If you have ever poured over maps of the higher latitudes in search of new surf breaks, you probably have noticed the countless curves and bends in the region’s coastlines that hint at an astonishing array of point breaks. These mountainous fingers jutting out to sea are commonly known as fjords. Most fjords are found beginning around 60°N and 45°S.

In these colder regions, lots of ice forms and landscapes become heavily glaciated. It appears as if these glaciers carved out narrow, “U” shaped valleys as gravity pulled the ice down toward sea level. These twists and turns in the coast look promising for wave discovery, but the reality is not as ideal as one might hope.

Fjords can be extremely deep, which means there is no shallow sea floor for waves to gain traction. Waves break in a water depth that is about 1.3 times the height of the wave, depending on the bathymetry of the sea floor. A steepness of 1:12 is an approximate slope ratio for a barreling wave. As the steepness of the slope increases, the wave doesn’t break at all. Instead, it surges up against the shore, or in our case a cliff, and explodes. Its energy dissipates into deeper water. That’s not very useful for finding peeling point breaks. But the opportunity for surfable waves in these regions still exists.

The arctic wave explorer should consider other geological contributors to shallow sea floor transitions. Who are these contributors? Look for river-mouths, who continually push sand outward and deposit it along the coast. Glaciers sitting at higher elevations melt as they approach sea level, and the resulting melt-water drains through a flood plain and out to sea, taking rocks and sediment with it.

Another feature to consider is the abrupt rock ledge located just below the water’s surface. This shallow fist breaks incoming lines into slabbing barrels and is commonly found in steep coastal terrain. And in general, make sure the coastline in question is open to swell, so that waves can sneak in and find an optimal place to break before their energy is lost.

Once you have found a potential fjord with waves, the next question will be how to get there. Many countries with fjords have well-kept scenic roads that zag into deep valleys and traverse through mountain tunnels, while other regions are only accessible by boat or kayak. But if you find waves in a difficult-to-access region, chances are you will have it all to yourself.

Let’s take a look at a few coldwater hotspots, regions widely known for their high excellence in wave quality and incredibly cold water temperature. With well-known surf competitions such as the O’Neill Coldwater Classic and increasing coverage in print and online surf publications, surfing in these locations is now becoming a subject of everyone’s daily conversation and thought.

Thurso East is an excellent right-breaking reef located on the northern coast of Scotland. Scotland’s coastline is littered with slabby slabs and abrupt ledges created by stratified rock consisting of laminated sandstone. Whether rain, storm, or sun, these North Atlantic reefs consistently create mechanical waves.

Eastern Canada is located along one of the coldest seas on the planet. The region’s surf spots have been featured in contests such as the Red Bull Ice Break in Nova Scotia. Surfers wear boots, gloves, hood, and reportedly coat their faces in Vaseline to protect from frost burn. Swell tends to be fickle, but when it’s coming in, it will probably be worth considering the possibility of paddling out.

Norway’s Lofoten islands are located within the Arctic Circle. But temperatures are not as cold as you might expect. The region is home to a positive temperature anomaly created by the North Atlantic Current. In a few areas of the archipelago, temperatures remain above freezing year round. Norway has been experiencing publicity in surf films such as ‘Arctic Surf’. Further coastlines have been explored along the Berents Sea and the border of Russia.

Like eastern Canada, New England is very very cold. It’s here that coastal geology transitions from wide sandy beaches and dunes to rocky formations and cobblestone reefs. Coastal access is difficult, however. It’s one of the coldest place to surf in the United States.

Iceland is exciting territory for coldwater breaks. Well-kept roads make coastal access manageable during the warmer seasons. Its active volcano landscape creates countless geological formations perfect for the formation of excellent waves. Recently a coldwater surf camp opened for surf travelers keen to venture into new territory, and the region was features in Taylor Steele’s Castles In The Sky film.

At long last, Arctic surf camps are open for business in Iceland, possibly fizzling the fire that fuels underground arctic surf exploration. The first surfer on the island dates back to around 1973. Early Icelandic surfers were aided in discovering their own surf breaks by easy access. A coastal road circumvents most of the island. Their surf break inheritance was at their fingertips.

Since then, a small community has sprung up around the chilly ocean excursion, and numerous magazine articles have documented destination surf trips. So, its no surprise that a camp now offers custom surf tours. But what does this mean for arctic surf exploration? The flame hasn’t fizzled yet. Perhaps its a prod to look deeper into the unknown.

When I first discovered that Kim Jong-il rides a motorized boogie board in a wave pool in his seven story oceanfront palace, I was surprised. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or simply North Korea, is considered the most militarized and politically isolated nation in the world. It currently holds one of the worst records for human rights violations. And most of its people live in severe poverty.

In Kim’s seven story palace, most of the stories sit above sea level. A few dwell below sea level. One particular underground room hides a window that looks out over the ocean floor. He also has a huge underground bunker with a control center.

