Crosswave

Can you surf inside of the wave with the RED camera? Was one of the questions asked when we got a call about the Hildur series. It’s really nice to see an Icelandic/Finnish crew (William, Tinna, Asi & Sagafilm team) with absolute dedication to pushing the limits and creating authentic surf sequences, even in the middle of winter with all its challenges. 

From the far corners of the Westfjords to Reykjavik swimming pools, we managed to pull off a few fairly unique scenes and come back with some good memories. Thanks again to everyone involved for the trust and having us along for the ride. Shot on our RED Raptor 8K in @saltysurfhousings w/ @arri Signature Primes and tethered focus control. 


#UnderwaterUnit #CrosswaveNorth #Iceland

Glacial river meets wild ocean, today. Thirty seconds of textural wonder. Could watch waves sweep the ice at the confluence of fresh and salt all day.

We recently spent the night underwater in Reykjavik for the final shoot of the epic Hildur series, produced by our friends at Sagafilm and Take Two Studios. It’s been an epic adventure shooting underwater and surf unit scenes for the series everywhere from the wildest surf conditions of midwinter Iceland to an all nighter at the swimming pool to wrap it up. More stories to come when the show is revealed to the world - thanks to @tinnahra @asigud & @williamtom and the team for having us onboard!

While on our latest film in the westfjords this summer #OneWhoLovesTheSea, we were lucky enough to see something quite special. Right next to the pier, this pod of bottlenose whales was hanging out, apparently feeding on starfish in the sand. Every day we’d return and see them in the exact same spot. You’d catch a glimpse for a few minutes, before they would dive deep and disappear for awhile - they’re known to have a breath hold of up to two hours and can dive to 2000 metre depths 😳 - so I might need to work on the breath hold a little bit before following them into the depths with the underwater housing 😜 Always amazed at the marine mammal interactions that happen here in Iceland in our backyard ❤️ More to come on what we’ve been working on soon :)

We have been spending time going far and wide in an effort to build the most comprehensive library of ocean imagery in Iceland. Early days yet, but nice to see our scenes appearing in productions all over the world. See if you can spot some of our work in the latest @brnir music vid, directed by @mr.erlendur + DP @robinasselmeyer @sensor.tv_ 👀 Shot on RED Raptor at 240fps in @saltysurfhousings 🔥

This wave is being buried alive. You can help us save it. It’s now or never! Please donate whatever you can and help us spread the word🙏 Link and all the info in bio 🎵 @samarisamaris - Hafið

UPDATE: The local community continues to hold peaceful protest at the waters edge, blocking the machines from dumping rocks. There is a lawsuit beginning against the Icelandic authorities who approved the project without forcing the developers to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment. Vibes are high despite the brutal winter weather - all are welcome to join the party down on the rocks! This legal action is entirely self-funded by the local surf association of Iceland, so for those who wish to help out from afar please sign the petition in our bio, or if you would like to donate to the Surf Association of Iceland via bbfi.is/donate - even the smallest amount goes a long way, this is truly a grassroots effort to protect the future of this wave and of Icelandic surfing culture for generations to come.

We wanted to share why we will continue to fight for the protection of the wave at þorlákshöfn in southern Iceland. Áll government approvals have been given and the wave could be covered under rocks any moment now. 
 • We all ask for sustainable development. This public recreation area is perfect, it delivers surf most days of the year and has zero maintenance cost. All economic benefit it provides to the local community forever, is pure profit. 

• There is zero purpose to this landfill. The shipping company named as using it denies it is for them. Nobody has an answer as to why and the officials have shown they just want to destroy this wave at all costs. • Iceland’s coast is rugged and mostly unsuitable for surfing, this is why the wave is so precious. There is no plan B if it’s destroyed. • Why should any private company have the right to destroy a public recreation space, for their own benefit? Especially when engineers, developers and officials have used sneaky tactics and ignored the advice of world leading experts because it does not suit their purpose. • Iceland has a long and traumatic history with the sea. Let’s open the door to positive experiences in the ocean and give the Icelandic people the same opportunities the rest of the world has.

That’s just a few of the reasons we think this is worth fighting for. What do you think?

A true honour to be on set to witness Ant Williams break the world record for longest freedive under ice. Some of our shots can be seen in the @appletv teasers we shot alongside the immersive unit. @atlantic.productions @truenorth_nordic and director @cmikkelborg broke new technical ground in immersive storytelling from wild places, overcoming no shortage of curveballs along the way. Thanks to Andri, Jón and the legendary team at TN for having us and to the water safety unit watching over everybody. Can’t wait to get back under a frozen lake soon 😊 PS - love to see the Kiwi 🥝 crew getting it done in Iceland @freediveguy @johnnydeep110

This is the story of the beautiful community that has grown around the world famous surf break in Þorlákshöfn, Iceland. As powerful industrial interests seek to reshape the coast, this tight-knit group of surfers is all that stands in the way of the forever destruction of one of Iceland’s natural wonders. Will the Icelandic people stand with the surfers against this disturbing precedent? The reckless landfilling and destruction of a public outdoor recreation area, for the benefit of a private company. Let’s make sure the opportunity to experience this special place remains for generations to come. Link in our bio to watch the 15 minute film and read up on the campaign — crosswave.is/savethewave Production: @crosswave_north & @skuggar_productions A film by: @whereswalle & @iamberglind Edit: Einar Baldvin Arason Grade: Óskar Páll Sound: @vidirb

Every bit of winter, just missing the snow 🤔 #hvarersnjórinn? Photos by @iamberglind

A cool November monday in Iceland, close to Þorlákshöfn, you need someone from Australia to remind us that we live on an island, surrounded by this perfect magical ocean, @pachalight invited me and my daughter @elinandradottir and @martinhalldorsson to go winter surfing, with the help of @ellithor and @arcticsurfers . Surfing is rather new in Iceland, one of the things we thought was to be done “elsewhere” most of us are raised with fear of the ocean, I was warned as a kid I would die within 10 minutes of falling in, (later to discovered that I am half seal and can easily spend and hour). Even sailing as a sport is rather limited in Iceland compared to Scandinavia, as the ocean can be very rough. The sea was for food, work, survival, nothing else, not for leisure, understandably, as we lost thousands at sea in the 20th century. Every family had lost a brother, father, grandfather. Our first year without a lost fisherman was just a few years ago. Surfing is a wonderful deep way (and cool!) to understand the forces of the sea, also an opportunity to reconnect to the infininate words we have in Iceland about waves, ocean and weather. “Glöggt er gests augað” is a saying in Icelandic, “the guest has a wise eye” and we are starting to understand that we have valuable and special places when it comes to surfing. Pacha Light has been inspiring girls around the world to hit the waves. Sadly, one of the best waves in Iceland and maybe Europe is threatened by the local municipality in Þorlákshöfn, currently planning a needless landfill, maybe for containers, maybe nothing, where there is plenty of space for both. I met a local mother, a surfer and mother of five boys, that will not be able to pass on her passion. The current authories do not seem to be able to imagine the value of such a sport or the wave for the future of Þorlákshöfn, the opportunity to connect the local kids to nature, the obvious fun and coolness, or the mental health of those that currently seek pure happiness in the wave. I hope they find wisdom to protect it and find a wave wave solution. These photos are from the amazing team from @crosswave_north @berglindjohanns @whereswalle