HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2015
Yet another year has gone by, a year full of exciting moments and successful operation. It is time to focus on new opportunities to come, but before leaving 2015 behind, we would like to bring you back to some of the last season’s highlights.
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The 2015 season started with a giant blast when captain Pétur and guide Sarah spotted the largest animal on earth, a blue whale, on our first tour of the year. Seeing blue whales in the beginning of April is unique. Within a few days from season start, five whale species had already been spotted on our tours; harbour porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, minke whales, humpback whales and a blue whale.
The largest animals on earth, blue whales, are common visitors in Skjálfandi Bay. Those gentle giants can reach up to 33 metres in length and 190 tons in weight.
The whale festival in Skjálfandi Bay continued literally throughout the whole season. Humpback whales were spotted very frequently from the beginning to the end. They were often seen in large numbers and showing active behaviour such as breaching, lobtailing and flipper slapping. Blue whales were also regular visitors, especially in June and July. Interestingly, the blue whales started arriving earlier than the years before and we also had several blue whale sightings as late as in October, which is very unusual. Minke whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises also played their role. Other, less common guests, were orcas, sei whales, fin whales and a unique blue/fin-hybrid, which has been encountered in the bay for several years in a row.
Two humpback whales in front of our boat Sylvía.
Perfect whale watching conditions: A calm humpback next to our boat Faldur, great weather and nice scenery.
Humpbacks are known for being very acrobatic. Imagine seeing a 25-40 ton animal breaching.
A beautiful humpback taking a deep dive close to our RIB Amma Kibba.
The fluke of a blue whale can reach the size of a small aeroplane.
A group of white-beaked dolphins including mothers and calves.
The biggest event last year for Gentle Giants was the arrival of our third RIB speedboat. This brand new and top-modern RIB was built in Poland and came to her new home harbour on July 2nd. She got the name Amma Sigga, just as the first RIB boat of the company from 2011, which was renamed Amma Sigga II. “Amma” means “grandmother” in Icelandic and our RIBs are named after the CEO Stefán’s grandmothers. All our three RIB boats were in full action during last season and the demand was very high both for the scheduled GG2 Big Whale Safari & Puffins but also for various special tours and private boat charters.
Our staff sailing RIB Amma Sigga for the first time into her new home harbour Húsavík.
Our RIBs Amma Sigga and Amma Kibba on a nice evening in Skjálfandi Bay.
Another big highlight from 2015 was the truly amazing wedding on Flatey Island of our CEO Stefán and Employee Manager Jóhanna Sigríður, “The Boss” and “Mrs Boss”. A lovely ceremony was held on the island with their families, friends and GG staff from all over the world. Stefán has close family connections to Flatey Island and since his great grandfather’s time, his family has lived there. Even today, though the island is now permanently uninhabited, they continue to use the family home there mainly in the summertime.
Happy newlyweds Jóhanna and Stefán.
Flatey Island is not only a perfect place for a wedding but also for cruise ship shore excursions. Gentle Giants participated in an innovative and exciting project with Iceland ProCruises. On six occasions throughout the summer, passengers from the cruise ship Ocean Diamond docked close to Flatey Island and were ferried to the island. Our staff welcomed them and offered guided tours, sharing the beautiful surroundings and diverse birdlife that the island has. It was a successful project and we are looking forward to future co-operation with Iceland ProCruises.
Cruise ship Ocean Diamond anchored close to Flatey Island.
Gentle Giants crew offering guided tours around Flatey Island.
All in all, season 2015 was very busy and never before have so many guests visited us from all over the world. It was a pleasure welcoming all those passengers aboard our boats to experience what Skjálfandi Bay has to offer. Not only whale watching tours were popular but also other adventures such as sea angling and tailor made tours on the RIBs.
Captain Hallgrímur with happy sea-anglers and their catch.
Gentle Giants is very proud of its staff which consists of both local and international people with various backgrounds and experiences. In every corner of the company was a dedicated staff member – captains, guides, ticket sales staff, maintenance team and management – who did their best to give our passengers great service and experience. Most of our staff are seasonal employees who during the winter return to school, other jobs or travels while waiting for the next whale watching season.
The Gentle Giants team on a happy moment.
Giant thanks to all our passengers, co-operators, staff members, and last but not least, all the wild whales in Skjálfandi Bay, for making the 2015 season a yet another successful one. We are now looking forward to celebrate our 15th year in 2016 with new exciting opportunities and welcome you aboard with us!