Today's whale watching tours gave us a rare opportunity. While observing a humpback whale repeatedly tail slapping, the tail was lifted high enough above the water for us to get a clear view of the genital area, allowing us to identify the individual as most likely a male.
Whale watching never gets old. Whether we work as guides, captains, in the ticket center, management, or behind the scenes, many of us still love joining tours whenever we get the chance. This is not only our job, it is something we genuinely enjoy.
Skjálfandi Bay is best known as a feeding ground for juvenile and adult humpback whales. Numerous individuals visit the bay throughout the season, many of them returning year after year. Since humpback whales migrate to subtropical and tropical waters to give birth, calves are not a common sight in the area.
One of the birds we see literally every day on our tours is the northern fulmar — a true North Atlantic specialist and one of Iceland’s most iconic seabirds. At first glance, fulmars can look a bit like gulls, but they’re actually relatives of the albatross.
Yesterday felt like a Blue Day in Skjálfandi Bay. Seeing a blue whale is already a privilege. Meeting the largest animal ever known to live on Earth is something that never loses its magic. But yesterday was different.
A humpback whale with no name yet, but certainly one we won't forget. During one of our evening tours, this individual spent over 35 minutes breaching and chin slapping beneath the midnight sun. Why do whales breach? The truth is, we still don't know for sure.
May has already come to an end, and we feel lucky to have filled it with so many special moments out in Skjálfandi Bay. A month full of unforgettable experiences, many guests seeing whales for the very first time, others lucky enough to witness rare behaviors in wild nature, and some embracing the more challenging days of sailing in the North Atlantic.
Since the start of May, the bay has been growing more vibrant by the day. More and more humpback whales have arrived, and the sight of migratory birds on the water continuously increased. Among them is the Arctic tern—one of the most tireless wanderers on Earth.
After the first jumps of the season just recently, we had a day all about pectoral slapping the other day—a reminder of just how expressive and active humpback whales can be at times. Pectoral fins in whales are the evolutionary equivalent of the forelimbs of land mammals.
As the days fly by, the town becomes busier, brighter, and full of life. We’ve recently enjoyed several warm and sunny days, and at last it truly feels like summer is arriving. Around here, that means one thing: our high season is just around the corner.
