If you mistook the above photo at the first glance to be the classic rendition of a black and white filter, you couldn’t be more wrong. The picture is indeed in its true and actual form, devoid of any filters. This picture, clicked by my wife, is of the Reynisfjara beach, more popularly known as the “Black Sand Beach of Iceland”.
For the uninitiated, Reynisfjara beach is on the southern coast of Iceland, quite literally next to the charming southernmost village of Iceland, Vik í Myrdal. It’s an extremely popular spot for both locals and tourists, owing to the majestic contrast of the white frothy waves crashing upon the obsidian dark sand of the beach. However, be forewarned, like the famous quote goes, “Danger hides in beauty, and beauty hides in danger”, venturing too close to the “sneaker waves” of this iconic beach can literally prove to be very fatal.
Reaching Reynisfjara
As mentioned earlier, Reynisfjara beach is a stone’s throw away from the southernmost village in Iceland, Vik í Myrdal, or commonly known as, Vik. The charming village itself is steeped in folklore and has served as a popular filming location for several Icelandic shows, such as, Katla and Game of Thrones. You can choose Vik as a base to visit the southern coast of Iceland, including Reynisfjara beach, Jokulsarlon Glacier, DC3 Plane Wreck, and Diamond Beach.
Alternatively, people traversing around the picturesque Ring Road of Iceland will pass by this iconic beach and should definitely add this in their must-visit list of places.
Folklore
There’s an interesting folklore surrounding this beach and the sharp jutting rocky sea columns within touching distance of this beach. These conical basalt rocks protruding out of the frothy sea waves are called Reynisdrangar. As per the mystical tale, these large columns of basalt rocks were the mythical creatures, trolls. The folklore says that these trolls enjoyed pulling ships to the shore. However, dim-witted as they are portrayed, these trolls happened to stay out too late in the night and once dawn broke across the horizon, they were transformed into these prominent rocks.
Another famous legend quotes a brave and remorseful husband out for vengeance against two trolls who had kidnapped his wife and eventually, killed her. It’s said that this man followed the trolls down to Reynisfjara where he froze them for eternity so that there would be no more deaths by these trolls.
Why is the sand black in color?
Iceland is famously known as the ‘Land of Fire and Ice’ due to its juxtaposition of majestic volcanoes and its ice-capped landscapes. Reynisfjara owes the dark colour of its sand to these unpredictable mountains of fire. When a volcano erupts, it releases tonnes of molten hot lava, which eventually cools down and solidifies into basalt, a dark-coloured volcanic rock rich in iron and magnesium minerals. Over time, these basalt rocks are broken down into fine particles by erosion. Glacial rivers, then, carry these rock particles and deposit them on the coastline on its way to meet the ocean.
Sneaker waves of death
While the beach is a divine scene right out of a fantastical fairytale, it’s extremely dangerous, probably fatal, to venture extremely close to the waves. The technical term for the waves crashing on the Reynisfjara shores are called “sneaker waves” (also known as sleeper or king waves). Sneaker waves, as the term suggests, are deceptive and massive coastal waves that can suddenly appear behind smaller waves. You have to remember two important things - there is literally no landmass around Iceland, which means that these waves have literally thousands of kilometres to build up. To add to that, the ocean floor deepens rapidly away from the coast, i.e., there is a sudden deep trench at a short distance from the coastline. It results in gigantic waves sneaking up extremely fast right before they hit the shore. Once caught in these deadly waves, the suction created by the black gravel below your feet will pull you in instantly with little chance of rescue. The local authorities have set up zones to warn the visitors of the deadly waves. So, if you happen to visit the beach and notice a “red” or a “yellow” light on the signboards, they are advised to not venture past these signboards.
All said and done, the Reynisfjara beach is an Icelandic marvel, an ethereal mystical span of dark beauty in the land of fire and ice.
