Iceland SUP Adventure

 7mm wetsuit - check. Hoodie - check. Booties - check. Gloves - check. The boys at Blueline Paddlesurf and Paddle Surf Hawaii take a trip to the remote country of Iceland and score some great waves.

Check out last week's SUP journey.

SANTA BARBARA, California - When one thinks of Iceland perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is the massive volcanic eruptions that recently crippled air traffic in Europe, first in April of 2010 and then in May of this year. Running a close second to volcanic ash is the emotional music of Sigur Ros but nowhere in our thought process does stand up paddling come into play.

Thanks to the guys at Blueline Paddlesurf and Paddle Surf Hawaii and their mission to bring us images and video of SUP from around the world, all that is about to change. Turns out the guys were in Iceland when Grimsvotn was belching fire and casting ash towards the horizon, but that did not deter them from grabbing some of the sickest SUP video Iceland has ever seen.

The video, which was produced by Jim Brewer and Barney Burglund and filmed and edited by Peter Trow, shows us the raw beauty of Iceland and the uncharted waves that await the intrepid traveller. The Iceland SUP video is part of a larger, feature film project by Blueline that will include all of the team's travels and will be released in winter 2011.

Below, Jim takes a moment to answer a few questions from SUP Connect on his experience in Iceland.

Why did you choose Iceland?

I choose locations that are off the beaten path and Iceland was a perfect location. It has it all, beautiful landscapes and you can find very good surf if you are lucky. I have had Iceland on my radar for about 3 years as a film and photo location for our team.

What were the local reactions when people saw / heard what you guys were doing?

The locals were very interested in what we were doing. They would come out with cameras and take photos and then call their friends to come watch.

Is there a local SUP scene in Iceland or were the boards you brought pretty much the only equipment around?

There is definitely not a SUP scene in Iceland. Only a few people in the whole country surf and there are no surf shops. Whatever you bring is it.

Looks like you guys scored a sweet spot all to yourselves with a peeling right and snow-capped mountains surrounding you. Can you tell the readers where this was located or do you wish for it to remain a secret?

Yes, we scored big time at that spot. It’s in a very remote part of Iceland and that’s all I can say about that. 

Have you stand up paddled anywhere as remote?

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