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Photo locations · Jökulsárlón, South Iceland · Iceland

Diamond Beach at Fellsfjara: sunrise photography forecast

At Fellsfjara, pieces of ice from Jökulsárlón wash onto black sand, giving Diamond Beach its familiar contrast of transparent ice and dark shore. The arrangement changes with sea and weather conditions, so the best composition is the one you find safely on the day.

Sunset tomorrowSunset TuesdaySunset Wednesday

Will tomorrow's sunrise be worth it?

Simplified forecast from the open model run. The full forecast — a second model, your exact viewpoint, the hourly cloud timeline — is in the app.

Global model, about 13 km: less certain than in Europe.

in 11h 9m

Blocked grey lid

Flat grey light · moody close-ups at best

Sky colors

Golden hour
Sunrise

Light corridor: blocked

Why: Cloud covers every point we sampled, so no direct light gets through.

  • Light path: blocked (78% blocking cloud at the ray's height)
  • Sun: likely hidden. Thick low cloud toward the horizon (100%) will likely block the sun.
  • Cloud: thick cloud between you and the low sun (93%); no real golden hour expected.
Viewer's line of sight, tangent to the Earth at your locationNear-ground relative humidity10% cover — too thin to draw as cloud15% cover — too thin to draw as cloud20% cover — too thin to draw as cloud11% cover — too thin to draw as cloudConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 20–20% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 64–64% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 93–100% cover · 45–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 53–53% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 71–71% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 93–100% cover · 45–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 11–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 58–100% cover · 45–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 93–100% cover · 45–45% visual uncertaintymid cloud · 35% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 35% is somewhere between 3 and 8 kmmid cloud · 79% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 79% is somewhere between 3 and 8 kmmid cloud · 91% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 91% is somewhere between 3 and 8 km

Terrain is drawn for illustration only — it is not used to calculate underlight or obstruction.

cloud-cover fieldinterpolation uncertaintysun directionnear-ground humiditycloud at unresolved heightmodelled underlightunderlight · height uncertainunderlight · lit on one readinglit but hidden behind nearer cloud

Forecast refreshed a few hours before sunrise.

Know the light
before it happens

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For photographers: shooting Diamond Beach at Fellsfjara

Best months

The beach can be photographed year-round when conditions allow. Autumn to spring offers shorter days and low light; summer brings long twilight. No month guarantees ice in a particular place or quantity.

Suggested focal lengths

16–35 mm for ice with the shore and sky; 50–100 mm to isolate translucent shapes from a safer distance.

Composition

Choose an interesting piece of ice well clear of the active waterline and keep watching the sea. A low angle can simplify the background, but no exposure or foreground is worth turning your back on incoming waves.

Recommended arrival

Arrive 45–60 minutes before the light you want so you can assess the sea and find a workable composition. Be ready to abandon a location if the surf reaches it.

Access planning

Use the designated beach access near Jökulsárlón. Never climb on ice or approach ice at the sea edge; the official tourism guidance warns that waves can arrive unexpectedly. Keep the road and bridge clear.

Parking: Use the signed visitor parking serving the beach and follow the current payment instructions on site.

Approach: A short walk over loose black sand from the designated parking; the route and distance depend on the permitted access and safe shoreline conditions.

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