ELEVEN YEARS, TWO STORIES, ONE WHALE
Some whales pass through the bay, leaving us with a beautiful memory. Others return year after year, slowly becoming familiar faces in the ever-changing landscape of Skjálfandi Bay.
Then there are those who make us wonder: Where have you been? What have you been up to? And what stories could you tell if only we could understand?
And some connections take years to reveal themselves.
Do you remember that recent article in which Joséphine introduced us to her personal favourite whale, Hvalkyrie? As it turns out, there is a little more to this whale’s story.
We had just published Joséphine's article when Hvalkyrie was actually back in Skjálfandi Bay. And it wasn't just a brief visit. Hvalkyrie has been spending much of October and, so far, early November in the bay, giving us plenty of opportunities to spend time together.
While I knew I had seen this whale in previous years and remembered the distinctive fluke, the scars and odd dorsal fin, I wasn’t aware how long for I actually knew Hvalkyrie:
Then, while going through some old photographs recently, I spotted a very familiar-looking fluke and found myself mumbling, “Well, look who we’ve got here!”
Hvalkyrie was, in fact, one of the very first whales I ever encountered in my life — and photographed — back in 2011, when I first arrived in Húsavík as an au pair. In many ways, this whale was part of the very beginning of my life here, marking the start of a journey I could never have imagined back then, having only just finished high school.
Eleven years before Joséphine's memorable encounter in 2022, and before she and I even met for the first time, this same individual was already part of my earliest memories of whale watching in Skjálfandi Bay.
At the time, I had no idea that this whale would still be around years later, that it would become a familiar individual in the bay, or that it would eventually hold such a special place in a friend’s heart.
Looking back at those photographs now, I find something quite extraordinary in this connection. Two people, different beginnings, eleven years apart, and one whale quietly linking our stories together.
Perhaps that's one of the most beautiful things about getting to know individual whales: sometimes, they connect people and moments in ways we could never have imagined.
Hvalkyrie in 2011 (Photo by Sarah, captain and head guide)
Hvalkyrie in 2022 (Photo by Rui Duarte, former head guide)
Hvalkyrie in 2026 (Photo by Sarah, captain and head guide)
Both back in 2011 and still today, Hvalkyrie clearly likes to hang out with other humpback whales.
(Photo by Sarah, captain and head guide)
