Icelands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break it down. We’ve got one spot on the radar for the next couple of weeks, and it’s a slow starter before the real juice shows up.

The overall picture is a run of clean, rideable surf that’s been pretty marginal early on, but it builds into some serious groundswell action in the first week of August. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so nothing crazy.

The first few days, from Wednesday the 22nd through to the end of July, are all about smaller, cleaner waves. We’re seeing a steady push of swell from the SSE, with heights hanging around 3ft to 6ft. The period is mixed, starting around 13 seconds and dropping to 9-10 seconds mid-week, so it’s a bit mushy and short-period. The wind is mostly a cross-off from the SE, which keeps things tidy. The wave energy is in the moderate range, with values like 419 to 769 (moderate energy). Nothing to write home about, but it’s surfable. Sunday afternoon the 26th is a standout early on, with a glassy 4ft SSE swell from the SSW and calm winds – that’s a sweet window for a clean session.

The real story starts on Thursday the 30th of July. We get a long-period groundswell from the SSW, with a period of 19 seconds and a moderate energy reading of 1005. That’s a proper groundswell. The swell height is 3ft, but with that long period, it’s going to draw into Icelands (a reef break) beautifully. The wind is a light cross-off from the SE. This is the first standout. It’s not huge, but the quality will be there for experienced surfers.

Then, from Tuesday the 4th of August into Wednesday the 5th, we’ve got the top pick of the whole run. Swell from the SSW is pumping in at 7ft to 8ft, with a period of 18 seconds. The wave energy is massive – readings of 3838 and 3140 (strong to very strong wave energy). This is big, powerful groundswell. The break is a reef, so it’ll handle that long period beautifully. Winds are light, glassy, or cross-off from the NE. This is a proper heavy session for experienced surfers only. The crowd factor is “often” at Icelands, so expect company on those peaky, clean lines. The setup is looking more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for the average punter, but for the experts, it’s game on.

After that, Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th see the swell drop a bit to 6ft-6ft, still with great period and clean conditions, but the wind on Thursday morning turns cross-shore, so it’s a bit more side-onshore, which might throw in some bumps.

The 16-day window has a few gaps. There’s a quiet spell from the 28th July to the 29th, but it’s still clean. The big gap is after the 6th of August, with nothing on the cards for the rest of the run, but it’s a long way out.

So, the standout? Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th of August at Icelands. That’s the heavy, clean groundswell window. The 30th of July is a solid warm-up. Don’t sleep on that Sunday afternoon the 26th for a glassy, small-wave session either.

Rusty, signing off.

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