Reynisfjara to get extra safety supervision?

Some form of manned safety system may be needed at Reynisfjara beach near Vík, South Iceland, if visitors do not heed warning signs.

This is the conclusion of both Smári Sigurðsson, Head of the Iceland Association for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR), and Chief Inspector of South Iceland Police, Kristján Rúnarsson, in response to a recent spate of accidents at the popular tourist spot.

“Reynisfjara is a beautiful and fun place, but there are dangers which some tourists do not appreciate,” says Sigurðsson, agreeing with Chief Inspector Rúnarsson that something must be done.

ICE-SAR is regularly called out to incidents at Reynisfjara, most recently on 1 February, when a tourist was caught unawares by the strength of the waves and brought down into the water (see photos here – news item in Icelandic).

An elderly lady from the United States drowned at the famous black-sand beach in 2007.

“Reynisfjara is a popular place and not everybody comes with a tour guide,” explains Sigurðsson. “I don’t like rules and regulations, but if warning signs are not enough, then the next step is looking into some sort of safety supervision.”

Reynisfjara in calmer conditions. Photo: Brynjar Gauti