Local photographer Haukur Snorrason took this photograph on Reynisfjara beach, which was the site of a fatal accident earlier this month. A wave crashed in, knocking down a 40 year old Chinese man, dragging him to the sea where he drowned before rescue units could reach him. This year the beach has seen a number of other extremely close calls, when travellers have been rescued by onlookers and tour guides after being knocked down by waves.
Read more: Photos: Travellers in grave danger on Reynisfjara beach, narrowly escape being swept away by waves
Haukur shared the photograph, which he named The Beast, in a Facebook forum dedicated to the Icelandic tourism industry last week to remind people of the dangers posed by the ocean. Haukur argued the wave in the photograph was a perfect example of why Reynisfjara is one of the most dangerous tourist destinations in Iceland:
The wave in the photograph is probably 4-6 meters high (13-20 feet), and it’s deadly. The waves which were coming in during the 5-10 minutes before this wave hit were only 1-2 meters high (3-7 feet), no danger there. But therein lies the danger, the big ones can come in, all of a sudden, much larger than those before, like a tsunami
Local photographer Haukur Snorrason took this photograph on Reynisfjara beach, which was the site of a fatal accident earlier this month. A wave crashed in, knocking down a 40 year old Chinese man, dragging him to the sea where he drowned before rescue units could reach him. This year the beach has seen a number of other extremely close calls, when travellers have been rescued by onlookers and tour guides after being knocked down by waves.
Read more: Photos: Travellers in grave danger on Reynisfjara beach, narrowly escape being swept away by waves
Haukur shared the photograph, which he named The Beast, in a Facebook forum dedicated to the Icelandic tourism industry last week to remind people of the dangers posed by the ocean. Haukur argued the wave in the photograph was a perfect example of why Reynisfjara is one of the most dangerous tourist destinations in Iceland:
The wave in the photograph is probably 4-6 meters high (13-20 feet), and it’s deadly. The waves which were coming in during the 5-10 minutes before this wave hit were only 1-2 meters high (3-7 feet), no danger there. But therein lies the danger, the big ones can come in, all of a sudden, much larger than those before, like a tsunami
