Staying Home Sucks, home
Stekkjarhraun
Hafnarfjar Arkaupsta Ur, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Steinninn, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Hafnarfjordur Beach&Reef

Surf spot · Iceland

Is it worth the trip?

30Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 5 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 21 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
187kJ
Wind
SSE 17 kn
Temp
9°C

Tue 3 · 39 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
499kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
9°C

Wed 4 · 30 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
195kJ
Wind
SE 5 kn
Temp
7°C

Thu 5 · 24 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
118kJ
Wind
SSE 14 kn
Temp
10°C

Fri 6 · 11 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
60kJ
Wind
SW 6 kn
Temp
6°C

Sat 7 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
12kJ
Wind
SSE 11 kn
Temp
6°C

Sun 8 · 43 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
376kJ
Wind
E 11 kn
Temp
3°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 127, too small
  2. Mon 221, too small
  3. Tue 339, too small
  4. Wed 430, too small
  5. Thu 524, too small
  6. Fri 611, too small
  7. Sat 712, too small
  8. Sun 843, too small
  9. Mon 96, too small
  10. 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 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 7 °C5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number

Hafnarfjordur Beach&Reef does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Hafnarfjordur Beach&Reef, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov27, too small4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)141kJwind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore8°C
Mon 2Nov21, too small4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)187kJwind from the south-south-east, 17 knots, offshore9°C
Tue 3Nov39, too small5 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)499kJwind from the south, 7 knots9°C
Wed 4Nov30, too small4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)195kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore7°C
Thu 5Nov24, too small3 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)118kJwind from the south-south-east, 14 knots, offshore10°C
Fri 6Nov11, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the south-west, 6 knots6°C
Sat 7Nov12, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)12kJwind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore6°C
Sun 8Nov43, too small5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)376kJwind from the east, 11 knots, offshore3°C
Mon 9Nov6, too small2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)68kJwind from the north-north-west, 11 knots0°C
Tue 10Nov19, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)66kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots, offshore-3°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

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Hafnarfjordur Beach&Reef

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces NW (296°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (116°). 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 400 m out (1 in 39). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 Hafnarfjar Arkaupsta Ur, 3 km away (about 5 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to KEF, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$355–US$737
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$100–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$201–US$328
Food7 days eating outabout US$221–US$415
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout 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

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 10m

About 11h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → KEF, direct, then 50 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.