Stairway to Heaven

Staff · Issue 24, May/Jun 2005 · pp. 29–35

Products mentioned: Nikon D70, Subal housing, Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens, Inon Z220 strobes, 28-70mm lens

Stairway to heaven by Peter Rowlands 24/30 A two and a half hour flight from London there is a dive site which must rank in the world’s top ten. The visibility is in excess of 50 metres - guaranteed - and in theory one side of the dive is in America and the other is in Europe. Welcome to Silfra cracks, Thingvellir , Iceland. Silfra is a dive into the earth’s crust where it is very gradually splitting apart. The resulting cracks are filled with glacial water which melts and is filtered through the volcanic rocks. It is pure fresh water in an area with virtually no marine growth or life producing water clarity easily in excess of 50 metres. As if the visibiity were not enough, the topography is not far from unique underwater. Any downsides? Well, yes. The water may be crystal clear but it’s only around 2°C and you have to walk all your equipment at least 50 metres over varied terrain. This…