A woman has shared footage of the moment ‘stubborn tourists’ ignored safety rules and were swept away by powerful waves on one of Iceland’s most dangerous beaches.
Kelsey, from Manchester, filmed the terrifying incident during a visit to Reynisfjara beach, where five people have died in just seven years.
The video, shared by the traveler on TikTok, has been viewed by more than 7.5 million people in less than a week.
The caption reads: ‘This is what happens when you are a stubborn tourist and don’t listen to the rules, why are people like this?!
‘Black Sand Beach is the most dangerous beach in Iceland (and one of the most dangerous beaches in the world) because of ‘sneaker waves’ which look calm and small, but are in fact so powerful that they drag people into the ocean and people have died here.
“Rule number 1 on this beach is never turn your back on the waves” and don’t go somewhere where you can’t see other footprints. Some people will do anything for a video/photo.’
They throw their arms in the air as the next wave starts to roll in, but they were forced to run away quickly after it accelerated and flooded the entire beach.
Two of them fell into the water and were swept away by the powerful waves, before managing to get up and walk away
In the clip, two tourists approach the water while a third films them from behind.
They throw their arms in the air as the next wave starts to roll in, but they were forced to run away quickly after it accelerated and flooded the entire beach.
Two of them fell into the water and were swept away by the powerful waves, before managing to get up and walk away.
Viewers flooded the comments to bash the tourists, asking: ‘Who walks on obviously saturated sand and doesn’t think the waves rise that far?’
Another wrote: ‘Is it just me or is it obvious from the size of the waves and the slope of the coast that this would happen. You can see where the wet sand is.”
One viewer, who had previously visited the beach, claimed: ‘To get to this exact spot you pass a sign with a photo of the last person swept into the sea by sneaker waves, and yet there they are.’
Kelsey captured another video showing the sign you must pass to enter the beach, warning people to “keep a safe distance” from the waves.
Another commenter wrote: ‘Clueless and dangerous. I’ve been there and there’s a sign that says don’t go near the waves because of the waves of sneakers.’
Others warned: ‘People die on that beach quite regularly’ and ‘they laugh, but they have no idea how close they were to a life or death situation.
One viewer wondered: ‘I never understood the term sneaker/sneaky waves. You literally see it coming.’
Another shocked commenter added: ‘It amazes me when people don’t realize how dangerous waves can be at such close range. I forget that not many people have seen the ocean before.”
Despite the deadly waves, Reynisfjara is considered the finest example of Iceland’s black sand beaches.
Located near the southernmost village of Vik i Myrdal, it is a popular tourist attraction.
However, the currents are notorious for their strength and ability to sweep people out to sea, with the most recent fatality in 2022 – the fifth death in just seven years.
According to Euro newsThere have also been twelve serious emergency calls from the beach between 2013 and 2023.
Visit Iceland warns travelers about the infamous beach, calling it one of the most dangerous destinations in Iceland.
In addition to the sneaker waves, scree is also common because the cliffs above the eastern part of the beach are steep and unstable.
The website explains that Reynisfjara beach is divided into zones depending on conditions:
When a yellow light is on, visitors are not allowed to enter the yellow zone and when a red light is on, visitors are not allowed to enter the red zone.
In 2019, a similar video emerged of a huge wave that overwhelmed a group of petrified tourists and carried them to shore.
The footage was recorded by an on-duty police officer looking down from above.
After a large wave of water catches the group off guard, they can be heard screaming as they struggle to stay on their feet.
They wave their arms wildly in an attempt to regain their balance, but the tide knocks the tourists to the ground and sweeps some of them to shore.
A visitor in his 30s suffered a shoulder injury and was taken to hospital minutes earlier.