The sea gives, and the sea takes—but above all, it connects us.Here in Iceland, especially in coastal towns like Húsavík, the ocean isn’t just a backdrop—it’s part of daily life. This is why Sjómannadagurinn, or Seaman’s Day, means so much.
Since the start of May, the bay has been growing more vibrant by the day. More and more humpback whales have arrived, and the sight of migratory birds on the water continously increased. Among them is the Arctic tern—one of the most tireless wanderers on Earth.
At Gentle Giants, we are proud of our big blue family, an enthusiastic international team coming together annually striving to give our guests the best experience possible. While many of us have been part of this family for several years now, we're just as excited to welcome new members to our team.
Our amazing singers from the Léttsveit Reykjavíkur choir enjoyed a beautiful sunmy day at the paradise island Flatey. On our oak boat Sylvía along with our RIB boats Amma Sigga and Amma Helga, we took the choir to their well deserved holiday to Flatey.
Our beautiful humpbacks are more similar to us than we might think.They evolved from land mammals. Their possible land-dwelling ancestors, the Pakicetus—a goat-sized, four-legged creature—lived around 50 million years ago.
Gentle Giants recently had the pleasure of being featured in a project by journalism students from the University of Salford in the UK. As part of their coursework, the students explored the world of whale watching—choosing to dive into the story of Gentle Giants, our history and work here in Húsavík, the Whale Capital of Iceland.
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.
The other day, on a sunny afternoon, yet another tour departed for beautiful Flatey Island on our oak boat Sylvía. Flatey, literally a small paradise just some miles out from Húsavík, offers a serene escape into nature and history.
Puffins are well known for their colourful appearance and charismatic expressions, but have you ever had a closer look at their rather unique nesting behaviour? Probably one of the most fascinating aspects of the puffins’ life cycle is their use of burrows to raise their young: Puffins spend most of the year at sea, but then, as the breeding season commences, all of them return to their colonies along sea cliffs, grassy shorelines or islands.
April definitely finished in style: another BLUE WHALE visited our bay today! The first month of our whale watching season has been unusually successful with several species having been sighted - all the way from the smallest to the tallest.
