Iceland is best known for waterfalls, the blue lagoon and the northern lights and unbelievable landscapes. I’ve wanted to see the northern lights since I was a kid and I figured there was no better place to do it than Iceland. However, when I saw Chris Burkard’s film Under an Arctic Sky I had a new appreciation for adventure in Iceland and cold water surfing. The northern lights were only part of the reason I wanted to visit Iceland. One of the most incredible scenes in his film features a surfer perfectly positioned under the northern lights. It was that moment I knew I had to go on this trip. I needed to witness surfing in Iceland with the Arctic Surfers and go on a Burkard adventure.
Surfing in Iceland
Iceland is cold in December and not your everyday surf destination. The surfing community might be small in Iceland but it is growing and they love cold water surfing. I was amazed how the cold water didn’t seem to phase them. The December temperatures in Iceland range from -2°C to 4°C (28°F to 39°F). The daylight only lasts around 4 hours and the sun never seems to truly rise or set. It is the last place you’d expect to see surfing but one of the most incredible in the world.
Thanks to Chris Burkard and the Arctic Surfers taking us to their favorite surf spot in Iceland I was able to take some photos with my drone and shoot a little video from above.
My friend Rich Brooks is a very talented surf photographer and took all these incredible shots from the shore. Check out more of his work in his portfolio on Rich Brooks Photography.
Thank you Rich for letting us share your photos from Iceland. See more from Rich at Rich Brooks Photography.
Flying Above the Surfers of Iceland
This was my first time filming surfers from a drone and it was challenging. The cold, the wind, and my lack of surf photography experience all added to the difficulty but it was a lot of fun and amazing to see them from above. Here are the surfers of Iceland from above and a few additional highlights from the trip.
