Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.04.2017, Qupperneq 21

21The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 06 — 2017
calm down, which perhaps takes even
more effort than swimming against
the current. I untangle the cord that
has become wrapped around my legs,
grab my board, and cling to it. I steady
my breath, and slowly make my way
back to shore. All this happened in
about ten seconds. But it was ten sec-
onds you couldn’t pay me to repeat.

BEING FEARLESS
I ask Maríanna how she got out of
her—decidedly stickier—situation.
“Well, there was a big wave and we
both caught it, but my surfing partner
fell off,” she says. “I was hanging onto
my board so tightly, thinking: ‘Should
I drop out of this wave and stay with
him, or should I just go to shore? If it
were me in that position, I wouldn’t
want to be out there alone. But if I go
to shore at least I can call someone.’”
She laughs, guiltily. “I was really
selfish, and went to shore,” she contin-
ues. “I couldn’t see him anymore, and
it was like that for quite a while. But
then finally I saw his head, and he was
on his way in. And it was okay.” Per-
haps the most astonishing thing about
Maríanna’s story is that once she and
her friend found their way back to
safety, they didn’t call it a day: they
headed back out to a slightly calmer
spot. If that isn’t fearless, I don’t know
what is.
Surfing is an exercise in mental
strength. The ability Maríanna has
to prevent herself from panicking in
what could be a life-threatening situa-
tion is truly remarkable. Perhaps when
you’re surrounded by the strength
of the ocean, you have no choice but
to match that strength. As Rut puts
it: “An afternoon of surfing is like
months of therapy.”
Rut has only been surfing since
the winter, but she goes whenever she
can. Her newfound love of the sport
has pushed her to improve herself,
both mentally and physically. “This
is the first time I’ve felt the need to
get stronger,” she explains, “so I can
paddle harder, go for longer, and be
faster.” Rut’s love of surfing is palpa-
ble. After describing the many reasons
she enjoys it she simply smiles at me,
shrugs, and says: “It just makes me feel
amazing. Like Superwoman.”

NATURE’S SPORT
Clinging to my board, spluttering on
seawater, and mildly hyperventilat-
ing, I certainly don’t feel like Super-
woman. I sit in the shallows and watch
in awe as Rut and Elín zoom past me.
They take the ocean’s ferocity in their
stride. They embrace the waves, and it
is mesmerising. They make the waves
seem like their friends; they move with
the water, with grace and ferocity.
For Maríanna, surfing cultivates a
closer affinity to nature itself. “It’s re-
ally hard to describe it,” she says. “It
gives me this feeling of connection to
everything—to the ocean, the air and
the nature. How nature works, and the
forces around you. It’s calming, but it
also gives you the adrenaline that you
crave so much.”
The language the girls use to de-
scribe their experiences and their love
of surfing is very different from the
stereotypical blasé surfer lingo. They
speak less of their own skills, and
more about the ocean itself. There is
a seriousness to the way they speak,
and a certain level of humility. The cli-
chéd, bombastic, macho descriptions of
surfing are nowhere to be heard when
talking to these women. In fact, they
often attribute any skill they have to the
ocean. “When there’s good conditions
and a good wave, I feel a lot of gratitude,
and I feel thankful,” says Elín. “I feel
like, in that moment, I can’t get closer to
nature. The ocean is unpredictable, but
when you train and practice and keep at
it, it gives you a lot.”
This refreshing mindset is inter-
esting to me, and I wonder whether
it’s a result of gender. Perhaps women
allow themselves to be more in touch
with the emotional, natural side of
the sport than your typical surfer bro.
I ask Maríanna whether she consid-
ers women inherently closer to na-
ture. She thinks for a second and then
shakes her head. “I think [men] feel it
as much as we do,” she says. “Perhaps
the people just describe it differently.”
Indeed, I think the main reason
their language and descriptions of
surfing revolve so much around na-
ture is precisely because of the power
of the nature that surrounds them.
Iceland’s ocean is unpredictable,
harsh, and commands respect. The se-
riousness and humility these women
show is born out of this.

NO UPPER-BODY
STRENGTH
But, of course, it can be fun too. Sitting
in the shallows and watching the girls
tear up the waves, I feel equally in-
spired, traumatised and down-heart-
ed. Rut sees me, and runs over, shout-
ing: “Come back out!” I look warily out
to the waves. “Let’s try these small
waves,” she smiles. With an utmost
feeling of dread, I agree, and we wade
out a little further where the waves
have power—just not the trying-to-
kill-you sort of power. My feet can still
touch the black sand of the ocean floor,
and I feel safe. Rut teaches me when to
lie on my board, when to paddle and
when—in theory, at least—to stand
up. Despite my depressing discovery
that I have no upper-body strength
whatsoever, I start to understand the
joy of it. Whilst lying on my board at-
tempting to stand, I feel the wave car-
rying me, and it doesn’t feel like an
enemy anymore. It doesn’t feel like an
angry monster trying to swallow me
up, but a friendly hand lifting me and
guiding me along.
Driving back to Reykjavík, I’m ex-
hausted. I relish the warmth and
safety of the car and the predictable
straight road, feeling relieved, but also
energetic and happy. The sea gives you
something that you can’t really get
anywhere else. It makes you feel small
next to its immense power - but, when
it’s going well, it also makes you feel
special and chosen, like the ocean it-
self has allowed you passage.
The brutal conditions mean that
surfing in Iceland is not for the faint-
hearted, or the timid, or those scared
of cold water, or those with little to no
arm strength. But if, like me, you hap-
pen to be literally all of these things,
you should still give it a go. You might
surprise yourself. Iceland’s sea can
be cruel and dangerous, but for those
crazy enough to ride its waves, it’s a
playground: an exhilarating, inspir-
ing, empowering playground.
Maríanna Þórðardóttir paddling out to sea
Learning how to surf with
the pros