Tourists Keep Tempting Fate At Reynisfjara

Still more tourists have nearly been washed out to sea at the scenic beach, prompting police to ask for a permanent guard at the site.

RÚV reports that Magnús H. Jóhannesson, who runs the tour company Mudshark, took photos of still more tourists wading into the dangerous waters of Reynisfjara beach and nearly being swept out to sea. Despite repeated warnings from tour guides not to trifle with the ocean at this spot, people continue to ignore these warnings, putting themselves in harm’s way.

Sveinn Kristján Rúnarsson, the chief of the South Iceland police, told RÚV that recently increased security measures – such as signs advising people to stay on the walking path – have apparently not been enough.

“It doesn’t seem to change that people are playing in the surf and endangering themselves,” he said. Commenting on the newest photos of tourists wading into the deceptive waters, he added, “And there we see a good example of why we need a continuous watch [over the site].”

The idea has been brought up before, he said, but the matter is a question of money.

“The country needs to wake up to the fact that we have tourists all year round, and we need to build up more security in keeping with that,” he said. “We can’t stick our heads in the sand and hope everything goes well.”

If you visit Reynisfjara, please have in mind that warnings against wading into the surf are being provided for a good reason. There have been accidental drownings at this location and the undertow is shockingly strong, no matter how harmless the water may seem.