Icelandic Digital Magazine LIVE+ICELANDIC+Spring+2017 | Page 14

ICELAND – ARCTIC
SURFERS' PARADISE
Hitting the waves with the locals
Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with an incredible force that breaks on
the black sand-covered coastlines, Iceland is arctic surfers' paradise. The
sport has been on the rise in recent years, with more people than ever
exploring the Icelandic beaches, all with the same purpose of finding the
perfect surf spot.
Surfing here has spellbound not only the international adventurers and
professional surfers. Initially brought to Iceland by American soldiers who
stayed at the NATO base in Keflavík, the sport quickly got picked up by
adventure hungry locals, and in recent years it has become increasingly
popular among Icelandic men and women. To find out what is the compelling
element about arctic surfing in Iceland, we ventured out with a couple of
female arctic surfers, Heiða Birgisdóttir who has been surfing for almost 20
years and Rut Sigurðardóttir who just started surfing this winter.
Heiða, who works as a lead designer for an Icelandic outdoor clothing brand
got her first surfboard in 1998, making her an expert of sorts when it comes
to reading and riding the waves. In addition to surfing, she seeks the thrill of
an adventure in the Icelandic wilderness through mountain biking and
snowboarding. The ocean however, has a special place in her heart: "There
is no way to describe the incredible feeling of heading out in the cold ocean
and feeling the power the raw untamed power," Heiða describes.
Rut, on the other hand, who used to work as a journalistic photographer for
an Icelandic newspaper, is a newcomer to the world of arctic surfing, as she
got into it in the fall of 2016 and instantly got hooked. It led to her quitting
her job to pursue the Arctic surfing life style on regular basis: "From the first
time I entered the ocean, I was obsessed with the surf and I just couldn't get
it out of my head. Every time the forecast looked good, and I was stuck at
work, I was in pure agony. It was such a stressful feeling. I was constantly
thinking about the amazing adventure that I was missing out on and I just
could not take it any longer. So, I decided to quit my job and started working
as a freelance photographer. I haven't looked back since then." Rut says it
is a dream come true being a master of her own time and being able to hit
the wave any time an opportunity presents itself.