Katrin Bærentsen

“It’s complicated” is probably the best way to describe Kat’s relationship with the ocean. But it is the most beautiful kind of complicated.

It’s impossible to escape the effects of the ocean when you are in the Faroe Islands. Located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, the majority of the picture perfect roads run along a coastline. To say these island views are beautiful is an understatement, but it’s also a constant reminder that the ocean dictates life in these 18 islands. In fact, wherever you are in the Faroe Islands you are never more than 3 miles away from the ocean.

With so much coastline much has been left uncharted. It feels like there is a constant delicate dance between admiration and fear for these dark waters. We were lucky enough to chat with our friend Kat, who founded the Faroe Islands Surf Guide, and dive into her beautifully complicated relationship with the ocean. 

“Growing up as young people we were taught to fear the ocean because every Faroese person knows someone who has been taken by the sea”.

The sea here is cold, rough, and unpredictable. This meant that Kat spent a lot of time skateboarding and snowboarding as a kid but had an interest in surfing, although it seemed to be something you could only do in far away lands. Kat took herself to Costa Rica to spend a summer learning to surf - and that was it, she was hooked.

“I fell in love with surfing but didn’t think it was something I could do at home, I knew we had waves but it didn’t seem like an option to surf them. Life happened and I bought a house so I couldn’t really travel anymore like that. I saw a few pros come and surf here so I decided I would just have to figure out how to surf here myself.”

So in spite of not having other surfers around or having reliable surf reports to guide her, that’s exactly what she did. Cobbling together basic equipment, teaching herself how to read swell and wind maps and continuing to hone her craft independently.

“The water, here we say it draws you in. You want to get close and see what world is down there. It’s a strange thing, everywhere you go there are older surfers but here we are the first surfers, there are no surfers older than us, we are the first generation, everyone else surfing here is coming after us.”

Kat is right at the heart of the first generations of surfers in the Faroe Islands, something she considers a blessing and a challenge as they have built the surf community from the ground up.

It is clear at times the balance of being the first to charter these surf breaks and lead others into the water weighs heavily on her mind. There are very real safety risks that come with the territory here and you sense a feeling of responsibility in being the one to light the path from the black sands to the line up.   

Despite her adoration for the ocean and the joy of sharing that love with others, Kat believes that it’s not something that should be approached carelessly. 

“I feel like I know the ocean, it’s totally bipolar, when it is beautiful, it is the most beautiful thing in the world, when it is scary, it is the most scary thing in the world. It’s high risk. When new people get into surfing it’s cool, but I also get worried.”

Kat is smart and humble in her approach and carefully manages these risks. She decides whether or not it’s appropriate whether to go out into the water and when they do give lessons people are taught on a 1-to-1 basis.

“Take baby-steps when you first begin surfing. Getting to know the ocean is something that takes time and attention but even when you think you know what Mother Nature is going to throw at you it does the exact opposite. Have fun but know your limits.”

True to Kat’s laid back personality, when we asked her where she sees things going with the Faroe Islands Surf Guide she said, “we’ll just take it as it comes, I never planned for any of this, it kind of just happened because people wanted someone to talk about surfing and ask questions. I totally fell into it and that’s what we’re gonna keep doing. When I think of it, I'm excited to see in 60 years what becomes of it because we are the first permanent local surfers. It’s cool”.

Well known as “the surfer” Kat has already had a huge impact on the local community and is highly respected in the islands teaching many people how to surf and develop a love for the once feared ocean. 

Sometimes referred to as the Land of Kanska (Maybe) life here is subject to the mood of Mother Nature. “The mentality of the Faroese has always been that of a surfer.”

“Surfing is very therapeutic. It’s good for soul and body, it’s like medicine. People, If you’ve tried everything and it doesn’t work, try surfing.“