Reynisfjara is a popular

black sand Black sand is sand that is black in color. One type of black sand is a heavy, glossy, partly magnetic mixture of usually fine sands containing minerals such as magnetite, found as part of a placer deposit. Another type of black sand, found on ...

beach in southern Iceland near the town of

Vík í Mýrdal The village of Vík (), known as Vík í Mýrdal (, ) in full, is the southernmost village in Iceland. It is located on the main ring road around the island, and is around southeast of Reykjavík by road. Despite its small size (750 inhabitan ...

. It is part of the Katla UNESCO Global Geopark. Hálsanefshellir Cave with its

basalt column Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...

s is located at the eastern end of the beach, and in the west is

Dyrhólaey Dyrhólaey (, "door hill island"), formerly known by seamen as Cape Portland, is a small promontory located on the south coast of Iceland, not far from the village Vík. It was formerly an island of volcanic origin, which is also known by the ...

promontory. The

Reynisdrangar Reynisdrangar () are the basalt Stack (geology), sea stacks situated under the mountain Reynisfjall near the village of Vík í Mýrdal in southern Iceland. It is framed by a black sand beach that was ranked in 1991 as one of the ten most beaut ...

Sea Stacks are also located here.

Eyjafjallajökull Eyjafjallajökull (; "glacier of (the mountain) Eyjafjöll"), sometimes referred to by the numeronym E15, is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano wi ...

volcano is visible from the beach.

Safety concerns

Conditions on the beach vary greatly and can change quickly. Reynisfjara beach attracts large numbers of visitors year-round due to its striking black sand and dramatic

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

sea stacks, but it is also the site of unpredictable sneaker waves that can surge far inland without warning. Because many tourists focus on photography and overlook hazard signage, these powerful waves—generated by the convergence of swell trains over a submerged offshore ledge—have led to at least twelve serious emergency rescues and five fatalities since 2007.

Safety measures

In response to the ongoing risk, Icelandic authorities and local stakeholders have proposed and begun implementing a suite of interventions. The beach has a warning system with condition-dependent safety zones for cautioning visitors during hazardous conditions, such as sneaker waves. Web Archive link of Iceland Monitor, New monitoring systems at Reynisfjara, 2022
/ref> This system was installed following fatal accidents. Safety measures include the placement of highly visible, multilingual warning signs with

pictogram A pictogram (also pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto) is a graphical symbol that conveys meaning through its visual resemblance to a physical object. Pictograms are used in systems of writing and visual communication. A pictography is a wri ...

s; the development of a real-time

wave-forecasting In fluid dynamics, wind wave modeling describes the effort to depict the sea state and predict the evolution of the energy of wind waves using computer model, numerical techniques. These simulations consider atmospheric wind forcing, nonlinear wa ...

system linked to warning lights; and the consideration of daily visitor allowances and nominal entrance fees to fund safety infrastructure. Enhanced coordination between the

Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue Slysavarnarfélagið Landsbjörg or the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR) is a national association of rescue units and accident prevention divisions. Its member organizations consist of 99 rescue units, 70 accident prevention ...

, the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration and tourism operators aims to improve hazard information via

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

guide book A guide book or travel guide is "a book of information about a place designed for the use of visitors or tourists". It will usually include information about sights, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, and activities. Maps of varying det ...

s and on-site personnel, thereby raising awareness of sneaker wave dangers while encouraging more sustainable patterns of visitation.

References

{{coord, 63.4035, -19.0474, region:IS, display=title Landforms of Iceland Protected areas of Iceland Tourist attractions in Iceland Geoparks in Europe Beaches of Europe