Icelands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run ahead at Icelands, a reef break that’s for the advanced crew. The water’s sitting at 85°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no wetsuit worries.

The pattern kicks off Thursday morning, 30 July, with a clean 3ft SSW swell, period hanging around 19 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell, so it’ll wrap in nicely on this reef. Wind’s a cross-off from the SE at 12 mph, keeping things tidy. Swell energy’s moderate (966). Thursday afternoon bumps up a touch to 4ft, still clean with a cross-off breeze. Not huge, but the reef will shape it up.

Friday, 31 July, we’re looking at 3ft to 4ft SSW swell, period dropping to 16-17 seconds, still clean with light cross-off winds. The energy’s moderate (931-982). Saturday morning, 1 August, is where it starts to get interesting: 5ft SSW swell, 17 seconds, light breeze from the ESE, and the energy jumps to 1227 – that’s getting into moderate-to-strong territory. The surf’s clean and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. Saturday afternoon sees a bit of cross-shore wind, but it’s light.

Sunday, 2 August, is a standout. Morning brings 4ft SSW swell, 16 seconds, with a light SE cross-off and energy at 1116. Then Sunday afternoon? Glassy. Wind drops to 3 mph from the SE, swell drops to 3ft from the S, but the period stretches to 18 seconds, and the energy’s still strong at 1051. That afternoon session is going to be a dream – smooth, clean lines on the reef. This is the best on offer in the first week.

Monday, 3 August, morning keeps it going with 5ft SSW swell, offshore wind from the ESE, but the wind swings onshore in the afternoon, so get in early. The rest of the week into early August sees a slow build in swell size, but the wind turns cross-onshore or onshore more often, so quality drops. By Wednesday, 5 August, the swell is 4-4ft but it’s choppy with cross-onshore wind. Not the best.

Now, into the second week, things get bigger. Thursday, 6 August, we’ve got 6ft SSW swell, 16 seconds, but the wind is cross-shore from the NNW – light, but not ideal. Energy is strong (1890). Friday, 7 August, is another standout: 6ft SSW swell in the morning, dropping to 6ft in the afternoon, with glassy conditions in the afternoon – wind from the N at 3 mph. That’s clean, powerful, and the energy is strong (1797-1722). This is expert territory at nearly 6ft, but the reef will handle it. This is the best bet in the second week.

After that, Saturday and Sunday, 8-9 August, the swell holds at 5-6ft, but the wind picks up to 9-16 mph from the SE, so it’s cross-off but breezy. Energy stays strong (1269-1627). Monday, 10 August, through to the end of the forecast on 14 August, we see consistent 5-7ft swell from the S and SSW, with periods varying from 14 to 20 seconds. The wind is mostly cross-off from the SE, moderate to fresh. Energy is strong to very strong (1617-3180). The 14th afternoon has a 5ft SSW swell with a 20-second period and energy at 3180 – that’s serious power. But the wind is moderate, so the surf will be clean but not glassy. The break is fairly consistent, and crowds are likely here, so you’ll have company on the better days.

Bottom line: aim for the glassy Sunday afternoon (2 August) and the glassy Friday afternoon (7 August) for the cleanest, most memorable waves. The rest of the run is solid but more wind-affected. Stay sharp out there.

Rusty.

Read more