Every new day is an adventure out in Skjálfandi Bay and one will never know what to expect when departing the harbor. Today we were once more surprised by a beautiful blue whale that ended up spending the whole day in the same area of the bay.
With a bit of luck, we are able to observe several different behaviours in our whales during our tours and throughout the day. One of these behaviours is the so-called lobtailing, or tail slap, during which the whales lift their tail (the flukes) out of the water and slap it forcefully back onto the surface.
Much has happened since our season started. Our boats departed almost daily on our two favourite whale watching tours, the "GG1 Whale Watching" on the traditional oak boats and the "GG2 Big Whale Safari and Puffins" on our RIB speed boats.
“We are genuinely happy when people are ready to go out to this paradise and enjoy what we have to offer." (Gentle Giants’ CEO Stefán Guðmundsson) Yesterday, we were excited to meet our first guests in 2023 on Flatey Island.
Today is International Mother Earth Day, a day to remind each of us that the Earth and it's ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance, but also to reflect the challenges in respect to the well-being of our planet and the life it supports.
Today we celebrate "Sumardagurinn Fyrsti" - the first day of summer - here in Iceland. Unlike in most other countries, seasons in Iceland are divided into summer and winter only, even though terms as spring and autumn are used.
Wildlife in Skjálfandi Bay is outstanding and besides whales, dolphins and numerous migratory bird species, occasionally we are treated with the sight of a grey seal. Grey seals tend to show up by Lundey (Puffin Island) and along the mountains, especially nearby the river mouth of "Skjálfandafljót" or by the so-called Fish Rock (Fiskisker), a pinnacle just off the Cheek Mountains on the western side of the bay.
As days pass by, the nesting season of our beloved puffins is approaching and already these last days we could spot the first returning individuals in the bay. Very soon, the entire colony will arrive to their home "Lundey" (meaning Puffin Island), a small island along the east side of Skjálfandi Bay.
The first week of April passed by very quickly and so much has happened since our first tour of the season left the harbour. Since it is the beginning of the season, whales are only just returning from their breeding grounds in the tropical waters.
THIS IS IT! Our 2023 whale watching season is about to start tomorrow, Saturday April 1st. We will be offering daily departures from Húsavík until November 30th. We will be operating scheduled tours on the traditional oak boats (GG1 Whale Watching) as well as on our modern RIB speedboats (GG2 Big Whale Safari & Puffins).
