(07/29/14) Thingvellir Lava Tubing and Silfra Fissure Snorkeling

I was very nervous about today. We had planned a morning of lava tube caving and an afternoon of snorkeling. I was nervous about the caving being claustrophobic and the snorkeling being stressful. George was his usual, cool, calm and collected self. 

Our guide met us at our hotel, we picked up all the other passengers and we were on our way back to Thingvellir National Park, where both the caving and snorkeling would take place. 

Arriving at the lava tube, we were given helmets and lights and after a brief safety talk, off we went. Entering the tube, I was very nervous. If the guide would just say "This cave is 400 meters long and we are going to do this in three sections and you will not be squeezing yourself through any small holes," I would be a lot more fine with the whole deal. George calls me "the bravest scaredy-cat he knows". Thanks. I do this stuff not because I love it, but because I don't want to miss out on experiences because I am a weenie. So, in we went. I got a little panicked and the guide came back to me and led me by the hand for a bit. The rocks were all wet because lava is porous and the rain from two days ago was leaking in through the ceiling. In Maryland, when a rock is wet and you step on it, you run the risk of slipping and falling on your butt. So, I was just so unsure of my footing. George kept telling me the rocks were velcro rocks and to just go for it. We got to about the middle of the tube and the guide stops all of us and has us sit down and turn out all the lights. I was not amused with this. Apparently, it helps your eyes adjust to the dark. While we sat for about 20 minutes, he regaled us with tales of trolls and monsters. My favorite story was one from when he was a boy and his dad had taken him out to the lava field and had him crawl into a lava tube. While he was in the tube, his dad told him about a monster that is all white and lives in the tubes. Moral of the story? Don't play in the lava fields. See? Stories have a purpose! George's reassuring hand was on my shoulder the entire time. We got some great pictures of the lava and the guide gave us tips on how to take great pictures in a tube or cave. He was a great guy.

 

After the caving, we travelled to Lake Thingvallavatn in the heart of the park. The lake is best known for a natural rift called Silfra Fissure that forms part of the boundary between the North American and European tectonic plates. Once on site, we headed into the snorkel center (gravel parking lot) to get changed into the provided equipment and clothing and listen to a snorkeling briefing from our guide. Basically there were two elevated picnic tables and the gear was spread out. First, we were given teddy bear suits that would (theoretically) keep us warm. Teddy bear suits go on with almost nothing underneath them. They work as a pair of pajamas works. So, we all stripped down to our underwear out there in the open in front of each other. Fun! Then we were given dry suits that would (theoretically) keep us dry. We had to roll them down and step into the feet and then roll them up over our bodies. Our guides had to help us with the hands and then we could put our own heads through the necks. Guides came around and zipped us across the back and then we had to "burp" our suits. We had to hold the neck open and squat down as much as we could and compress the air out of the suit and then let the neck go and stand back up. When we did this it was as if we had vacuum packed ourselves. It made it pretty hard to move. We then had to walk about a hundred meters (see, look, I am becoming more European by the minute!) to the metal stairs that led down into the fissure. Once at the stairs, our guides helped us get our fins on and down the ladder we went. At the bottom, a guide "burped" our suits one more time using the pressure of the water and we were turned loose to clear out our masks and snorkels and practice rolling over and sitting. The Otter dry suits really made us quite buoyant. The water was 2 degrees Celsius. I am dead serious. My cheeks and mouth were the only things exposed to the water and they got numb pretty darn fast.

(borrowed this photo from http://bit.ly/1zwHrEo since we didn't have an underwater camera)

Our guide, Palli

Then we followed the lead of our guide into the famously clear waters and snorkeled between two continents! The visibility at Silfra Fissure is renowned, and you can even see down to the lava fields, some 328 feet (100 meters) below. We went through one area called "The Cathedral" and it was cavernous, but odd to be looking down instead of looking up. When we snorkeled in Baja, Mexico, the visibility was great, in fact, we were told the the visibility during the time of our visit was way better than average. This put that to shame. George snorkeled next to me the entire time and we held hands for some of it. It really was quite an experience.