Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.10.2011, Page 28

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28
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 16 — 2011
Travel | Surf
It was a sunny afternoon in September, and ev-
erything about it felt more like southern California
than Iceland. Eight of us piled into a van strapped
with surfboards, and we set off to Þorlakshöfn to
find some waves.
Ever since Surfer Magazine opened my eyes
to the possibility in the late nineties, I had been
dreaming about surfing in Iceland one day. But
back then you would have been hard-pressed to
find so much as a single native surfer, and the idea
of an amateur going out on a whim seemed totally
out of the question.
The idea may still seem nuts to people who
hear Iceland and think: ‘COLD!’, but there are now
in fact thirty or so regular surfers who go out rain,
sleet or shine—and a company called Arctic Ad-
venture Box has made the sport accessible to just
about anybody with a sense of adventure.
A PLEASANT SURPRISE
After stripping down to our bathing suits and put-
ting on wetsuits, booties and gloves, we grabbed
the boards, hiked up the dunes and made a
beeline for the beach. On the sand, Aðalsteinn
Rúnarsson—part of Iceland’s small contingent of
regular surfers—gave us a brief surfing 101 tutorial
before releasing us to the ocean.
As we ventured into the water, my wetsuit
pressed against my skin and I expected to feel the
frigid water rush in at every moment. But to my
surprise, it didn’t happen. We were wearing 6/5/4
millimetre hooded suits and the water proved to
be even too warm for the hood. We could just as
well have been in the Pacific rather than the North
Atlantic.
While I’m dispelling myths, if the idea of sign-
ing up for a surf camp conjures up an image of
hordes of Zonies on BZs clogging up water, then
rest assured that this is Iceland, not California.
Arctic Adventure Box owner Leifur Dam Leifsson
takes up to eight surfers at a time, and his fibre-
glass boards, which range from 7’4 to 7’9, were
great for the smaller swell that day.
A MOST WILD RIDE
At some point during the session Leifur offered me
a ride on his Thundercat, an inflatable racing boat
that he said he was test-driving on the ocean for
the first time in preparation for an upcoming race
in the UK.
I climbed aboard, he handed me a rope to hold
onto and instructed me to put my feet in some
loops. Then he took off across the ocean with
great speed, making sharp turns, and charging
waves, sending us flying into the air. All the while
I contemplated what seemed like the very real
possibility of losing my grip on the rope—and in
no stretch of the imagination could I see the land-
ing going well. In some post investigation, I came
across the claim that this is “the world’s wildest
beach culture,” and I’m inclined to agree.
Leifur told me that he is trying to bring the
sport to Iceland, which didn’t surprise me consid-
ering he bought a bunch of surfboards and wet-
suits two years ago with no idea if anybody would
be into it, let alone himself—a newbie to the sport.

AN IDYLLIC PARADISE
After that adrenaline-pumping ride, I was happy to
get back to back to surfing. Everyone pretty much
does their own thing out in the water, and even
those who nose-dived wave after wave were hav-
ing a great time.
There’s a peaceful, meditative quality to sit-
ting on the board and losing yourself in the sur-
rounding scenery. As I waited for the next decent
wave to come through, I looked on to the beautiful
beach and the grass dunes that rose up into the
blue sky, and I had to pinch myself: this was Ice-
land!
Finally after a three and a half hour session,
Leifur said it was time to go and I caught one last
wave to shore. After struggling to take off our
suits, which is the least fun part of the trip, we
piled back into the van and it was a quiet thirty-
minute drive to Reykjavík. This was easily one of
the most epic days I’ve spent in Iceland.
Words
Anna Andersen
Photography
Natsha Nandabhiwat
“ This was easily one of the most epic days I’ve spent in
Iceland.”
Surfin’ USA Iceland
This trip can be booked by emailing info@adventurebox.is or by calling +354 571
2900. See www.adventurebox.is for more information.