
Garður
Surf spot · Iceland
Is it worth the trip?
45Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 9 ft swell at 10 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,692kJ
- Wind
- WSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Wed 4 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 525kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Thu 5 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 372kJ
- Wind
- SSW 21 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 285kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Sat 7 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 118kJ
- Wind
- SSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 741kJ
- Wind
- WSW 18 kn
- Temp
- 5°C
Mon 9 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 163kJ
- Wind
- NNW 12 kn
- Temp
- 3°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 230, too small
- Tue 376, good
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 545, fair
- Fri 633, poor
- Sat 713, too small
- Sun 829, poor
- Mon 94, too small
- Tue 103, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 7 °C5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Garður does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 30, too small | 5 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 218kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 18 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 76, good | 9 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,692kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 15 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 7 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 525kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 10 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 45, fair | 6 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 372kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 21 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 33, poor | 6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 285kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 8°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 13, too small | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 15 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, poor | 8 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 741kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 18 knots, offshore | 5°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 4, too small | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 12 knots | 3°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 1°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:28 −0.9 mHigh 09:59 +1.1 mLow 16:35 −1.0 mHigh 22:52 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:58 −0.9 mHigh 11:28 +1.1 mLow 17:57 −1.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:17 +0.9 mLow 06:21 −1.0 mHigh 12:44 +1.2 mLow 19:04 −1.2 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the spot and its town
Garður on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
4 places
- Hafnir 15.3 km away
- Evan's Reef 17.5 km away
- Sandvik 24.9 km away
- Grindavik Antenas 28.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Garður
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (30°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (210°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 28). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 5°C in January, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 12°C in August, its warmest (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves). The town to stay in is Reykjanesb R, 9.2 km away (about 20 min by car).
Water about 7°C: 5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$884–US$1,660 each
about US$884–US$1,660 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to KEF, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$355–US$737 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$40 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$884–US$1,660 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
about 20 min by car · 31 places to stay
About Reykjanesb R its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Grindavík on Booking.com
about 50 min by car · 13 places to stay
Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 10h 45m
About 10h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KEF, direct, then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → KEF on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.