It may not be a tsunami, per se, but this is close.
We’ve seen glacier waves before, but this one hits different. A wild video from Greenland is making the rounds online after capturing the moment a gigantic iceberg collapsed into the sea, unleashing an enormous wave that rolled across the fjord below.
The footage from June 6th, originally shared by a glacier tour operator, shows a towering wall of ice suddenly giving way. Within seconds, thousands of tons of ice crash into the water, sending a surge racing outward as stunned onlookers watch from nearby boats.
The tour company described the scene as one of the most dramatic calving events they had ever witnessed. The video quickly spread across social media and YouTube, where viewers marveled at both the scale of the collapse and the size of the resulting wave.
“Maybe the biggest one we have seen on an Icefjord Cruise yet,” wrote Diskoline Explorer, a cruise operator out of Ilulissat, Greenland. “In situations like this we turn the boat and surf the waves formed by the calving. Might need to hold on for a minute, but no need to worry”
Glaciologists refer to these events as “calving”—the process by which large chunks of ice break away from a glacier or iceberg. While calving is common throughout Greenland’s famous fjords, events of this magnitude are rare enough to stop even seasoned guides in their tracks. Similar collapses have generated dangerous waves capable of swamping boats and sending tourists scrambling for safety.
The wave in this latest clip ranks among the largest glacier-generated waves seen in recent years. While exact measurements weren’t available, the surge dwarfed nearby vessels and showcased the incredible energy released when massive blocks of ice suddenly enter the ocean.
Related: 1,500ft Mega-Tsunami Hit Alaska, Second Largest Ever (Video)
For surfers, glacier waves occupy a strange place somewhere between fantasy and frontier exploration.
Over the years, a handful of surfers have attempted to ride waves created by collapsing ice. Big-wave pioneer Garrett McNamara famously towed into glacier-generated surf in Alaska, proving the concept was possible. More recently, novelty-wave specialists like Ben Gravy and Jamie O’Brien have explored unusual corners of the surfing world where unconventional waves break.
Whether it’s a perfect reef pass in Tahiti or a collapsing iceberg in Greenland, the appeal remains the same: witnessing nature at its most powerful.
And judging by this latest footage, Mother Nature still has plenty of surprises left.
Will there be a revival of the niche world of glacier surfing? TBD.
Related: 100-Foot Glacier Collapse Triggers Giant Waves (Video)