In September/October this year Stephen and I did a bucket list trip to Iceland, Norway and Sweden. For anyone who has visited these places you will understand how awesome they truly are. To write about this trip in one article would not do it justice, so over the next few newsletters I will include some noteable experiences.
The first article is from Iceland where we snorkelled in -1C water with zero air temperature.
This was a day full of challenging situations. After an early start we arrived at Silfra in the Thingviller National Park for a spot of snorkelling between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. We were truly in the middle of nowhere.
In the back of a van with our new best friends, we had to strip down to our thermals and socks then get into a dry suit followed by a wet suit. Next was the worst as my wetsuit had a “collar” to keep the water out and it was made so tight that my eyeballs started bulging. The guide kept saying if you can still swallow it’s ok. Hey what about breathing? I started losing colour from my face – like someone had their hands across my throat, it was frightening. He loosened it after seeing my distress. I didn’t care if it leaked! Then we got head covers on and finally were equipped with snorkels and flippers We could barely bend and looked quite a sight. Finally into the water and it was amazing – the clearest cleanest glacial water you have ever seen. Yes some water did get in and it was awkward moving and cold but, what an experience. When we got out of the water it was starting to snow, just to add to the atmosphere. Iceland weather changes very fast.
Don’t be put off by my horror story getting into the suit, this is truly a unique experience and anyone who goes to Iceland should give it a go. If you want to know more, just google Silfra Snorkelling.
This article appeared in our December 2018 newsletter. Author – Chris Mason
