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Jon Heidar, Editor of Stuck in Iceland Travel Magazine
North Sailing in Húsavík is one of the leading Icelandic tour companies. Since 1995, they have offered whale-watching tours to travelers and received many awards for their focus on environmental issues. Adding this venerable tour company to the long and growing list of my top-rated partners is joyful. Sign up for the Stuck in Iceland newsletter below and receive a promotional code for a 10% discount off the price of the Húsavík Original Whale Watching tour. You will also receive a 15% discount promo code for North Saling’s Árskógssandur Whale Watching tour. Árskógssandur is a hamlet between the northern town of Akureyri (my home town) and the quintessential fishing village of Dalvík.
My experience of going whale watching with North Sailing
I have, of course, been on a whale-watching tour with North Sailing. You may think that Whale watching in Iceland is a sedentary activity. Some probably imagine it is about cruising on a boat, looking for big and slow whales. Once you see a whale, you will have plenty of time to adjust your camera, check the light, get the right shot, and click. You got the perfect picture of a beautiful albeit slow-moving giant. Well, that is not quite the case.
The excitement of Whale Watching in Iceland
Whale watching is more of a demanding contact sport where you battle the elements while looking for creatures that care nothing, whether you see them or not. Sometimes you are lucky, and the whales take a long time when they are visible. Sometimes they move fast, pop up all over the place, and you must be quick to see them.
Whale watching in Iceland with Eco-friendly North Sailing.
A few years ago, my and wife had a round trip around Iceland. We started in Reykjavik and drove up to Akureyri to visit my family. Before we reached Akureyri, we stopped at the Seal Center in the North Western town of Hvammstangi. After Akureyri, we headed east, visited the mighty Dettifoss waterfall, and stopped at Lake Myvatn. We stayed overnight in Adaldalur valley at a farm called Middalur. In the North Eastern town of Husavik, we decided to go whale watching, and when my wife mentioned to the ladies at North Sailing that I ran the Stuck in Iceland travel magazine, they offered the trip for free. We accepted with many thanks.
When in Húsavík, go Whale Watching!
Husavik is the whale-watching capital of the north. The town is by the bay of Skjálfandi, which teems with whales. North Sailing is a local company that strives to be as eco-friendly as possible, as I have already mentioned.
Buy Icelandic Wool and Stay Warm!
Before we embarked on the boat, we bought woolen hats from Kaðlín Handicraft. Otherwise, I think our ears would have frozen off. Just make sure you get authentic Icelandic wool to stay extra warm.
After a nice cup of coffee at Gamli Baukur Restaurant, we embarked on the Gardar whale-watching boat, and I was impressed that e,” v e r y body got coveralls and coats. Whale watching in Iceland is cold business!
Since the whale watching takes place in the bay of Skjálfandi (Skjálfandi means “shivering”) in the North Atlantic instead of the bracing northern wind, it was essential to have warm clothes on.
Awesome Show!
We saw a lot of whales, and from what I gather, the spotting rate for North Sailing is high. But as the guide pointed out at the outset, the bay of Skjálfandi is not a zoo, and you can never guarantee sightings. But man, did we get a show.
We saw many humpback whales but were also blessed to see a Blue Whale, an enormous creature that is rare and, unfortunately, endangered. What a thrill it was.
Be in the moment!
As mentioned before, spotting the whales can be challenging. When the whales come up, they are only visible for a few seconds. The guides and the captain of the Gardar did a great job of finding whales, and it was excellent for the captains of the whale-watching boats to work together to see the whales. This works by several boats being out at once and the captains being constantly on the radio with each other. When a whale a spotted, everybody rushed to get a look and take a picture. I did this, of course, like everybody else. However, allow yourself to forego the camera and be in the moment. Consider the grace and otherworldliness of the whales. I hope it inspires you to do your best to protect these magnificent creatures and other life on Earth.
