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Gi0vannamaria t1_iu91aez wrote

The water really does look this blue in person! One of my favorite waterfalls that we saw :)

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jameshunter3 OP t1_iu92j8j wrote

I agree! The whole hike up the river is gorgeous walking next to the blue water

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LitreOfCockPus t1_iu9j4ol wrote

Wouldn't advise drinking it, no matter what your brain tells you though!

The light blue color comes from rock that has been ground so fine by glacier movement that it behaves more like flour than sand, taking a very long time to settle.Flowing water can keep the miniscule flecks in suspension for even longer!

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wpnw t1_iu9szdi wrote

The light blue color in this case comes from air bubbles, not silt. This river isn't sourced in a glacier at all. The light blue stripe below the waterfall is a former lava tube, so it's quite deep in that area. As the water gets agitated where it drops into the crevasse at the waterfall the air bubbles end up getting pushed into the deep water where the current is strong, and they get pulled downstream rather than bubbling to the surface. If you turn around on the bridge this picture was taken from, you can see where the bubble trail eventually works its way to the surface and the light blue color fades out. If it was caused by silt, you'd see the light blue color everywhere in the river, not just in the deep sections, and it would be less blue and more milky on overcast days like depicted in OP's picture.

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Gi0vannamaria t1_iu9jcae wrote

Thanks for the fun fact haha. I have to say the water I did drink in Iceland was incredible.

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ch-12 t1_iuan6qh wrote

Oops, I think I refilled from the river water like 3 times during this hike.

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LitreOfCockPus t1_iuanjjv wrote

Apparently this is light-blue from aeration, so you're 👍

Unless you're a spooky skeleton wearing touchscreen gloves

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ch-12 t1_iubaxe1 wrote

Yeah, I’ve seen the light blue water from sediment in places like to Canadian Rockies (Reddit lake) and this Iceland river was definitely different haha.

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LitreOfCockPus t1_iubb95g wrote

Why is it funny?

Ignorance is shameful, not something to be laughed at.

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meonstuff t1_iub1nol wrote

KALEO should definitely record a video there.

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lellololes t1_iu95r2d wrote

The only place I ever got lost in Iceland was trying to find this waterfall. Looks great!

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jameshunter3 OP t1_iu96vc0 wrote

The trail was a bit confusing in the beginning!

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lellololes t1_iu974xp wrote

We didn't even make it to the trail. The GPS was leading us to the wrong place and there were some signs that didn't lead us where we expected to be. We ended up in a housing development and very confused.

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FreeMoney2020 t1_iua13lg wrote

Search for “official bruarfoss parking” instead of just “bruarfoss”.

Maps still show the old trail which required trespassing. The new official trail is longer, but has two “extra” falls, and is better marked.

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lellololes t1_iua194v wrote

Yeah, I think I was there when they were transitioning from the old one to the new one.

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jameshunter3 OP t1_iu992nh wrote

Yes, same happened to us. You had to go down the road a bit more to a parking lot and start the trail there. It was definitely confusing!

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evilotto77 t1_iu9bdrs wrote

I went to the Gulfoss waterfall in Iceland, thought it was going to be a lovely trip. Ended up being a blizzard and the walk down to it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life 😅

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Say_no_to_doritos t1_iuakk10 wrote

The worst thing about Iceland is all the losers breaking the no drone rules trying to get 5 seconds of internet fame.

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vbcbandr t1_iuam601 wrote

Yeah, this annoyed the fuck out of me. I was praying for someone to fly their drone too close to the volcano and have it crash and burn.

Volcano was absolutely incredible though.

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jameshunter3 OP t1_iuasig3 wrote

I cannot stand drones myself and it's unfortunate because some drone shots are truly incredible. But the operators have ruined it for me by regularly not respecting rules that are in place for a reason

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HappyTissue t1_iu94vik wrote

The water is just as blue in person! 10/10

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Dead_Squirrel_6 t1_iua2zvk wrote

What planet is Iceland on!? Seriously, the pictures from there are otherworldly

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overzeetop t1_iuauf0k wrote

It does seem alien, but it also feels like a primordial Earth. The stark, barren landscapes where vegetation hasn’t formed and the moss covered lava fields makes it look like a 7th grade life science chapter on the first early lichens and plants from tens of hundreds of millions of years ago. If you manage to be there alone, it’s amazing to just take it all in.

(Somewhat not surprisingly, Iceland was used as the location for Prometheus.)

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GokuIukoG t1_iubdk8e wrote

Was waiting to find this reference! Good stuff

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lambdapaul t1_iua9ck7 wrote

Was this where the engineer dissolved at the beginning of Prometheus?

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dinopastasauce t1_iu9zmal wrote

God I loved this place. And I got so lost trying to find it.

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mumin89 t1_iua9zke wrote

Is it accessible during winter?

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ch-12 t1_iuaniks wrote

Should be, but the hike might be a bit harder with snow. I went in March and there was a good bit of snow to get around towards the top where this waterfall is.

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scarlettvvitch t1_iubam3t wrote

Honestly at this point posting Iceland is just cheating, but I love to see it nonetheless.

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pezfanatic t1_iu97arm wrote

Beautiful!! Visiting in a couple of weeks so will probably add this as a must see

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Monimonika18 t1_iuah95g wrote

I noticed a blip of yellow around the bottom right of this gorgeous pic. I'm guessing it's vegetation? Kind of impressed it's able to survive at that spot.

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nickyfox13 t1_iuanabr wrote

Gorgeous shot. I would love to visit. This place looks so tranquil and serene.

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Ryuuten t1_iuark4v wrote

Wow, Iceland is so beautiful, I’d love to visit someday. So many great pics of places from there in this sub! :) Thanks for sharing it!

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pawsitivelypowerful t1_iub67q0 wrote

That is so amazing especially to hear that the water is that blue in-person!

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seaotta t1_iubdij5 wrote

Visited a few weeks ago and the trail was an absolute mud pit leading up to the first waterfall but 10/10 worth it

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Sleepyhead88 t1_iubgle6 wrote

You have to trespass to get to this, which is sad

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jameshunter3 OP t1_iuci4md wrote

No you don't! The trail head starts a bit further away than what Google tells you but it is not trespassing

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Aspy343 t1_iuda7vi wrote

You can't really trespass in Iceland although there are some special caveats. If you're in a special place where, say, some special plant is being protected then you can be asked to move but Iceland is like most Nordic countries and you have a right to roam freely, even if the land is private. But you can't take the piss and set up a tent in someone's garden or annoy people, for instance. Nobody will shout at you unless you're doing something like fishing where you need a license or damaging wildlife.

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indominusrexona t1_iudxquf wrote

Interesting. Just been there yesterday. Bluest water ever.

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