Grótta, Iceland

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Reykjavik, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: RKV (RKV), 6 km.

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About Grótta

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces NW (300°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (120°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 92). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 4°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 12°C in August, its warmest (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Reykjavik, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: RKV (RKV), 6 km.

Water about 9°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 11 h 15 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to KEF, direct. About 8 flights a week that month.
See flights ORD → KEF · Skyscanner from about £315 returnAd
Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Grótta.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Reykjavik, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: RKV (RKV), 6 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Grótta · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Grótta · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Grótta on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Grótta does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Grótta, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	6, poor	5 ft13 ssoft	917kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 29 knots	9°C
Mon 19Oct	0, too big	11 ft10 ssoft	2,377kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 26 knots	8°C
Tue 20Oct	13, poor	6 ft9 ssoft	429kJ	wind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore	6°C
Wed 21Oct	57, good	4 ft8 ssoft	224kJ	wind from the east, 4 knots, offshore	3°C
Thu 22Oct	43, fair	3 ft9 ssoft	130kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots, offshore	4°C
Fri 23Oct	47, fair	3 ft9 ssoft	149kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore	4°C
Sat 24Oct	36, fair	3 ft7 smushy	105kJ	wind from the east, 11 knots, offshore	4°C
Sun 25Oct	3, too small	1 ft7 smushy	12kJ	wind from the north, 11 knots	4°C
Mon 26Oct	12, too small	2 ft8 smushy	47kJ	wind from the north, 9 knots	6°C
Tue 27Oct	18, too small	2 ft8 smushy	33kJ	wind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore	6°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight ORD to KEF, then 55 min by road. About 11h 15 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Grótta
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Grótta
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Grótta
Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Grótta
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Grótta
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight ORD to KEF, then 55 min by road. About 11h 15 door to door

Rough cost

About £640–£1,225 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to KEF, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag	£315–£650
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£70–£115
Food	7 days eating out	£155–£290
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£65–£105
Total		£640–£1,225

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

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