What a day. We had a great breakfast, rushing it with anticipation of our trip to Silfra. Our difficulty is that we booked the paddling Silfra online as it was not an excursion available on board. So with no WiFi or voice call capability we rely on downloaded Google maps and proceed to our agreed meeting point at 8:00 am. As the time progresses we get more and more anxious that our bus is waiting for us elsewhere. At 9:00am a very harassed bus driver arrives. Clearly we were at the correct point whereas many of our onboard colleagues had missed their rendezvous points within Reykjavik town. Late and with a 45 minute journey ahead of us to get into the National Park, we drove off. The journey was beautiful with the fields covered with a purple Alaskàn lupid blanket of flowers.
We finally got to the parking area where we dressed in undersuits and oversuits - looking like yogi bears, walked to the start of the Silfra fissure, a metal platform from where we started the snorkelling.
Face masks, snorkel and flippers came next and we flapped down the metal platform into the water, learned the recovery position (floating on your back) and how to kick sideways in gigantic flippers. (still have not quite the hang of that).
Floating in freezing clear, cold water, 60m deep in some places and shallow enough to stand in others. Massive underwater rock formations made from collapsed rock and magma from volcanic incidents, covered in luminous blue, green, orange and yellow algae. No fish and so very quiet.
We snorkeled the route shown to us and nearly lost Michael into the lake, a no go zone due to strong currents.
Marcin our guide thought Michael was Andreas and while shouting for Andreas to turn urgently, Michael unimpressed that Andreas was not listening, continued on his way. Marcin swam after Michael and physically turned him back.
A thirsty exercise, we removed our restrictive clothes and indulged in hot chocolate with marshmallows.
Once again our driver ushered us into the vehicle and headed back to the ship. Once in a lifetime as I do not think we will visit Reykjavik again.
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