It is difficult for North Korean citizens to go to the beach. Much of the coast is lined with electric fences, to “keep invaders out”.

Most of the landscape is gray and lifeless. Nondescript rectangular buildings cluster here and there. North Korea is nowhere near the Arctic Circle, but its people are suppressed by an icy blanket of silence.

Liberty In North Korea is an organization that gives relief to the country’s refugees.

Lone man sits on his board a few yards out from the beach, staring toward the sea in a catatonic pose as if looking past the horizon. Notice that his posture is immutable and transcendent of time and space, the way his arms are rigidly held at his side, the way he continuously looks ahead.

Who knows how long he has sat here this way. A thousand years?

A perfect A-frame set begins to build directly in front of him. The wave grows, but surfer remains in rigid posture. He finds it unnecessary to move. As wave reaches its breaking point, surfer lays down on board, aims toward shore, takes four complete strokes, drops in.

This absurdity is the Everyday Surfer’s Dream. The surfer only had to make the most fundamentally necessary movements to catch this wave, the ocean did the rest. Perfect wave, perfect position, perfect paddle speed, in-sync and in rhythm. It is so simple it actually appears to be mundane and arbitrary. Most striking, however, is the existential loneliness of it all. To watch this scenario unwind over and over again gives a strange sense of cosmic determinism in the vein of Groundhog Day, where every day repeats itself like the last.

Isn’t this the ultimate goal in surfing, to find a completely isolated A-frame peak that breaks the exact same way all day long?

The World’s Third Most Desirable Arctic Surf Spot: Arctic Norway. This environmentally pristine and secluded surf sanctuary is a friendly finger in the scandinavian neighborhood, next door to the Nobel Prize awarding Sweden. Closely rivaling wave-rich Chile in geographical skinniness, Norway gets a gold star for cold wave quality. Why the most desirable? Colorful beach cottages and fishing villages, dramatic mountainous scenery, and a unique species of arctic ocean shark make Norway a prime choice to surf in the arctic.

Photo Credit

#5: Falling into 5th place is alaskan glacier surfing. Why is this the most desirable? Because the wave is perfect, the scenery is breathtaking, and the water is freezing cold glacier-melt. If it’s so good, why is it in 5th place? The melting water of glaciers deposits enormous amounts of sediment, meaning the water is thick with silt, almost mud-like, making the actual surfing experience a little bit more unpleasant than what one would be used to day-to-day.

#4: Number four on the list of the Absolutely Most Desirable Place To Surf In the Arctic or Antarctic Regions is none other than Elephant Island. Scouted by Steve Hawk and Chris Malloy, this small chunk of rock close to Antarctica had some surfable waves worthy of a news arcticle in the LA Times. Made famous by  Sir Ernest Shackleton’s renown expedition and survival story, these courageous surfers have contributed to arctic-surf history by pulling into a few icy shackletons of their own.

Finally Arctic Surf Blog resumes. Thank you to those of you who have held tight, and are still dedicated to discovering interesting facts about surfing in the arctic and antarctic. In this post I would like to pose a question to you, the reader. Please list the top 5 freezing cold places to surf that you find are the most desirable. I will be compiling a list of my own, utilizing the extensive database of research we have at our disposal here at our station, and will post the definitive 2010 Most Desirable Arctic Surf Spots shortly. Remember to take into consideration the beauty of the natural environment, lack of inaccessibility, harshness of weather, perfection of surf, viciousness of the wildlife, and friendliness of the surf culture as factors in gaining a higher desirability. Looking forward to seeing your votes!

(A true story) About 5 months ago the Courian Brothers made it to Atlas Point. Atlas Point is a bend in the coastline receiving frequent quality waves. It gets the dominant swell direction all year, it breaks for a long distance, and that is why it’s so good. The three Courians and their local friend Paul keep their mouses on weather sites during damp winters, scrutinizing weather charts and looking after their favorite surf setups.

Searching the coast with Paul’s  regional knowledge has let to some outstanding surf days. On this particular one all of the weather factors pointed to nice conditions at Atlas. Some of these weather factors include tide, wind, swell, period, and direction. It can be a tricky decision to surf Atlas Point since it is mostly like an expedition to get there, including a dicey hike in. And being so far in the cold, days are short.

Thanks Courians and Paul, for the photos and for this expedition. Inaccessibility and frosty weather make exploration in this corner of the world slow and uncertain. However, Atlas Point is one of the finest setups along the coast, and the they would agree that there remain many more inaccessible breaks waiting to be found.

Surfing on a sweltering hot summer day is nowhere near the journalistic microscope of this blog, you might object. And you would be correct — that is if we didn’t connect both sides of the coin. Once again we leave you with unanswered question: Is the coldest surf spot on earth cold enough to freeze over the warmest surf spot on earth if they were placed next to each other?

Papua New Guinea, hottest surf region on earth?