From Iceland — VIDEO: Tourist Injured At Reynisfjara

VIDEO: Tourist Injured At Reynisfjara

Published November 12, 2019

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
Screenshot/Þórólfur Sævar Sæmundsson

Emergency care workers were called to Reynisfjara yesterday to rescue a tourist who had been knocked over and injured by one of the beach’s notorious sneaker waves, Vísir reports.

Sigurður Sigurbjörnsson, a police sargeant in the nearby town of Vík, told reporters that while the man was fortunately able to crawl out of the surf before being dragged into Reynisfjara’s powerful undertow, he did injure his shoulder, and was sent to Reykjavík for medical attention. It is unknown how injured he is.

Although there are signs set up at the beach, in multiple languages, warning people that Reynisfjara is rife with sneaker waves and a fierce undertow, people continue to tempt fate at the location.

Reynisfjara is certainly beautiful, but remember: it’s a lot more beautiful when you survive the experience unscathed, and that means giving the surf a wider berth than you may think necessary. Stay closer to where the sand and earth meet, far from the water, and the experience will be a fun one—provided the area is not closed off by the police.

Below you can see a video taken by Þórólfur Sævar Sæmundsson yesterday, demonstrating just how powerful Reynisfjara’s sneaker waves can be:

Video: Þórólfur Sævar Sæmundsson

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