Iceland Ring Road – Husavik & Whales

After walking and viewing those awesome waterfalls, we continued our journey north to the seaside town of Husavik.

Don’t think I’ve talked much about the 1 lane bridges, but they abound around the island. One reason, they don’t cost as much, especially if they have to be replaced. I got a decent photo. The one that reaches the bridge first should be the one that continues as the other waits along the side. In our current climate in the US……..not sure they would work well. Heck, we even have issues with roundabouts.

The sign you see on the bridge ’30’? Kilometers. We felt like speed demons when we saw signs for 90. In reality you were only going 56mph. Generally speaking, unless marked, the non-urban areas 90 was the norm. But I digress…..let’s get back to the title of the post.

We had been conversing with our hotel about possible companies for a whale-watching tour. Why? Husavik is considered the ‘World whale-watching capital’. The hotel recommended getting to the town that day, versus finding a tour for the next morning. Why? Two reasons (1) the first tours of the day were doing more scouting to find Sealife and (2) WEATHER. The weather was taking a downtown and going to be (extra) windy, rain, sleet and snow expected. Not going to make for a good ride in a boat. Understood. We made a beeline for Husavik!

Upon arrival, we had 30 minutes until we needed to check-in for our 4:30pm tour. What to do? Eat an Icelandic hot dog, of course. Where do you find that? In the local gas station. Yep, that’s what we did. Let me tell you what, those French fries, we’re still talking about them. Excellent! They were some of the best during our entire trip.

The company we chose was North Sailing. They have a 97% success rate for sighting these large, gentle animals.

They advertise classic whale watching on a traditional Icelandic oak boat.

Nattfari was the boat for our tour.

Why is the Northern coast and Skjalfandi Bay such a ‘hotspot’ for whales? This water is particularly rich in nutrients which attract large numbers of fish and krill. Whales feed on krill and plankton. The first tours started in the late 1980s when a group of local fisherman started taking tourists out to see the whales. At this time whale hunting was still legal. Whale watching was going to be a more sustainable alternative.

Before going out, we had to ‘suit up’. Even though we had multiple layers on, this was a godsend. I can truly say I was never cold during our entire three hours.

What were we expected to see?

Indeed, our first sighting was the humpback whale. Here’s a short video. You’ve got to look at the first half second of the video. The whale was out of the water. We also spotted the minke whale and fin whale.

Eric was excited that he found the first whale sighting on our trip.

We both intently looked across the water to see disturbances in the bay.

We tooled around for a bit and found another whale company was watching this – tale slapping.

Our guide said this was not typical behavior but usually found during mating season or if a large amount of fish was in the water. It was exciting to see. After diving down and disappearing, we moved around the bay and found these whales flapping their dorsal fins – also unusual.

These companies since the beginning of their journey have kept an eye toward sustainability and conservation. They have converted some of their boats to being all-electric and redesigned their boats propellers to reduce fuel consumption. They work with scientists and other conservationists for Marine Protection and follow a Code of Conduct that emphasizes approaching nature and wildlife with the utmost care. They prioritize minimal disturbance and deep respect while observing the animals from a comfortable distance for the whale’s well-being and protection.

I brought my little sheep with me and grabbed a few photos. It always brings smiles to those around me spotting my actions.

On the way back, one of their traditions is to serve hot chocolate and cinnamon – their special family recipe. No photos of that, but the group that we hung with on the back of the boat, offered to take a photo. Thank you!. 🙂

This was pretty amazing, especially for one that grew up in the middle of America, land-locked.

Ginny