Around mid-April, Gentle Giants Whale Watching proudly participated in a very unique project: As the Eurovision Song Contest is getting closer, this year's participants were asked to perform a cover of a song of their choice.
Tomorrow, we celebrate "Sumardagurinn Fyrsti" - the first day of summer - here in Iceland. Back in the days, it was commonly regarded as a good omen if summer and winter “froze together,” (meaning that temperatures had to drop below zero in the night of the last day of winter to the first day of summer).
They're baaaaack!The first humpback whale of the season has been spotted by our RIB speedboats in Skjálfandi Bay this morning! Every spring, these gentle giants return to Iceland after a long migration from tropical waters.
Personally, among all the whale and dolphin species I have seen around the world over the years, the humpback whale continues to be my favourite among them all. Surely, there is something fascinating, unique and astonishing about every single whale species: the social structures and advanced and adapted hunting techniques of the orcas, the sheer size of a blue whale, the sound volume and diving skills of the sperm whales and so on and on… But what about the humpback whale, our most common visitor in Skjálfandi Bay? Each tail is uniqueTheir tail flukes have unique patterns, kind of like a fingerprint.
Throughout the last days, we have been lucky to encounter white-beaked dolphins on several of our departures. These smaller cousins of the whales are simply always adorable and their joy and playfulness overly contagious.
As the days grow longer and the chill of winter recedes, one of nature’s most charming visitors begins to make its return to various places around Iceland: the puffin. These iconic seabirds, known for their colourful beaks and oftentimes clumsy appearance, are among the first migratory birds to return to Iceland as spring approaches.
Yesterday, 1st of April, our season 2025 finally started and both our RIB speedboat Amma Helga as well as oak boat Sylvía departed on their first tours of the season as scheduled. „It was wonderful heading out onto Skjálfandi Bay again after the winter pause, to cross over to the mountainside, take in the views and share stories about the area with our guests onboard, to feel the sea breeze and spray in the face," says guide Sarah after the tour.
My last months were a good blend of visiting family and friends in various places as well as travelling to several destinations – in search for sun, wildlife and of course, the whales.In fact, the first whale sightings were quite unexpected in mid-December, when my mum and I travelled around Costa Rica.
Since our tours are seasonal, many of our staff members take the opportunity to re-unite with family and friends back home, travel and explore new places all over the globe, or to follow the whales wherever they go and work as captains and guides in various other places around the world.
A VOYAGE ACROSS OCEANS Some of you may have wondered why we don’t offer tours year-round. Instead, we stop sailing at the end of November and resume our tours at the beginning of April. The reason is simple.
