The month continues successful with daily humpback whale sightings so far! Several different individuals have been spotted throughout these days and oftentimes we managed to see two or three of them during a tour.
While the weather has not necessarily welcomed us into the new month, the whales certainly did. Throughout our tours these days we were able to observe several humpback whale individuals that had entered the bay in search for food - or maybe simply to seek shelter from the even worse weather out in the open ocean up north.
September has already ended but we couldn’t finished it without saying proper goodbye! When we look back, we had so many good memories and shining days. Some days were challenging regarding the stormy influence of offshore waters, but it didn’t affect the presence of wildlife.
While September is getting to an end, tour departures continue until the end of November with several schedules! As this season brought us so much joy, we are already feeling the excitement for next year that some preparations are on the move! For those who are planning visiting Iceland for next year, you can already book for our tours on 2024! But if you are in doubt, don’t worry! You can meet us through our brochure and get to know all of the different tours we have to offer! We sail in Skjálfandi Bay, Husávik as it is regularly known as the Whale capital of Europe! Exactly because of the high probability to see whales.
Last Friday, the 22nd of September, Húsavík celebrated the arrival of Villi Páls, the new boat of the local search and rescue team “Björgunarsveitin Garðar”. With a length of about 11 metres, Villi Páls is larger than the previous rescue boat Jón Kjartansson and capable of handling more challenging weather and sea conditions than its predecessor.
Every year on the fourth Sunday of September, World Rivers Day is celebrated globally. The day is meant to highlight the importance of rivers to the life on earth as they provide freshwater, habitat (rivers are home to over 100'000 freshwater species making them one of the most biodiverse habitats) as well as ecological, economical and cultural value.
The recent storm has once again changed nature's outfit. More snow has fallen on the Cheek Mountains on the western side of the bay, but even Húsavíkurfjall (the mountain of Húsavík), was partially covered in snow this morning.
As the weather forecast doesn’t look good, we remember the wildlife of Skjálfandi Bay! Up to the sky, you will see several wildlife passing above us! Throughout the season, different marine birds are visiting Skjálfandi Bay mainly to breed.
September doesn't stop pampering us: today once again we were surprised by a whale species uncommon for this area. In the late morning, a pod of orcas (killer whales) appeared out of nowhere near our boats (which at that point were actually observing some humpback whales).
Besides all the surprise visitors and therewith rare sightings we had these days, we are just as excited to see well-known faces - or flukes to be correct! Humpback whales, our most common sights, have unique patterns on the underside of their tail (flukes), which make it possible to identify and furthermore, recognise them should the same individual return.
