Diving the Drift

Iceland has mesmerized me again.  This time with its’ beauty below the surface.  

For my last adventure, I decided to dive one of the most beautiful cold water dive sites in the world, Silfra.  The Silfra fissure is the crack between where the North American and Eurasian continental plates meet and are drifting apart by 2cm each year.  It is one of the only places you dive directly between two plates and touch either side.  One other thing that makes Silfra such an incredible dive site is the visibility.  You can see nearly 100 meters, creating an underwater experience like no other.  It’s not the most biodiverse site in the world, you see rocks… lots and lots of rocks… and some algae, but that’s not the draw.  It is how amazing it feels to be in the water, at a Unesco World Heritage Site, diving in near endless visibility in beautiful turquoise and deep blue waters.

Another thing that makes Silfra amazing is the fact that it is fresh water.  And not just any fresh water, it is literally filtered for 70 years over a 50km stretch before it reaches the Silfra fissure, making it some of the freshest water in Iceland.  So of course I took a sip, and at a year round 2 – 4 degrees celsius, it was one refreshing drink.  If the cold water, which chills you to the bone, doesn’t take your breathe away, surely the amazing experience of diving a site like Silfra will.  It was an unforgettable experience and I recommend any able, to experience it for themselves.  Special thanks to Christian, my dive guide for taking pictures underwater.

But it was also a bittersweet experience, because with it marks the end of my three month journey.  I have seen the world, as they say, and it has changed me.  I’ve been witness to both the kindness and wickedness of people, but I’d have to say, with the exception of that one experience, this has been an utterly amazing adventure.  I have meet some truly amazing people in my travels, and traveled for weeks with some great travel mates, monkey bites aside!  Everyone whom I have met along my travels, good and bad, have made these past few months something I will never forget.  And I know now that with proper planning I probably could have extended my trip longer if I just didn’t book all my flights when I left and had a concrete plan of where I was going, but that’s what made this all so special too.  But it’s another lesson learned.  Now I must bid you avid readers adieu, it’s time to pack my bags and find a ride to the airport.

See you soon Europe!  It’s time to plan the next adventure!