Calm whales on a busy day

This weekend started quite sunny and it was warm, even out at sea. The good weather was probably one of the reasons why so many tourists went out with us to enjoy the stunning nature of Skjálfandi Bay and of course to watch some wildlife.

During the previous days we usually encountered the whales far out in the northern part of the bay and it took us a long time to reach them. But of course the animals are unpredictable and since most of them are here for their feeding season, their distribution depends on the food availability, which might change even within hours. So today it wasn’t necessary to sail north, but we spotted a humpback whale in the west, close to the mountains. It was very relaxed, resting at the surface and taking only shallow dives. We had to chance to get some very close at the fascinating animal. In the afternoon the humpback whale was still in the area and continued the logging behavior. 

But similar to the whales also the weather in iceland is very unpredictable. We left the harbor in sunny conditions, but suddenly it started to rain. But nobody cared about that; on the one hand becaue of our raincoats, protecting people and cameras from getting wet, on the other hand because of two entertaining minke whales we spotted close to the fish rock. They surfaced around us, several times close to the boat, before we headed back to Húsavík – and back into the sun.

Luisa, guide

Humpback whale going for a deep dive (photo: Luisa Klotz)