Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.04.2010, Side 35

School’s out, work’s off and Spring
Break has finally arrived. Like count-
less others with the same ideas of es-
cape, I fled the city for a nice snorkel-
ling destination. Only this was going
to be nothing like that infamous image
of Spring Break that perhaps comes to
mind...
For starters, swap out the over-
crowded and inebriated beach scene
and insert a remote and pristine lava
field, then substitute the warm tropi-
cal ocean with frigid 4C glacial water,
and while you’re at it, forget about the
bikini and think: long woollen under-
wear, thick socks and a dry suit. Now
you’re ready for snorkelling in Iceland.
ÚFFF!
The adventure began bright and early
from Reykjavík’s central bus station,
where our friendly guide from Dive.is,
Quentin, picked us up and proceeded
to take us to our destination: Þingvellir
National Park. Þingvellir is a popular
destination and a must-see for many
reasons. It’s the meeting site of Eu-
rope’s oldest parliament established in
930AD. It’s home to Iceland’s largest
natural lake. And, it’s one of only two
places on Earth where the effects of the
continental drift can be observed.
As we drove out of the city, we
passed a billboard reading 3C. Úfff!
It was going to be undeniably cold
out there. This was confirmed a short
while later, as the van climbed over a
small hill and a gorgeous view of a fro-
zen Lake Þingvellir opened up before
us. Yes, frozen!
Quentin quickly reassured us that
Silfra, where we were going snorkel-
ling, would not be frozen. Although
that didn’t mean the water would be
warm—it just meant the water didn’t
remain still enough to freeze. In fact,
we were going snorkelling in glacial
runoff from Langjökull glacier, which
bubbles and tumbles its way under-
ground for 50 km before filling into the
Silfra crevice and emptying into Lake
Þingvellir. Talk about purified water.
The water temperature hovers
around 2 to 4C year round, which
makes it a great diving and snorkelling
destination, Quentin told us. How does
this make it a great snorkelling desti-
nation? Well, the cold temperature
makes for extremely clear water, which
provides high visibility for divers and
snorkelers. It also should be noted that
at Silfra, you’re swimming over the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge between the North
American and Eurasian continental
plates.
liKE WaTChinG a Rhino GiVE
BiRTh To aCE VEnTuRa
On to the most strenuous part of the
trip: gearing up. Putting on our long
underwear, thick socks, and the warm
jumpsuit provided by Dive.is proved no
problem. But, then came the dry suit,
the hood, and the mittens. I’ll just say
that watching the others squeeze their
heads and hands through the tight
holes of the dry suit was like watching
a rhino give birth to Ace Ventura, Pet
Detective.
After yanking the hood over our
heads and helping each other put on
our mitts, we grabbed our goggles and
fins and headed to the water. Fearing
the suit would somehow fail to keep
me dry, I cautiously lowered myself in
as the water pushed against my suited
self. The suit did its job. Lo and behold:
before me appeared a dreamy blue wa-
terscape enclosed by jagged walls of
crumbling rocks.
I said the hard work was over be-
fore we got into the water. And it was.
The glacial current simply carries you
along, leaving you only to stare in awe
at the deep majestic blue water encased
by North America on your right and
Europe on your left. And when I spot-
ted a narrow spot between the rocky
steeps, I stretched my fingers to Eur-
asia and my fins to North America,
barely reaching. It’s a good thing I
didn’t wait another year or two before
deciding that I wanted to simultane-
ously be on two continents, because
the plates drift apart 1-2 cm every year.
FRozEn SuiTS
At some point along the way I started
wondering how long we were going to
be in the water. It’s not that it wasn’t in-
credible, breathtaking, and awesome.
It's just that it started to get pretty cold
while floating motionlessly on the sur-
face. Luckily, just as my thoughts were
being overtaken by the cold, Quentin
popped up out of the now choppy water
and said this was the last stretch before
a warm cup of coffee.
We climbed up on to the icy moss
covered lava rocks and took our fins
off. On the short walk back to the van,
the water on our suits and mitts froze.
Yes, it was cold. But, when we got back
into the car, my brain started working
again. I thought about what we had just
done. We had snorkelled in Iceland on
a frosty April morning. We had snor-
kelled in long underwear and thick
socks and, most remarkable of all, we
had snorkelled between two continents
above some of the youngest rocks on
Earth.
This was one Spring Break snorkel-
ling trip to remember. And I am will-
ing to wager that a number of Spring
Breakers who went to Cabo or Cancun
don’t have any memories of theirs!
23
Travel | Snorkelling
anna andERSEn
ToBiaS KloSE – diVE.iS
Snorkelling In Long Underwear
And Thick Socks
Always best price online.
Various online-offers to all Air Iceland's destinations.
www.airiceland.is
websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030 Contact Air Iceland or
travel agent for reservation.
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KEFLAVÍK
BORGARNES
STYKKISHÓLMUR
SNÆFELLSJÖKULL
DRANGAJÖKULL
FLATEY
NESKAUPSTAÐUR
BLÖNDUÓS
SIGLUFJÖRÐUR
BOLUNGARVÍK
HRÍSEY
NARSARSSUAQ
Greenland
FAROE ISLANDS
REYKJAVÍK
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
VESTMANNAEYJAR
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
ÞÓRSHÖFN
HÚSAVÍK
GRÍMSEY
KULUSUK
Greenland
Blue Lagoon
AKRANES Geysir
Gullfoss
Jökullónið
Kárahnjúkar
Krafla
Hallormstaður
NUUK
Greenland
ILULISSAT
Greenland
www.airiceland.is
CONSTABLE POINT
Greenland
Trip provided by Dive.is.
Booking: +(354) 663 2858 or check the website www.dive.is.
What a strange little word, snorkelling. Those who have any
idea where it came from should e-mail us at letters@grapevine.is
Grapevine goes under
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 04 — 2010