What is Waves&Ice?

Text KLAUDYNA BRZOSTOWSKA

Photo Julia Ochs

Waves&Ice is a film project documenting an Icelandic expedition in which 6 exceptional women were involved.

We all share a passion for extreme sports and water. Each of us loves to spend time in the water and capture our image of the world on a camera. The result of the two-week trip is a short documentary about women who met in Iceland and travel through the country together following their passions. The aim of the project is the emancipation of the female sex in the outdoor environment. In recent years, a lot of documents have been written about people who

Photo Berglind Jóhannsdóttir

live for their passions. The vast majority of stories are told by men, about men and for men. This time, a film is being made about the strength and determination of women who make a place for themselves in male-dominated environments.

Director Sabine M. Probst invited 5 women to the project:

` surfers and snowboarders: Elín Signý Ragnarsdóttir (@elinsigny), Ana Geppart (@anageppert) ` photographers: Berglind Jóhannsdóttir (@iamberglind), Julia

Ochs (@juliaochsphoto) ` and Polish diving instructor and videographer: Klaudyna

Brzostowska (@waterographyk)

In April 2021 we flew to our destination. After several cancelled flights and a 5-day quarantine, the female crew went on

Photo Sabine M. Probst

their way. We set off in campervans, going round Iceland by famous road number 1. Iceland is a land of fire and ice that gives no warnings. During our roadtrip, we experienced an arctic storm, during which the wind reached speeds of up to 216 km/h. Elin and Beglind kept their cool, and their strength and determination motivated me to continue driving. We made it, we found the shelter after several hours of crazy driving. Only after this experience did I understand how much the weather influences the daily choices and behaviour of Icelanders. Travelling around this country is all like that, and although all plans are constantly adapted to the current meteorological forecasts – sometimes such surprises do happen. The motivation to get from Reykjavik to the east and then north was high. All this with the aim of finding the best waves, dream diving spots and pristine snowboarding routes.

Photo Berglind Jóhannsdóttir

ICY BATHS AND THE GROUND SWELL 5:00 in the morning, we are sitting in the cars and looking at the sea. Finding the perfect waves to surf is a challenging mission. You never know if the forecasts will come true. There are many factors that make a perfect wave – the ground swell (or swell): the direction and period between waves, the wind, the ground, and of course the number of people in the water. The surfing environment in Iceland is very intimate, everyone knows each other and the arrival of even one new person in the water is an event. We were very pleased with the fact that in recent years more and more women have been "catching" the waves there. Elín was one of Iceland's first female surfers, and now she is looking for more enthusiasts. Ana and Elín get dressed first and wax their surfboards by the vans. Julia and I jump into the wetsuits and prepare the cameras by putting them in special cases. Sabine and Berglind take pictures from the mainland. They line up on a hill and look for the perfect frame – snow, mountains, sea and a surfer on the wave.

Our daily ritual during the trip was swimming in the sea. Regardless of the weather, we jumped into the water with photographic equipment. Depending on the place, our goal was to either freeze ;) or take pictures of surfers, the texture of the water and the breathtaking scenery.

Photo Julia Ochs

Photo Julia Ochs

Personally, I love cold waters, but each time it is a challenge that I always decide to meet. It's ghastly cold at first. Then, thanks to increased activity (I swim non-stop, kick with my fins, run away from the breaker zone) and increased focus while filming and taking pictures, the cold disappears. Adrenaline and endorphins remain. Deep and regular breaths help me calm down and survive the next wave of the feeling of freezing. Fortunately, this also passes, and the feeling of satisfaction and joy remains.

DIVING My goal during the Waves & Ice expedition was to dive in the Thingvellir National Park. Probably my passion for winter and icy waters is the reason why this place is so important to me. Since I started diving it was on my list. I started my diving career in 2016 in tropical waters. One day, while working in Indonesia, a colleague mentioned Iceland and diving in the cleanest waters in the world. He told me about a dry suit, a pile of stones, a great visibility – he outlined to me a picture of the famous Silfra. Since then, I dreamt of diving into the icy waters there. This became my little obsession. When I got proposals to participate in the project – I knew there would be no better opportunity. I bought a ticket to Iceland.

WHAT IS (NOT) SILFRA? The Thingvellir National Park Area (UNESCO) is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the longest mid-ocean ridge on Earth. It is an unusual place where two tectonic plates meet – Eurasian and North American. Every year the distance between the plates increases by about 2 cm. Silfra is one of the many fissures in Lake Thingvellir that lies at the junction between tectonic plates. It is not true that while diving in Silfra you touch both plates. It's a marketing gimmick and an Instagram faux pas that tourists commit. However, this does not change the fact that Silfra is a unique rift. It is filled with crystalline water that bursts into this rift through an open spring of melting water from the Langjökull glacier, Iceland's second largest glacier. This is why there is such clean water and visibility which reaches more than 100 m. Silfra is considered the cleanest diving site in the world.

And so after a few years of dreaming of this particular rift in Iceland, I dived in 2°C, in crystal clear water, surrounded only

Photo Klaudyna Brzostowska

by large stones. A very intimate environment that aroused a lot of emotions in me. With one part of Silfry – called the Cathedral – I was particularly delighted. It is a relatively deep, majestic and respectful place. Silfra definitely has something mystical in itself – it is fascinating and silencing. Many divers in Iceland say that there is no retreat from diving in icy waters: it is addictive and later it is difficult to dive elsewhere. When I survived it and felt this adrenaline rush, I understood exactly what they meant.

MUTUAL INSPIRATION Several days of expedition turned out to be an unforgettable adventure, during which overcoming difficulties together and inspiring each other turned out to be the most important elements of the project. It's an honour to share what you love most with other women who show excitement and determination to fulfill their dreams. And that's why this video was made – to show other people that it's worth leaving home, looking for and following your passions. I hope we can inspire other women to take up extreme sports and crate bonds based on support, not competition.

Special thanks to Polish companies that decided to support the Waves&Ice project. Thank you GRALmarine for lending me the equipment that allowed me to illuminate my underwater pictures. Thanks to ECN Diving Systems for putting BARE ultra warm drysuit at my disposal so I could stay in icy waters for longer. Thank you BlueArrow Patagonia Agent Polska for supporting the expedition with your products.

Waves&Ice Movie Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2AibmGZF2E

Crowdfounding page

www.indiegogo.com/projects/waves-and-ice/x/26596214

ADVERTISEMENT

IT’S A COLD WORLD OUT THERE.

BUT BARE KEEPS YOU WARM ON EVERY DIVE.