As long as I can remember, I have been intrigued by animals, especially sea life! Wherever I am in the world, I search out places to experience them in the wild. Iceland is known for it’s whales and dolphins alike, constantly seen off the shores, especially in the Westfjords.
We had booked a trip for the next morning in Isafadurgaburgerdom and were excited! The last time we went on a boat trip like this was the incredible Doubtful Sounds in New Zealand, and that was magnificent. We tried not to get our hopes up – nature is never guaranteed! It is also a great way to experience a place from the sea, so we were looking forward to that alone, even if we didn’t see any animals.
The next morning came, and 20 minutes before we were due to depart, we got a phone call from the company to say it was cancelled – no boat in the harbour to take us due to a low number of people booked. Damn! Luckily for us, our next airBnB host recommended a company on the way, in a town that we had been before, Holmavik. We arrived and were so excited to board the boat to the Fjords in the area on the search for whales!
Judith, our whale expert, was great – she knew so much about the sea life in the area – super interesting.
On the search!
After just a few minutes, there they were!
Their bodies came close to the surface, as they gracefully glided through the water, puffing from their air holes, and came so close to the boat. An unreal experience.
Humpback whales, diving and swimming effortlessly, just right there!! Wow!! Although it was freezing on the boat, it was so worth seeing these creatures in their natural habitat. A truly amazing experience.
The happiest/coldest whale watcher in the world!
As we headed back to the dock, we saw a whole pod of dolphins in the distance, dancing their way through the waves, and even a humpback whale in the distance coming completely out of the water! Jumping and turning, leaving a huge splash as it crashed back down – what a treat!
I am so glad we got the chance to do this, AND for the whales to be there, as though they were waiting for us! Check out the videos we got here!
