What to Wear Snorkeling Silfra 2026: Layers, Socks & Cold

Booking choice: The Troll self-drive snorkel, from $146 per person. Check dates Compare the options below

Silfra's water is 2 to 4 °C all year. A drysuit keeps it out, but it does not insulate on its own: the warmth comes from the operator's thermal undersuit and the base layers you wear under that.

Get the layers right and most guests say the only cold parts are the face and hands. Get them wrong (cotton, thin socks, an empty stomach) and it is a much longer 40 minutes.

The quick answer

Wear long thermal underwear in wool or fleece (not cotton) and thick wool socks; the operator adds a warm undersuit, the drysuit, hood, gloves, mask, snorkel and fins. You do not need a swimsuit for a drysuit tour. Bring a towel, a change of clothes, a warm hat for afterwards and eat a proper breakfast. Your face and hands will get cold.

What do you wear under a drysuit at Silfra?

Long thermal underwear, ideally merino wool or fleece, close-fitting and not cotton.

The drysuit goes over your own clothes, and the operator puts a thick undersuit (guests call it a onesie) between the two. Guests recommend form-fitting layers, because bulky clothes bunch up inside the suit. Cotton holds moisture and chills you if a little water gets in. Arrive with the base layers already on.

Layers ready? Troll gives you a thermal undersuit and a group of six, with GoPro photos included.

Check dates for the Troll self-drive snorkel

What socks should you wear?

Thick wool socks, and a spare pair: cold toes are one of the most common complaints.

Your feet sit inside the drysuit's boots, but they are still close to 2 °C water for the whole snorkel. Guests' advice ranges from "bring warm socks, my toes got cold" to "next time, more pairs of socks". Two thinner wool pairs work if they fit in the boots.

A snorkeler in a drysuit seen from below, arms spread, above the blue fissure — The drysuit keeps you dry; your layers keep you warm.

What does the operator provide?

The drysuit, a thermal undersuit, hood, gloves, mask, snorkel and fins, and neoprene boots or the suit's built-in feet.

The national park requires full exposure protection: hood, gloves and neoprene shoes or socks as well as the suit. Operators also store your bag while you are in the water; Arctic Adventures guests mention a large dry bag for clothes and shoes. DIVE.IS brings a heated changing van.

How cold is Silfra, really?

The water is 2 to 4 °C all year; in a drysuit, most guests feel it mainly on the face, lips and hands.

Guests describe a sharp shock on the face at first that eases within a few minutes. Keeping your hands still helps, one guest reports, as moving them pushes fresh cold water through the gloves. Many reviews say "not as cold as expected", but some find it hard going: if you get very cold, tell your guide straight away.

Two snorkelers seen from above in a narrow turquoise crack between mossy lava walls — The same 2 to 4 °C water, summer and winter.

Will you get wet in a drysuit?

Mostly no, but your face and hands get wet, and a small trickle at the neck or wrists is normal.

Troll warns that slight leakage at the neck and sleeves can happen and is considered normal, and guests report wet hair and hands but a dry body. One guest's suit leaked a little when they rolled over onto their back. That is why every operator says to bring a towel and a change of clothes.

Silfra Drysuit Snorkel with Underwater Photos

Want photos of all this? Adventure Vikings includes them, at the lowest drysuit price.

★ 4.9 1,380 reviews · 3 hours · from $139

Explore the Adventure Vikings drysuit snorkel

Do you need a swimsuit?

Not for a drysuit tour: you wear thermal layers, not swimwear. For the Adventure Vikings wetsuit option, bring a swimsuit and a towel.

A wetsuit works differently: it goes on over swimwear and lets a thin layer of water in. If you are weighing the two, see drysuit vs wetsuit.

What should you bring to Silfra?

Your layers, a towel, dry clothes and anything you need to see without glasses.

Wool or fleece base layers, worn on arrival
Thick wool socks, plus a spare pair
Towel and a full change of clothes
Warm hat and a waterproof jacket for the walk and afterwards
Contact lenses instead of glasses
A way to pay the ISK 1,000 parking fee
A proper breakfast before you go

Adventure Vikings asks guests not to arrive in jeans or heels. Leave valuables locked in the car.

Bright green algae swaying on lava rocks in clear shallow water — The snorkel ends in the shallow Silfra Lagoon, where you climb out to change.

How do you warm up afterwards?

With the hot chocolate every operator serves, then dry clothes, a hat and ideally a geothermal pool.

Change quickly, eat something and keep moving. If you want the full reset, the Adventure Vikings combo adds the Sky Lagoon near Reykjavik after the snorkel.

A wooden sauna with a large window looking out over the sea — The Sky Lagoon sauna, the warm end of the Silfra and Sky Lagoon combo.

Want the warm-up planned? This combo pairs the Silfra snorkel with a Sky Lagoon pass and a towel.

★ 4.9 38 reviews · 7.5 hours · from $349

Explore Silfra and Sky Lagoon

Frequently asked questions

Can I wear jeans under the drysuit?

No. Adventure Vikings specifically asks guests not to wear jeans; wear close-fitting thermal layers instead.

Should I bring my own gloves?

No, the operator provides neoprene gloves. Guests on Diving Island praise its dry gloves for keeping hands warmer.

Is Silfra colder in winter?

The water is the same 2 to 4 °C all year. The air is colder in winter, so the time suiting up and changing outdoors is harder; bring an extra warm layer for before and after.

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