A grandma floated out to sea on a large throne of ice and had to be rescued

Don't worry, she's OK.
 By 
Nicole Gallucci
 on 

It's not every day a grandmother is crowned Queen of Icebergs, but when it does happen it's quite the sight.

On a recent trip to Iceland, Judith Streng became that grandma after her son attempted to take a photograph of her sitting on an ice structure that resembled a throne at Diamond Beach in Jökulsárlón.Shortly after Streng sat down to pose, the piece of ice broke off and floated into the water.

"When I got on it, it started to totter and a wave was coming in," Streng told ABC News. "A very large wave came in and kind of made the throne kind of rock, and I could tell that I was slipping off."

"I thought it was safe," Streng told ABC News. "One girl had been on it and then two girls at the same time, and it was very secure with them. But I don't weigh very much. So it was a little easier to float off with me, I guess."

Recommended deals for you

Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00)

Ring Indoor Cam Plus 2K Wired Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $99.99 (List Price $119.98)

Apple iPad 11" 128GB Wi-Fi Retina Tablet (Blue, 2025 Release) — $399.99 (List Price $449.00)

Apple Watch Series 12 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $349.99 (List Price $399.00)

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (Midnight Blue) — $198.00 (List Price $248.00)

Products available for purchase through affiliate links. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

Streng's story went viral after her 24-year-old granddaughter Catherine tweeted a text message exchange she had with her father about the incident.

Catherine, who teaches English in Seoul, South Korea, explained via Twitter DM that her father painted a very vivid picture of the scene when the two spoke. He has a PhD in English, and described the event in the following words:

"She ascended the throne after a wave had pulled back and left it briefly exposed on the beach. Then a wave washed in and dislodged the ice throne, rocking it from side to side. When the wave retreated, it lifted the dislodged throne throne and carried her out with the tide."

Luckily for the Streng family, Randy Lacount, a licensed boat captain from Florida with knowledge of water rescue strategies witnessed the whole thing, and was able to save the day.

"When I first got the text I laughed out loud at work because that's just so something that would happen to my family," Catherine said. She assured us that her grandmother is just fine and back from vacation, at home in Texas.

Long live the Iceberg Queen.

Mashable Image
Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You

GE Profile's viral Opal nugget ice maker now comes in a mini version
GE Profile Opal Mini nugget ice maker next to full sized Opal ice maker


I tested the Ninja Creami and its top rivals to find the best ice cream maker for National Ice Cream Day
nutribullet chill ice cream maker with tools and ice cream

'Below' review: Josh Hartnett's sea monster series is perfect for 'Widow's Bay' fans
Josh Hartnett in "Below."

More in Life
T-Mobile is giving away the Apple iPhone 17 for free — how to claim
Apple iPhone 17e on composite background

The Samsung Odyssey G9 curved gaming monitor is down to $797.99 — save over $500 this weekend
Samsung G9 gaming monitor


Feminist orgs claim Meta censoring posts about Cornell 7 case
meta logo on smartphone

Sony sells hundreds of VR patents to Meta
PlayStation VR 2 headset

Trending on Mashable
How can 'Ted Lasso' fix itself?
Tanya Reynolds, Jason Sudeikis, and Brendan Hunt in "Ted Lasso."

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 10, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 10, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

Tropical Storm Rachel: Track the storm’s path online
A path projection of Tropical Storm Rachel.

NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Oct. 10, 2026
NYT Connections logo.