The beige sand and the phosphorescent green of the algae add to the colors.
Iceland:
Between North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, Iceland’s Silfra rift is one of the world’s most famous dive sites, popular with tourists venturing into its icy waters.
Underwater visibility can exceed 100 meters and the spectacle of light and darkness is mesmerizing.
“When we went into the water, it was…”, says Icelandic tourist Brynjolfur Bragason before pausing.
“Incredible,” adds his wife Hildur Orradottir.
At the heart of Thingvellir National Park, on the edge of one of Iceland’s largest lakes, corridors of sunken rock form deep hollows between the two continents, moving about two inches apart each year.
The orange reflections are mixed with different shades of blue in the more than 60 meters deep canyon, located in the southwestern part of the Atlantic island.
The beige sand and the phosphorescent green of the algae add to the colors.
“It looks like her,” said Camille Lund, a French-American tourist.
‘A tingling feeling
The fissure and the entire surrounding valley lie on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which runs through the island, making it one of the most active volcanic areas on Earth.
Silfra was formed by an earthquake caused by a tectonic drift more than two centuries ago, and its clear waters come from the nearby Langjokull Glacier, the country’s second largest ice sheet.
Water travels for decades through a tunnel of underground aquifers about 50 kilometers long.
“This whole filtration system through the volcanic rocks…gives us super clear water,” Thomas Gov, a diving instructor from Toulouse in the south of France, told AFP.
Taking a dive in Silfra requires a lot of preparation: dry suit, diving gloves, swimming cap, mask, snorkel and fins.
With the equipment, you can stay dry all year round and float calmly on the surface in water that stays between two and three degrees Celsius (35.6-37.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
Only part of the face and hands are exposed to the icy water.
“You can feel it in your lips right away. They go numb after a while and they’re like tingling,” says New Yorker Ian Zavatti, 13, who stands next to his father.
Snorkeling is the most popular activity, but the more experienced and certified can dive with a cylinder to a depth of 18 meters.
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