Nate Florence likes to explore. Most of it hangs on exploring for waves, but as anyone who has traveled relatively extensively in search of waves knows, the in between is where the real sugar is at. Sure, the waves are great, but a really good surf trip needs more than just good waves. And Florence decided to forgo the trunks for a wetsuit in Iceland.
“We’re here in Iceland to see, explore, and check everything out,” he said from the car in the the almost-hour long vlog above. “It’s a place Mahina and I wanted to visit. We’ve seen a few fun waves in some edits and thought ‘hey, we could go surf and have fun.’ Even some Mahina waves because I’ve got my gun that she can ride. [We can] see what else the place has to offer. The waterfalls, the hikes — you know we love hiking — the hot springs, all that cool stuff. We’re going to do it.”
Iceland is a pretty wild place. Sitting in the middle of the North Atlantic, it’s a bit different from other Nordic countries and the accompanying cultures. With relatively mild summers and some of the harshest winters, it’s a place that requires a certain type of intrepidness to truly explore
It is home to Europe’s biggest glacier, Vatnajökull. Interestingly, beer was illegal there until the late ’80s, and it’s one of the few countries on Earth that boasts black-sand beaches. Many of the homes there are heated with geothermal, which is so hot it has to be cooled down before it hits the houses. Surfing there is rapidly growing, thanks to the advancements in wetsuit tech and the growing hunt for waves that aren’t overcrowded. It’s not an easy place to find waves, though.
It requires patience, an intimate knowledge of the many nooks and crannies that make up the coastline, and a willingness to get skunked. All of which Nate has, or is willing to get help with. He also has the skill to surf waves that many surfers would run from, which is helpful. On this particular trip, he didn’t find anything too crazy, but he certainly did find a few really, really good spots.
