Icelands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your coffee. Rusty here.

We've got a solid run of surf ahead. It's not a flash-in-the-pan event; this is a drawn-out, consistent pulse of swell that sticks around for a good stretch, especially through the first week and a half. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so you won't need the thickest rubber. The standout window really sharpens up from this coming Saturday morning through the following Thursday afternoon, with a few sessions that are absolute class. After that, the swell gets a bit gnarly for the everyday surfer.

The action picks up this Thursday, July 30th. It's a gentle start to the period with clean lines rolling into Icelands. Swell is a modest 0.9m to 1.1m from the SSW, but the period is a juicy 19 to 20 seconds. That long-period groundswell energy means proper, ordered lines, especially for a reef setup like this. The cross-off wind keeps the face tidy. It's not huge, but it's beautiful. (That translates to about 3 to 4ft.)

Friday the 31st stays in the same vein. Clean again, with a steady 1.0m to 1.3m, still that long-period SSW groundswell. Cross-off breeze makes it a nice, mellow session. (That's 3 to 4ft.)

Now, Saturday the 1st of August is where things start to fire up. The early morning is an out-and-out standout. We're looking at 5ft of SSW swell, still packing a 17-second period. The combined energy is solid, and with a slight 5 km/h breeze from the SE keeping it glassy. For a surfer with some experience, this is prime.

Sunday the 2nd keeps the quality high. Morning sees 4ft with a 16-second period, and the energy is still pumping. Another excellent window with clean conditions.

Monday the 3rd offers a bit of a shift. Still good surf, but the standout is the afternoon. The wind goes glassy from the SW, and with 4ft of swell and a 14-second period, the surface will be like polished steel. Magic session.

Tuesday the 4th is another cracker. The morning is a top pick: light NNE wind, glassy conditions, and 5ft of long-period SSW groundswell (16 sec). The energy is punchy. Perfect conditions for an advanced surfer to pick apart a reef.

The early part of the second week keeps the good vibes. Thursday the 6th afternoon is another one to circle. The swell bumps up to 6ft, the winds go glassy out of the NNE, and the combined energy is strong. This is big, powerful, and clean.

Friday the 7th is a fantastic double-header. Morning brings offshore ESE breeze with 6ft of SSW swell, and the afternoon goes completely glassy. This is the kind of day you take the afternoon off work for.

Saturday the 8th holds at 6ft in the morning and remains clean, but the wind picks up a notch. Still surfable, but the magic light wind is gone.

Now, you wait for it. Thursday the 13th afternoon is your long-range target. It's a monster session on paper. The swell jumps to 8ft from the S, with an 18-second period. The combined energy is massive. The wind is a light cross-off. This is big, powerful, groundswell. For the experts, this is a day to stare at the horizon. But be warned, for anyone not fully confident in overhead-plus, powerful reef surfing, this is too big. The period is so long that the sets will be fat, powerful, and a long wait between them. This is a reef bowl, not a crumbly beach break, so the shape will be steep.

Friday the 14th tops it off with 10ft of S swell and energy through the roof. This is only for the elite, and even then, the cross-off wind is a moderate breeze, so it's not as clean as the days prior. This is a big ocean.

One thing to note: Icelands is a reef break that breaks fairly consistently, but it can get crowded often.

To sum it up: Saturday, August 1st morning through the following Tuesday, August 4th morning is your best run of quality, manageable swell with clean conditions. Then Thursday, August 6th afternoon through Friday, August 7th is the big, clean swell window for the advanced crew. The 13th and 14th are monster days for experts only.

Stay frothy.
Rusty.

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