Icelands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

The next couple of days are a slow warm-up with small, clean groundswell – a bit of a tease before the real juice shows up. By the end of the first week and into the second, we’ve got some proper heavy water on the cards.

Wednesday 15th kicks things off at Icelands with a rideable 5 ft SSW swell, but it’s a messy cross-onshore breeze. Not a session to write home about. The combined swell energy is sitting at 897 (moderate) – enough to get wet, but you’ll be battling little wind ripples.

Thursday 16th and Friday 17th mornings bring cleaner conditions. Thursday morning is clear with a light cross-offshore SE breeze, and a 4 ft SW swell, period 15 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The energy drops to 670 (moderate), but it’s clean. Friday morning holds similar, with 4 ft SW swell and a light cross-offshore, again clean. These are solid options for a quiet paddle.

Saturday 18th is a standout for the near-term. Morning is glassy with a 4 ft SW swell, period 14 seconds, and combined energy at 572 (moderate). That afternoon stays glassy too. Glassy conditions are a major positive – you’ll get clean, peeling waves with no wind messing them up. This is your best bet early on.

Sunday 19th is a write-off – strong onshore winds up to 16 mph, 4 ft swell but poor, messy surf. Leave the board in the car.

Then it gets serious. Monday 20th is a highlight for experienced surfers. The morning brings 6 ft SSW swell, 17-second period, and a clean offshore wind from the ESE. That’s a big, long-period groundswell. The combined energy is 1683 (strong) – meaning plenty of power. This is expert territory. The afternoon holds similar with 6 ft, 16-second period, and energy at 1461 (strong). If you’re advanced, this is the day. The long period will make it a bit walled at the beach break – best to work the reef here at Icelands. The water temp is 86°F with a positive anomaly of 1°F, so about average for the time of year – warm but not unusual.

Tuesday 21st backs off a touch. Morning is 5 ft SSW with a moderate breeze, cross-offshore – still clean, but energy drops to 974 (moderate). The afternoon improves at 5 ft and a gentle breeze. Good, but not the standout.

We then roll through a few days of smaller, cleaner surf 22nd to 24th – 3 ft to 5 ft, mostly cross-offshore winds, but with periodic thunderstorms noted. Not the main event.

Thursday 25th through Sunday 27th gets pretty tiny – 1 ft to 3 ft swells, even with some very long periods (up to 20 seconds), the energy is weak (374 to 495). You could ride a longboard on the glassy afternoon of the 27th, but it’s marginal.

Here’s the second standout window. Monday 28th morning sees 4 ft SW swell, 17-second period, combined energy 983 (moderate), and clean. The afternoon is glassy with 4 ft SW swell and energy hitting 1009 (moderate to strong) – conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. Tuesday 29th afternoon is even better: 3 ft SW swell but with a 19-second period – that’s very long period groundswell. Combined energy 1099 (strong) and glassy. The reef at Icelands will really focus that energy – it’s a special session if you know the take-off spots.

Wednesday 30th morning rounds it out: 4 ft SW swell, 18-second period, energy at 1668 (strong), and a clean light breeze. The afternoon bumps to 5 ft with energy up to 1958 (strong) but a light cross-shore – still very good, but be aware the tide might mess with the peak.

Crowds at Icelands are noted as ‘often’ so expect company on any standout day, especially the glassy ones.

Best on offer: Monday 20th for the big, clean, offshore groundswell (experts only), and Tuesday 28th afternoon / Wednesday 30th morning for the glassy, long-period perfection.

Rusty.

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