Icelands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

We’ve got a solid run of surf lining up at Icelands, a reef setup. The water’s sitting at a warm 85°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year. The whole window kicks off Wednesday morning with some clean, cross-off wind and a nice 3ft SSW swell pushing through with moderate energy (404). It’s not huge, but that long 14-second period should give you some nice shaped lines.

Wednesday afternoon picks up a touch, with swell nudging 3ft and energy climbing (595). Thursday morning the period jumps to a very long 19 seconds on the same 3ft swell, so those sets will be fat and powerful, but that long period might make it a bit straight on a reef. Still, cross-off winds keep it tidy. Thursday afternoon and through Friday morning keep the quality high with similar conditions and building energy.

Now, Friday afternoon is where things start to get serious. Swell pushes to 5ft, period at 16 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 1323. That’s moderate-to-strong energy, and with cross-off wind, this is excellent for experienced surfers – not a beginner’s session. Saturday morning holds similar 5ft swell with strong energy (1210), still clean. Saturday afternoon drops off a bit with a cross wind and only marginal conditions.

Sunday the 2nd of August is proper. Morning glassy conditions with a 5ft SSW swell, 16-second period, and strong energy (1036). The standout is Sunday afternoon though – a 3ft S swell with an 18-second period, wind is light and cross-off, energy is over 1000. That’s a long-period, clean afternoon session with good shape potential. For experienced surfers, this is the pick of the first week.

Moving into the second week, Monday the 3rd of August morning still looks very good – 5ft SSW, 15 seconds, glassy wind, strong energy (862). Afternoon goes a bit cross and marginal.

Tuesday the 4th of August is a top contender. Morning is completely glassy, 4ft SSW, 16-second period, energy at 1066. Afternoon is also glassy, swell up to 5ft, energy 1190. This is the real standout of the whole window – clean, powerful, long-period groundswell on a reef. It’s a session for those who know what they’re doing.

Wednesday the 5th of August gets a bit messy with cross-on wind and a drop in quality. Thursday the 6th of August redeems it – glassy morning and afternoon, 6ft SSW swell, 16-second period, very strong energy (1710 and 1607). This is expert territory. Friday the 7th of August morning goes offshore with a 5ft S swell, clean and powerful. Afternoon stays solid.

Then we hit a bit of a lull in quality from the 8th through the 13th of August. The swell stays solid – between 5ft and 10ft – and the energy is very strong to extreme (often over 2000, peaking at 6740 on the 12th of August morning). That’s serious, heavy water. The problem is the wind swings cross-off to strong cross-off, with moderate to fresh breezes. It’s clean, but the combination of big swell and wind chop will make it gnarly, more for the hardcore crew. The 12th of August afternoon sees a 10ft S swell with 18-second period and massive energy (5626) – that is expert-only, potentially dangerous. The 13th of August trails off with 7ft to 8ft swell, still clean but dropping.

Overall, the best sessions are Tuesday the 4th of August for that glassy, long-period magic, and Sunday the 2nd of August afternoon for a clean, long-period special. Crowds are often at Icelands, so expect company on those days. The second week has size but needs a bit more luck with the wind to be truly perfect. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

Read more