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Iceland Blowing Hot & Cold: Blue Lagoon Bathing & Silfra Snorkelling

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Snorkelling in Silfra

Swimming in water too deep for your feet to touch the bottom, do you experience the fear of not knowing what lurks beneath?

I DO!

Well, I promise there were no sub aqua secrets on this Icelandic adventure…

Floating face down on the surface of a cavity between continents, the water is so perfectly pristine it allows an acute appreciation of every detail of this underwater utopia. Streaks of light pierce the icy depths right down to the sandy shelf below. The illuminated passageway to the lagoon with its jagged, angular walls is a scene that would inspire an underwater video game. I almost expected to see revolving tokens of treasure or enemies to eliminate.

Silfra, Snorkelling, Iceland

Yeah, that’s me.

My new gift of seamlessly sharp underwater vision paired with effortless endurance of the nearly freezing water made me feel like the X-Men’s hardcore Scottish counterpart.

Now, my outfit does resemble that of a super hero; a padded ‘teddy bear suit’, dry suit, boots, gloves and an extremely tight head piece; but really I am just a very well kitted out participant in a snorkelling trip to Silfra; a site famous for its unrivaled visibility and unique position between tectonic plates. 

Going from zero to hero

Say what?!

Silfra which (translates as silver lady) is an underwater valley – a colossal crack in our Earth’s surface.

On one side the Eurasian plate, on the other the American plate, and in the middle… ME!

It’s where two continents meet, greet and drift apart at around 2.5cm per year.

The glacier fed water here is in its very purest form from being slowly filtered through Þingvellir National Park’s iconic lava fields over a course of 50 years before reaching the famous dive site.

This constant flow of glacial water to the site maintains the year round water temperature of between 2-5 degrees celsius.

The clarity and freshness of the water can be seen, felt and tasted. In fact the water is perfectly drinkable and could be used as Reykjavik’s water source if needed, as our guide Gulli (Disco) told us. Naturally I sampled the water several times (both accidentally and deliberately) and I tell you what, it does rival that of the highland springs in my homeland!

Snorkelling, Silfra, Iceland

A corridor between continents © ellithor.com

Our 30 minutes in the water concluded with a snorkel around the shallow lake that is the ‘Silver Lagoon’.

Mesmerised by the layers of turquoise, teal and sapphire I understand why this was once called the ‘Blue Lagoon’ but had to be changed following the emergence of the new, immensely popular attraction (more on that later).

Silfra, Snorkelling, Iceland

The ‘silver’ lagoon. Hmmm. © ellithor.com

Everything catches my eye during my exploration: the shimmer of golden and grey sand, shadows morphing at the mouth of caves and cracks, stacks of jutting rocks which resemble the aftermath of nature’s own game of giant Jenga.

It was truly serene and surreal.

*   *   *

Chaos Strikes: The experience ended with an optional cliff jump back in to the water to which myself and my friend eagerly obliged. Despite the guide’s words of discouragement, I insisted on removing my gloves for the jump because it is essential that I hold my nose when jumping in to water (I know, I know…). Big mistake! Rigid with the cold I struggled to grip the rocks and clamber back on to land, and when I did my pasty white hands had been replaced by two purple claws. Ouchy!

*   *   *

Silfra, Snorkelling, Iceland

Recreating my ‘stunt jump’ scene

Bathing in the Blue Lagoon

Looking like a plucked, frozen chicken in a nautical bikini I couldn’t run from the indoor exit to the lagoon quick enough!

As I defrosted my goose pimpled body in the milky waters I relished the instant relief and warm sensation; not dissimilar to finally emptying your bladder after holding for too long.

The contrast between the cosy contentment of my body and the stiff cold of my face was equally strange and invigorating. This was exemplified when I applied a generous helping of the natural mineral clay to my face, which somehow acted like a magnet for the wind, freezing my features even further. No wonder the mask possesses anti-ageing properties, my petrified pores were sealed for life!

We ventured around the lagoon, under wee wooden bridges, resting in little alcoves and then to my favourite; a high volume, hot waterfall which acted as both a power shower and a masseuse at the same time. Oh ya!

Blue Lagoon Iceland

You’ll never guess where I am?

Unlike the stunning Silfra site and many hot springs on the island, The Blue Lagoon is not au naturale; it is a man-made pool heated by the Svantsengi geothermal power station next door.

Do I care? NO!

The power harnessed in these plants earns Iceland the title of being the most sustainable country in the world, with 100% of their electricity being from renewable sources.

Resourcefulness which extends to the creation of a beautiful lagoon filled with the overspill of hot, mineral water from the next door neighbour is tip-top tremendous in my eyes!

Relaxation powered by renewable energy deserves a massive high 5 from Greenpeace.

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

I left my camera in my locker so this visual delight is courtesy of @BairdTravels

Hovering my backside over a particularly (bath) hot area of the lagoon with a cold beer in hand, I was pleased we had decided to come in the evening. The lagoon was surrounded by the faint silhouette of rugged volcanic rock against a backdrop of premature winter darkness. The moon was perfectly positioned overhead highlighting shapes and swirls from the ascending steam in its light.

 *   *   *

‘Chaos’ Strikes Again: I managed to lose my locker key/wristband, having placed it “safely” somewhere by the edge of the lagoon. So this pasty chicken had to brave the icy temperatures again to scuttle back inside and sheepishly ask a member of staff for a new one. Lesson for the day: wristbands should be kept on your WRIST.

*   *   *

If you want to…

Go snorkelling in Silfra:

  • Look no further than Arctic Adventures. Our local guide Gulli was a friendly character whose experience was apparent in how thoroughly he  instructed us in preparation to take the plunge. He helped to quickly dissolve any apprehension about entering the nearly freezing water and made us laugh along the way.
  • If you are limited on time consider a combined  tour like the one we did, which included Silfra snorkelling and a Golden Circle tour in the same day (you can read about it here). It meant missing out on one stop in the morning but we still got to see the main sites; Gullfoss and the Strokkur Geyser. It was the perfect balance of sightseeing and adventure, with a convenient pick-up/drop off in central Reykjavik or at your hotel and a knowledgeable guide.
  • Don’t wear cotton! In the unlikely event that a wee bit of water manages to sneak in to your dry suit, it will cling to this material, making it a wee bit chilly and uncomfortable (you wear your clothes under your dry suit). I wore a cotton top which I chose to take off just in case, but luckily none got in anyway.

Bathe in the Blue Lagoon:

  • Plan ahead and decide what day and time you would like to go. We casually walked in to the Iceland Excursions shop to find out we’d just missed a bus and would have to wait another couple of hours. By the time we got there we had less than 2 hours to soak as we had to rush back for our Northern Lights excursion which you can read about here.
  • Bring your own towel if you have one – the cost to hire one there is around £4. We didn’t have any other option however so were happy to pay for this service.
  • Don’t worry about carrying your wallet out to the lagoon for drinks or for spa treatments – all purchases are charged to your wrist band and are paid for on your departure (don’t lose your wristband!).
  • Fill your stomach BEFORE you go. We thoroughly enjoyed our milkshakes and sushi from the cafe, but our bank balance didn’t!
  • Totally relax and enjoy the experience. It is an indulgent activity and one which is reflected in the price but really is a must do when you are in Iceland.

The post Iceland Blowing Hot & Cold: Blue Lagoon Bathing & Silfra Snorkelling appeared first on The Chaotic Scot.


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