A tour company has made the decision to stop taking tourists to Reynisfjara beach, where a tourist was recently drowned in the undertow. Police say that even keeping watch over the beach and advising people to stay away from the water is not enough to keep everyone from taking dangerous chances.
Vísir reports that the tour company Superjeep.is has decided it will no longer be taking tourists to Reynisfjara. The beach has been making headlines lately, as tourists have ignored both warning signs and their tour guides that the undertow is deceptively dangerous, resulting in one recent death at the location.
“Nature has played a big role in changing the area,” Superjeep area manager Jakob Guðjohnsen told reporters. “The sea is encroaching onto the beach, and the water is coming up higher than ever. What used to be safe is now dangerous for people.”
Jakob added that access to the beach is fairly broad, and there are not enough warning signs advising people to avoid wading in the waters, echoing sentiments from Vilborg Anna Björnsdóttir, the vice chairperson of the Iceland Tourist Guide Association, who told RÚV that access to the beach could be more restricted.
The situation has become so bad that South Iceland police now keep a permanent watch over the beach – but even this is proving to be not enough.
South Iceland police superintendent Sveinn Kristján Rúnarsson told Vísir that there are always some people who ignore police warnings about the danger of the beach, and attempt wading in the waters anyway.
“There are always some people who go their own way and ignore what we say, but the vast majority abide our orders,” he said. “Many people have familiarised themselves with the area and know about it, but many only know the gentle beachs you could find in Spain.”
The Grapevine would like to emphasise again that Reynisfjara beach is nothing to trifle with. The undertow, even in shallow waters, is strong, and large waves can suddenly appear. If you visit this beautiful location, by all means explore the beach and take photos, but keep your distance from the water.
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