A Dive To Remember

A 13-year-old girl has become the first child to dive between two continental plates.

16:29 13 July 2015

13-year-old Charlotte Burns has made a history after becoming the first child to dive into Silfra, the only place on the planet that is located in between two tectonic plates that separate the continents of North America and Europe. Prior to her adventure, the girl from Biggin Hill in Kent, acquired a special permission from the Icelandic government to attempt the Silfra fissure. 

 

Charlotte became a professional diver at the age of 12 and the youngest junior master scuba diver in the world. She lobbied for eight months to get clearance from Iceland as the lower age limit for the dive in the Thingvellir National Park is 18. 

 

Charlotte said: “I’m really excited. I started learning about tectonic plates in year seven [aged 11] and since then I’ve been really fascinated by them.” 

 

“It’s very rare to have two plates that aren’t colliding – being able to dive through that in water and touch two continents at the same time is amazing. And the water is so blue because it’s coming off a fresh glacier.”

 

She added: “It’s an amazing feeling. There are no words to describe it. It’s like being an astronaut and you can walk anywhere. And you can swim anywhere, too.

 

“My dad was a Commando and he says that life is about collecting as many experiences as you can. He says life is like an apple orchard and you have a basket and each apple is an experience. And as you collect experiences your basket builds up – and you want to leave with a full basket to remember.

“And obviously, this will be an amazing experience.”