Silfra: the rules for diving in Thingvellir National Park.

Three instruments

Three published texts govern diving at Thingvellir, all in Iceland's official gazette, Stjornartidindi:

• Rules No. 214/2013 on diving in the park, covering both scuba and snorkelling, issued by the Thingvellir Commission (Thingvallanefnd), which governs the national park. They were signed on 1 March 2013 and published on 5 March 2013.
• Instructions No. 165/2013 on diving and snorkelling in the park, issued by the Icelandic Maritime Administration under article 4 of Regulation No. 535/2001 on diving. They were signed on 12 February 2013 and came into force on 1 March 2013.
• Notice No. 207/2017, dated 13 March 2017, by which the Icelandic Transport Authority (Samgongustofa), which took over the maritime administration's functions, amended those instructions. It took effect when published.

Our research did not find a consolidated text or any amendment later than 2017, so check for newer changes. Under the 2013 instructions, the Thingvellir Commission decides where in the park diving and snorkelling may take place, and it can change that at any time.

A news report of 14 March 2017 described Silfra reopening after a closure with stricter rules. We could read only a search summary of that article, so the reason for the closure is not given here. The rule changes themselves are confirmed by the 2017 notice in the gazette.

Permission from the park

Under Rules No. 214/2013, anyone who plans to dive in the park must report to a park employee and be given permission before diving. Permission depends on three things:

• the diver has read the maritime authority's diving instructions;
• the diver has signed a declaration that the dive is at their own risk; and
• the diver has paid the park's visitor fee. The rules establish the fee; its amount is not given here.

The park rules also require divers to follow Iceland's diving law, Act No. 31/1996, the diving regulation No. 535/2001, the 2013 instructions, and the park's own laws and rules of conduct.

Rules in the water

The maritime authority's instructions of 2013, as amended in 2017, set the following rules for Silfra.

These are the limits the Icelandic authorities set for this site. They are not general depth or ratio rules for diving elsewhere; for what training agencies publish, see depth limits by certification and buddy and solo diving.

The dry-suit rule

The best-known Silfra rule comes from the 2017 amendment. The 2013 instructions required a full suit, either dry or wet, with a hood, gloves and fins. Notice No. 207/2017 then prohibited scuba diving in Silfra in a wetsuit, so scuba divers must use a dry suit. The same notice requires dry-suit divers to show either a dry-suit certification, or written confirmation of 10 dry-suit dives within the previous two years, certified by an internationally recognised instructor or diving organisation. Snorkellers are still covered by the 2013 wording, which allows a wet or dry full suit. Dry suits are described on dry suits.

Certification checks

The 2013 instructions require operators to check that any diver who dives without a guide holds an internationally recognised Autonomous Diver certification, which the instructions identify as EN 14153-2 or ISO 24801-2, and to see the card. Those standards are explained on ISO diver standards. The 2017 notice adds that operators must make sure guests can swim and are physically and mentally capable of the activity.

Rules for guides and operators

The 2013 instructions also set requirements for the businesses that take guests into Silfra. Guides must:

• be at least 20 years old and visibly identified;
• be trained to Dive Leader level, which the instructions identify as EN 14153-3 or ISO 24801-3;
• hold an Icelandic occupational diving card under Regulation No. 535/2001; and
• have completed an approved first-aid course.

Operators must hold the required tourism licences and insurance, have a safety and emergency plan approved by the maritime authority, provide equipment rated for cold water, and keep oxygen and first-aid equipment on site. Operators may set further requirements of their own; those are business policies, not part of the published rules, and are not covered here.

Enforcement

Under Rules No. 214/2013, park staff may remove anyone who breaks the rules from diving, and the park warden may impose a temporary diving ban for serious or repeated breaches. Breaches can be fined or, if serious, punished by imprisonment under the National Park Act.