A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
Since Húsavík is only around 60 km from the Arctic Circle, the sun never really sets here this time of the year. This makes it possible for us to go out for whale watching also late in the evenings and our passengers then get the opportunity to enjoy both the evening sun and the whales, if we get lucky.
Yesterday evening we had perfect conditions for a beautiful evening trip in the bay; the sea was calm and there was not a single cloud in the sky. We went out on Faldur at 20.15 and no more than 20 minutes had passed before we saw the blow of a humpback whale in a distance. We followed it as it was feeding for a while and then decided to keep moving towards the mountains in the west.
And then it happened. All of a sudden, without any prior notice, this huge humpback whale breached no more than 50 meters away from us. Both the passengers and me were stunned: a 35-ton humpback whale jump out of the water is nothing you get to see every day. Already very happy with the trip we continued towards the mountains where we had another humpback whale feeding. It even came up with its mouth open, showing of the baleen plates a couple of times, which is something I have heard that they do but never got the chance to see before. To top it all we also got to see a few minke whales and some dolphins before we headed back to the harbor.
It was just a fantastic experience made even better by the glistening midnight sun and the beautiful scenery with the Mountains of Kinn in the background. One of those trips that you never want to end.
Text and photos: guide Elin
Breching humpback whale in the evening sun.
Humpback coming up with its mouth full of food.
Flukes raised in front of the beautiful mountains.
