Tourist helicopter lands on rock near Dynjandi

A helicopter carrying tourists landed on a rock near Dynjandi waterfall in the Arnarfjörður fjord shortly before 3 p.m., mbl.is reports. Elísa Björk Jónsdóttir, an employee of Borgarverk, witnessed the landing from the company’s work camp near the waterfall and photographed the helicopter.

“I couldn’t believe my own eyes. I was in the middle of a video call with my daughter when it happened and just thought: What is going on?” Elísa told mbl.is’s travel section.

She later shared the photograph in the Facebook group Samgöngubætur á Vestfjörðum. She said she did not know which helicopter company operated the aircraft because she could not see any markings on it.

Elísa said the timing was clear because she sent her daughter a photograph of the helicopter at quarter to three.

She was at Borgarverk’s work camp when she saw the helicopter approach from over the mountain range on the other side of Dynjandisvogur.

“It came over the mountain range and started circling. Then I noticed that it was descending quite low and thought: What on earth is it going to dive down there for? Then I saw that it was landing, and it landed there.”

The helicopter landed on the opposite side of the area from the route normally used by visitors walking up to the waterfall.

Borgarverk has operated a work camp in the area since winter. Elísa said staff had previously seen helicopters flying over Dynjandisvogur, including in connection with cruise ship visits.

“We have witnessed cruise ships entering the fjord. The more expensive ones have had helicopters, and they have flown over Dynjandisvogur, but I have never witnessed them landing there before.”

Elísa, who lives in Þingeyri and knows the area well, said she had never seen a similar incident at Dynjandi.

“Not like this, no. No one here has ever witnessed such madness before.”

She said the area’s protected status was one of her first concerns when she saw the landing. She believed the helicopter had not been authorised to land there and said this was one reason she decided to draw attention to the incident.

“I just thought: What is going on? Why do people think everything is allowed just because we are in Iceland?”

Elísa said the helicopter landing was not the only example of visitor behaviour in the Westfjords that had surprised her.

She said staff at Dynjandi had repeatedly seen small boats from cruise ships bring passengers ashore.

“We often witness similar things here in the Westfjords. Many times, inflatable boats come ashore from cruise ships.”

She also said she knew of cases elsewhere in the Westfjords where tourists had been brought ashore in sensitive areas.

“I know of ships that have entered fjords and let people ashore in eider nesting areas and elsewhere.”

Elísa said such traffic raised questions about visitor conduct and the pressure placed on locations requiring protection and maintenance.