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Silfra, water as clear as it gets |
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The Silfra water is without exaggeration one of the very (if not the) clearest and most pristine waters on this planet! The reason is simple but very interesting. About 50km north of lake Thingvellir has Iceland's second largest glacier "Lángjökull" its home. Ice that has been frozen for about a 1000 years (give or take) melts at the edge of the glacier. In the early years the water would run through a river directly into lake Thingvellir, but a few thousand years ago the vulcano Skjáldbreiður started errupting masses of lava, which blocked the river. Now the water needed to find another way down the mountain and the only possibility was underground. Today, right after having melted from the glacier Lángjökull the water sickers down into the porperous lava rock. From this point it takes a drop of water between 30 and 100 years to get down the 50 kilometers to the lake in Thingvellir National Park. One can imagine that after 50 years of sickering through porperous lava rock water is filtered perfectly. Right then it comes out to see the light again, when it flows back into the cracks and crevasses of the north end of Thingvellir lake. Silfra is one of the largest of these cracks and starts with a deep cave where most of the underwater wells nurish the silver lady (Silfra). The amount of water coming into the Silfra fissure is that much that it creates a current. This rather mild current takes any particles that would fall into Silfra or any silt that might be kicked up by a diver or snorkeler out into the lake within minutes so that Silfra is crystal clear at any time. Recreational divers and snorkelers can drink the water and since it is only 2-4°C cold it's a delicious experience. Also, it's not too often that a diver can drink the water he/she's diving in. |
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