The black sand beach is one of the most photographed beaches in Iceland and also close enough to the usual tourist routes to be accessible from Reykjavik.
A useful video from Arctic Adventures.
The beach has particularly dangerous waves which can catch people unawares, particularly as they are drawn to take photographs, or to enter a large cave which has basalt pillars around it.
Tourists are injured frequently and even killed.
This is an area which those who guide students around are always wary of. The last time I took a school group there, I even drew a long line in the black sand with the heel of my boot and warned them not to cross it, and we saw someone caught out by a large wave.
These are called sneaker-waves, and they can appear when least expected, even on incredibly still days. There are no significant landmasses in between Antarctica and the shores of Reynisfjara, meaning waves have thousands of kilometers to build over the huge fetch.
A useful video from Arctic Adventures.
The beach has particularly dangerous waves which can catch people unawares, particularly as they are drawn to take photographs, or to enter a large cave which has basalt pillars around it.
Tourists are injured frequently and even killed.
This is an area which those who guide students around are always wary of. The last time I took a school group there, I even drew a long line in the black sand with the heel of my boot and warned them not to cross it, and we saw someone caught out by a large wave.
These are called sneaker-waves, and they can appear when least expected, even on incredibly still days. There are no significant landmasses in between Antarctica and the shores of Reynisfjara, meaning waves have thousands of kilometers to build over the huge fetch.
Visitors are advised to never turn their back on the waves, and keep a safe distance of at least 30 meters (98 feet) and new signage warns them of that.
Here's an example of what can happen if you don't follow the advice:
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