Grótta
Surf spot · Iceland
Is it worth the trip?
27Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 5 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 187kJ
- Wind
- SSE 18 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Tue 3 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 499kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Wed 4 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 195kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Thu 5 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 118kJ
- Wind
- SSE 16 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- SW 10 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- SSE 13 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Sun 8 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 325kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 6°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 126, too small
- Mon 228, too small
- Tue 330, too small
- Wed 430, too small
- Thu 526, too small
- Fri 67, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 834, too small
- Mon 93, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–14 ftof swell
- Water 7 °C5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 141kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 187kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 18 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 30, too small | 5 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 499kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 9°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 195kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 16 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 7, too small | 3 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 7°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 13 knots, offshore | 7°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 34, too small | 5 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 325kJ | offshorewind from the east, 9 knots, offshore | 6°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 15 knots | 2°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | -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
- Sun 1 NovLow 03:15 −1.2 mHigh 09:39 +1.4 mLow 16:12 −1.1 mHigh 22:20 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:30 −1.0 mHigh 11:00 +1.2 mLow 17:36 −1.0 mHigh 23:53 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:00 −0.9 mHigh 12:30 +1.1 mLow 18:58 −1.1 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
Grótta on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
1 place
- Hafnarfjordur Beach&Reef 11.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Grótta
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (300°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (120°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 92). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 4°C in February, 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 Reykjavik, 7 km away (about 15 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$965–US$1,800 each
about US$965–US$1,800 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| 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$965–US$1,800 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
12 min by car · 148 places to stay
About Reykjavik its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Hafnarfjar Arkaupsta Ur on Booking.com
21 min by car · 18 places to stay
- Beds in Mosfellsb R on Booking.com
27 min by car · 4 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 11h 15m
About 11h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KEF, direct, then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → KEF on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.