience record in advance so you know which outing to reserve.
Scuba Diving conditions
At Silfra the water stays close to freezing, around 2–4°C, throughout the year. The clarity makes the fissure feel remarkably open, but staying comfortable in a drysuit matters much more than the air temperature suggests. Ocean sites are different environments: ask the centre about exposure, visibility and the equipment it supplies for your dates.
Snorkelling in Iceland
There are a number of inland destinations that are great for snorkeling such as the Silfra fissure. However, snorkeling on your own is not advised as you will still need a dry suit.
Fishes and Coral
At Silfra, the rock and the light are the stars of the dive. If spotting marine life is central to your trip, ask an ocean-diving centre about sites and recent sightings for your dates.
Diving Safety
If you are planning an upcoming dive trip or travelling to Iceland, it is a really good idea to invest in travel insurance for scuba diving, because you never know what could happen and when you might need it (because accidents do happen!). I recommend this diving insurance as they offer worldwide coverage and focus on providing scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.
Iceland offers the dry suit diver an experience that is only available in Iceland. All thanks to the Fire and Ice that is Iceland.
Photos Iceland
Travel Guide
Now that you know all about the underwater world, you might want to start planning your scuba holiday! Check out our Iceland Travel Review for information about how to get there, activities and excursions, where to stay, and more.
If you have dived in Iceland before, please share your experiences: Dive spots you would recommend, which Dive Center you used, Fishes & Diving, Visibility, Currents, etc. Please post your comments in the section below, by doing so you will help fellow divers to plan their next trip