In one of those moments that seizes one in Iceland, I agreed to go snorkeling in Þingvatn. Sarah had gone scuba diving last month and had come back raving about how beautiful the lake was. A group of us opted for the lower skill snorkeling package. Nothing in the literature, or in Sarah’s account mentions the fact that the water in Þingvatn comes from a glacier. It was cold. Really cold. 2 degrees above freezing cold.
Granted, we had drysuits, but that only keeps the hypothermia at bay. They don’t actually keep you warm. Now with that said, the price of cold was well worth it. The water is unbelievably clear and blue. We could see the bottom of the lake thirty to forty meters below us with no loss of visibility, just deeper and deeper blue.
Poor Aaron, who had just arrived from the US this morning had a suit that leaked. He got soaked, but even he said it was worth it.
Naturally, I wasn’t able to take my camera into the lake with me, but the artic rafting website has some great pictures. Those people in the drysuits could be us. Just pretend. And the water really is that blue.
While we didn’t see any fish, because apparently the water is too cold for them to survive, we did see some scuba divers. They were magical; like mermaids. The airbubbles rose up from them like a school of jellyfish.
So. Bottom line is that I recommend this. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience–because I never want to be that cold again. But it was worth it. Once.
Aaron loves the cold – am sure it made his day.