I have been conscious for some time that I have been collecting islands.  Now, while I recognise that this is an ultimately futile pursuit––when there are hundreds of thousands of islands on the planet, I am only ever going to be able to visit a fractionally tiny proportion of them––nevertheless, there are some distinct ‘trophies’ amongst the bewildering multitude.

For me, one of these ‘trophy’ islands is Surtsey.

When I was growing up, Surtsey was frequently referred to as the world’s newest island.  I found it an intriguing description.  How could an island be new?  It suggested a state of flux in an Earth, which, as a kid, I had never suspected before.  The fact is that Surtsey was formed by an underwater volcanic eruption, which started in November 1963 and ended in June 1967.  At the time, and for the following decade or so, it was big news.  Now, Surtsey is almost forgotten.  Worse, it is actually disappearing.  Due to erosion, Surtsey is now only half the size it was at its peak in 1967.

Because of Surtsey’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a nature reserve of special scientific interest, it is not actually possible to visit Surtsey, but I was able to get within sight of it, which was good enough for me to consider that I can notch it up as another conquest.  My sighting came from the island of Heimaey in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, off the south coast of Iceland, from where Surtsey is about 11 miles distant.

On a clear day, it was even possible to see Surtsey from close to the campsite where I was staying, but a better view was possible from halfway down the island, on the way to Puffin Lookout.  Here, there is located a couple of informational boards and a UNESCO plaque.

As a child, the real life story of Surtsey evoked comparisons with Herge’s fictional account of Tintin and the Shooting Star, where a meteorite fell to earth into the ocean, giving Tintin and Professor Calculus only a few previous hours to explore it before it sunk beneath the ocean waves.

Despite only being able to observe Surtsey from a distance, I was pleased that none of my romantic, childhood notions of the place were in any way dispelled.  Volcanic eruptions around the planet have formed many newer islands since Surtsey but, for me, Surtsey was where it all began.

© E. C. Glendenny

E. C. Glendenny heads off for the next island to explore.