Photo: Nic Von Rupp // YouTube
Nic Von Rupp just dropped the third episode of his epic Icelandic adventure. The series has been documenting a twelve-day trek across the island. Along with Albee Layer, Heiðar Logi, and Annie Reickert, Von Rupp traveled 1,500 miles in search of some of the world’s coldest and most beautiful waves.
However, while this latest video has its share of surf trip antics, there’s also a sad side to the story. As Von Rupp explains, Iceland’s most famous wave, Þorlákshöfn, or Thorli for short, has been under threat from a nearby port expansion that local surfers say will destroy the break.
“This wave, right here, is the heart of Icelandic surfing. It’s so incredible. And it’s so sad to see human greed taking over and building this rock wall, completely destroying the wave,” explained Von Rupp. “Back in the day, you could catch a wave from all the way here [and ride it] all the way down there. The myth says you could even get barreled right there. Now, with this rock wall, it just creates this massive backwash that has completely ruined the wave.”
Despite a petition with 12,500 signatures, daily protests at the construction site, and a lawsuit filed against the authorities for approving the project, activists have been unable to completely halt the construction.
“This is just another world wonder. It’s an incredible wave that is as good as some of the best waves in the world, and right in front of our eyes it’s being destroyed,” continued Von Rupp. “I think it’s time for the whole surfing world to get together and support each other’s spots. This is nature. This is our oceans. These are our breaks. It’s so sad to see how greed is just taking over and destroying what we have best.
I’m glad I got to surf it before it’s completely destroyed, but I think there’s still time for the whole surfing community to get together and fight for what we love, which is our oceans and the protection of our coastline.”
