The turbulence that churns deep within our planet gives rise to spectacular planetary processes. One of them is splitting Iceland right down the middle.

Less than 40 miles from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, lies the ever-expanding Silfra fissure. It is one of the world’s most spectacular diving sites, not because of its coral or diversity of impressive creatures (it doesn’t have any), but because of its s

Franco Banfi has seen a thing or two. The award-winning photographer has gone diving with a pod of sperm whales and swimming with 25-foot anacondas. Despite all his fascinating experiences, he still feels excitement crackling through his entire body now as he stands at the edge of Iceland’s Silfra fissure and looks down into the crystal-clear water. At the surface the jagged underwater canyon measures about 2,000 by 650 feet, and it runs some 200 feet deep. However few people have ventured below 60 feet because the passages are narrow and there is danger of falling rocks. Silfra is considered one of the most magnificent diving areas in the world, and that’s what has attracted Banfi. He knows better than to expect any sharks, rays, whales, or other marine life down below; it is the place itself that holds such a magical attraction. Banfi checks his equipment one last time before climbing into water that’s only a few degrees above freezing…

The fact of the matter is: Nowhere else is it possible to get such a clear and close-up view of Earth’s “engine room.” According to the locals, here you can feel the power of nature with your bare hands. For here at Silfra, two continents are drifting apart as

1, 0 0 0 FEET

is the practical limit of visibility in the beautiful clear waters of the Silfra fissure. The water starts out as glacier meltwater and is filtered through underground lava rock for up to 100 years before reaching the spring that feeds the fissure.

60 FEET

is the maximum depth divers are normally allowed to go in the Silfra fissure. The water reaches more than 200 feet in some spots, but the unstable terrain makes diving to that depth too dangerous for most divers.

0. 8 INCHES

is how much the Eurasian and North American Plates drift apart each year. Tension between the plates and the mass of earth above them is released by way of major earthquakes that occur every 10 years or so.

though dragged by some powerful, invisible machine. It’s the only place on the planet where you can dive or snorkel in the widening rift between two tectonic plates. The crystal-clear glacial water is almost transparent. It comes from an underground spring fed by nearby Langjökull Glacier and has been filtered for up to 100 years through porous subterranean lava rock. As a result, almost no detail is too small for a diver’s eyes to register. Many divers report having the almost vertiginous, eerie sensation of being swallowed up by the new world they have just entered. But the fissure is only one small visible sign of the Midatlantic Ridge, the mountainous plate boundary that extends 10,000 miles to the south along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. In the North Atlantic it divides the North American Plate from the Eurasian and African Plates; in the South Atlantic it separates the Plates of Africa and South America. Most of it is underwater, but in Iceland and the Azores it rises above sea level.

As Franco Banfi descends he floats between two continents, and where the fissure’s passages are narrow enough he touches both at the same time. But that will be possible for only a few more decades: The two plates will continue drifting apart by almost 1 inch per year. The chasm is growing imperceptibly by the day—too slowly to be seen, but it can be felt when the ground shakes, which happens many times a day. Major changes can occur when the earth moves, resulting in the creation of new tunnels and caverns. And that instability is dangerous…

THE DEADLY SIDE OF SILFRA

Divers who descend too far into the fissure and become disoriented risk getting lost and being unable to find their way out. Tragically, some have made that fatal mistake. Another risk: A diver’s air bubbles grow larger as they rise up to the surface due to the decreasing water pressure, so there is some danger that on their way up they might trigger a rockfall in this rugged terrain, which is different from the smooth limestone walls to which many cavern divers are accustomed. Diving instructor Tobias Klose is well aware of the risks and has guided celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller through the Silfra fissure. A resident of Iceland since 2001, the

“IN THE SILFRA FISSURE YOU CAN FEEL THE ENERGY OF THE CONTINENTS. DIVING HERE IS LIKE A UNIQUE MEDITATION.” DIVING INSTRUCTOR TOBIAS KLOSE

In a few million years Iceland will have been torn apart by the diverging North American and Eurasian Plates and the Silfra fissure will have become open sea.