HIGHLIGHTS OF 2024
Happy New Year to all our friends around the world.
A new year has arrived, and we are excited to see what 2025 has in store for us. Although it hasn't been long since our 2024 season finished, we can't wait to return to Skjálfandi Bay to discover which whales will visit us this year, what special moments and lifelong memories we'll create, which rare visitors will grace the bay, and how many of our "old" whale friends will return to see us.
But before we fully leave 2024 behind, let us take you on a journey through our highlights from last year...
We look back fondly on a season full of incredible whale encounters, amazing guests and whale enthusiasts from all around the world, all kinds of fun tailor-made tours, and a fantastic international team to be proud of.
But what all has happened in 2024?
WINTER ACTIVITIES – SALES & MAINTENANCE
Our sales and office team is very busy during the winter months, preparing for the upcoming season. One important task is attending various travel shows to reconnect with old colleagues and establish new contacts in the tourism industry. At the start of last year, we participated in the inaugural Week of Tourism, including the Mannamót Natural Iceland Tourism Workshop in Reykjavík, which is always a great event.
Meanwhile, the maintenance team worked tirelessly to ensure the entire fleet received their annual maintenance, leaving them safe, shiny, and fully operational for the new season.
A BRAND-NEW, ECO-FRIENDLY ENGINE FOR SYLVÍA
The biggest maintenance project last year was undoubtedly the upgrade of our beloved oak boat Sylvía. She received a brand-new engine, fuel tanks, and a propeller. Captain Halli and his crew sailed her to Stykkishólmur on Iceland's west coast, where she underwent significant refurbishment. Her new engine and propeller, among the most advanced on the market, significantly reduced fuel consumption and sound levels, making Sylvía as environmentally friendly as possible for now. These upgrades were highly appreciated by our passengers, crew, and the whales alike.
SEASON START
The season finally started 1st April – can you remember which species we spotted first? It was a minke and a pod of white-beaked dolphins, followed by a blue whale, even more minkes, an orca and finally, the iconic humpback whales!
At the same time, also the puffins returned to their nesting grounds on Lundey (Puffin Island), followed by other migratory bird species such as the Arctic Terns. The bay grew livelier by the day, and before we knew it, summer had arrived!
Photo: Sara Vieira
Photo: Sarah Arndt
Photo: Rui Duarte
Photo: Sarah Arndt
NEW STAFF MEMBERS, A BUSY BAY AND LOTS OF SUPRISES
Alongside our experienced team, several new staff members joined us, starting their careers as crew on board our boats and in the ticket office.
In late June, we were delighted by the arrival of an old friend, our beloved blue-fin hybrid who has been coming annually since many years now, always at around the same time that also the blue whales show up in larger numbers (from sometime late May into early July, depending on the season).
Photo: Fiona Gray
Along came some sperm whales and shortly after, we were astonished by the appearance of a basking shark – a sighting we rarely ever get here! Two individuals continued to show up for several days before disappearing again as suddenly as they had shown up.
Not long after, in July, a pod of orcas visited us briefly – for many, the most desired sighting. High season continued with many guests to Húsavík, a lot of tours, Skjálfandi Bay full of life, and especially July brought some very warm temperatures.
BYE BYE PUFFINS – UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
As summer drew to a close, our beloved puffins left in mid-August after completing their nesting season. Once the pufflings (their chicks) had matured, the entire colony returned to the open sea, where they will stay until next April.
Photo: Sarah Arndt
PRIVATE TOURS & WEDDING AT SEA
While we run daily whale watching tours throughout the season, our fleet and especially our RIB speedboats are very suitable to cater any kind of private tours, tailored to everyone's demands or requests and including luxury tours to for example Flatey Island. Last year, we saw a significant increase in such tours, catering to various groups and high-end VIP clients arriving by helicopter and fine dining in our new environmentally-friendly house Smiðjan.
Photo: Nikolina Šokčić
In late August, we received a very special request: a marriage at sea! An old friend of Gentle Giants' CEO Stefán Guðmundsson wished to marry in the surroundings of beautiful Skjálfandi Bay. The knots were tight in a protected bay by the stunning Cheek Mountains.
Another memorable special tour was in August when a group of divers on behalf of Strýtan Divecenter went out on our boat Aþena for a full day with the mission to photograph puffins underwater, and they succeeded well.
GUIDING SHEEP AND WOOLLY SAILORS
As autumn came, not only the town remained busy with many visitors wanting to see our beloved whales, but yet another iconic animal of Iceland entered the spotlight: the sheep.
Farmers gathered their sheep from the mountains and grazeland (where they had roamed freely the entire summer) and several of our staff members went to the annual sheep sorting to help the family of our captain Guðni to find their sheep among thousands of individuals that had been collected over the preceding days.
While most sheep are found during these days, there are always some sneaky individuals that get away during the first gathering. In late autumn, Gentle Giants participated and assisted retrieving those sheep, which had remained in the mountains across the bay. While our captains Addi and Reynir sailed our boat Aþena close to the Cheek Mountains, twelve farmers and one of their sheep dogs gathered 31 individuals from the slopes and valleys in the mountains, herding them down to the beaches, from where they were then brought on board Aþena and back to Húsavík.
Photo: Reynir Hilmarsson
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY & MORE AWARDS
Every year we proudly support various projects in our community including sports, music, arts and education activities for children and young people, as well as sponsoring local and international charities for many years. Here are a few of many projects that we contributed to last year:
Iceland has a rich tradition of Þorrablót, an annual midwinter festival where Icelanders gather to celebrate with traditional food and good company. Gentle Giants was proud to be one of the main sponsors of Húsavík's Þorrablót last year, held every January. The menu typically features iconic Icelandic delicacies such as fermented shark, sour ram’s testicles, boiled sheep's head, and dried fish – offering a true taste of Iceland's cultural heritage.
Besides whales, few things are more iconic for Iceland than our world-famous horses. In early August, Gentle Giants sponsored an equestrian tournament at the Þjálfi horse club. As part of the event, a riding course for kids was skilfully led by Oddný Lára, daughter of our captain Guðni.
In connection to the World Adoption Day on 9th November, Gentle Giants' assistant manager Daniel and his family and friends hosted a family dance and yoga class to raise money for a local children's home in Kolkata, where Daniel originally comes from. Gentle Giants proudly donated to this important project to support children in need.
Shortly after, the newly established dart club in Húsavík had its official opening. Gentle Giants supported them in their foundation, by getting started and creating their facilities. It has been our aim to support all kinds of sports in our community.
At the same time, we supported the local rescue team by buying the annual icon to recognise their important role in our community, as well as the local charity music club Tónasmiðjan in their annual Christmas concert which was a great success.
Last year we proudly added two new awards to our growing trophy case: Outstanding Company by Creditinfo and Excellent in Iceland by Viðskiptablaðið and Keldan. These honours prove our successful business operation being among the 2% of strongest companies in Iceland.
THE BLUE FAMILY
As always, our "Blue Family" worked tirelessly to provide guests with unforgettable experiences. In 2024, our team included nearly 40 enthusiastic members from 11 nationalities, all united by their passion for wildlife and Skjálfandi Bay.
It is safe to say that 2024 was successful and unforgettable. Definitely all of us made memories which will stay with us forever and which continue to make us smile while still on land glancing at the ocean.
Giant thanks to all of our passengers, partners and staff for having joined us in 2024 and for having made our season so memorable and successful!
We now eagerly look forward to sharing the 2025 season with you, starting on April 1st!
-Sarah and Daniel
