MEETING OLD FRIENDS
Since the arrival of the season's first humpback in mid-April, many more individuals have returned to the waters of Skjálfandi Bay and this place has literally come to life! Some days, it becomes impossible to keep track of how many whales there are in an area as their spouts appear all over the place.
While spotting all these individuals is truly exciting enough, we were thrilled to notice that several among them are not visiting this bay for the first time!
How so? Humpback whales can be identified by their black and white pattern on the underside of their flukes. Through photo identification it is possible to match the individuals seen at the moment with sightings we had in previous years.
In fact, anyone can contribute to this way of identification: if you joined a tour with us and got some nice shots of the whales’ tails, you can upload your encounters on the website www.happywhale.com – and soon enough, you will know whether you observed an animal known in this area or spotted a newbie! Why not try?
But let’s have a closer look at some of the whales from these days:
Primeiro – first sighted in our bay in 2019, Primeiro has been back several times since, yearly to be precise! It is remarkable how much this whale’s pattern has changed since it was first sighted. While these patterns are considered as unique as our fingerprints, they can still change quite a lot in young whales. If you have followed us here for a while, you have sure seen these flukes around!
Orien – named after the star constellation, Orien was first identified in the bay in 2013, then he returned and stayed for a while in 2016, and, was dearly loved! In May 2017, he showed up literally on request: a group, who had observed Orien the year before, asked whether the individual had returned already. It was sighted on that precise tour only and not again until just some days ago – 8 years later!
Wings – while it was sighted for the first time in Skjálfandi Bay this season, it has been spotted especially in the Westfjords before.
Saerin – first sighted in 2022, Saerin has been back annually since!
Champagne – until earlier this month, the only previous sighting was in our bay in 2020. But hey, just look at this pretty pattern!
Which individuals have you observed while out at sea with us?