LEGACY OF THE FLUKES
From Tails to Tales: Humpbacks of 2025
Each humpback whale carries a unique story on the underside of its flukes (tail)—an individual pattern as distinct as a fingerprint.
The video below brings together every fluke and fluke pattern photographed by Jo, one of our head guides and captains, over the course of the season. Between early May and the end of October, Jo documented 169 individual humpback whales, including 98 resights within the feeding grounds of Skjálfandi Bay.
Some of these whales have become annual visitors over the last few years, others have been sighted on and off over the past 10–15 years, and a few reappeared after many seasons away. Our oldest known visitor this year was a humpback named Map, first documented in 1999, reflecting a remarkable long-term association with the bay. Some individuals were also matched outside Iceland, giving us valuable clues about their migration routes or even their breeding grounds.
Each image represents not only a moment on the water, but a valuable contribution to our ongoing understanding of humpback whale movements and behaviour. These tail markings help researchers track migration routes, monitor populations, and recognize returning individuals year after year.
For us, they also mark the unforgettable moments shared on the water: from calm mornings to whales playing peekaboo in the waves, the surprise breaches, the distinct spout shining golden in the evening sun, and the quiet awe of watching a giant of the ocean slip beneath the surface – liftings its flukes gracefully out of the water.
As you watch, we invite you to appreciate not only the beauty of these patterns, but the whales behind them — the travellers that enrich our oceans and our lives. Here’s to the 2025 season, and to the stories these tails will tell!
Photo Credit: Joséphine (captain / head guide)