“I liked the idea of going somewhere I’d never been before and surfing waves with nobody around — potentially even finding new waves that had never even been surfed before.”
We all share one universal objective when it comes to surf trips: score. We want to score. We plan to score. We expect to score. Finding and riding great waves are pretty much the top factors in determining where and when we’ll go to a place like Central America, Hawaii, somewhere in the Indian Ocean, you get the picture. So it’s not often we find ourselves booking plane tickets and planning accommodations with an expectation that the best wave of our life (probably) isn’t in the forecast.
Hunter Jones had to release all of that when Dane Anderson got him on board for a trip to Iceland. Not because there wouldn’t be waves, but as Jones puts it, the decision to explore the tiny Arctic island meant nothing would be guaranteed. No promise of glassy barrels or even reliable swell windows.
“And that’s what made it so exciting,” he says. “I grew up watching pro surfers do these arctic trips and I always wanted to do some kind of proper cold-water trip. I liked the idea of going somewhere I’d never been before and surfing waves with nobody around — potentially even finding new waves that had never even been surfed before.”
The idea had been floated around for a long time before Jones and Anderson actually pulled the trigger. Dane had been to Iceland before and knew enough about the surf scene there that they’d have spots to turn to. But for Jones it was all new territory he was excited to tackle. He admits the nature of planning and executing an Arctic surf trip is like no other trip. Aside from the obvious hurdle of getting excited enough to surf in near-freezing temps (pack two wetsuits), the layout of the island lends itself to a lot of changing variables when it comes to waves. That means being up for anything spontaneous, like scoping out a spot that looks like it could be protected from the weather or a point that might churn out a wave here and there – then rolling the dice and seeing if it pays off.
“There’s endless opportunity to find waves because you’re on an island,” he explains. “If you’re willing to drive and be on the pulse of the weather, the swell, and everything that comes with it, you can totally find waves to yourself. More often than not on this trip it was just us in the water. It was super rewarding.”
So the approach to Arctic surf trips is clearly different from your run-of-the-mill strike mission in Central America. For Jones that brought a uniquely rewarding experience that fits into the “step outside of your comfort zone” brand of travel. As he puts it, you even have to be open to the idea of not scoring at all.
“I always go on a surf trip with an understanding that it’s all going to be fine. You stay at the spot and that’s where you’re going to be surfing. But this was completely up to us.”
