Iceland - Husavik Whale Watching
We had planned our Whale Watching tour for as late as possible in the day, partly so we could be on the water during the midnight sun, and partly so we could take our time getting to Husavik. However, we had taken so many stops to explore along the way we were running out of time to pick up our tickets and eat dinner before the tour started! So, we headed straight for the campground. We pulled in and walked around to try and find someone to pay. After a couple of laps of the campground we found a small sign explaining that someone would come around to collect payments. Feeling assured that we weren't going to get told off, we picked a spot to park the car for the night.
Camping sorted, we set off down to the harbour to find something for dinner. With only a couple of restaurant options open (some with meals in the $40 price range) we settled on fish and chips, again. Sean and I sat on the balcony and shared a portion, with some Icelandic cocktail sauce on the side. The evening was cool (approximately 5°C), calm, and the low sun and wispy clouds were really pleasant.
After dinner we collected our tickets and were informed that we should dress as warmly as possible. We had thought we were prepared, but heeding the warning we headed back to the car to put on another layer of clothes, just in case.
Before getting on the boat we were given insulated overalls, waterproof gloves, and goggles. These went on top of all the layers we were already wearing! Once kitted out, we waddled to the RIB and clambered aboard. The boat itself seated about 20 people. The seats were like saddles, with one leg on either side of the seat, a curved back to keep you in place, and a handle in front to hold on to.
The guide explained that although the evening was calm in the harbour, there was a storm coming from the north and out at sea the swells were likely to be large. The RIB kind of skims across the surface of the water making for a bumpy ride!
We drove for about 20mins before coming across a pod of white beaked dolphins who are residents of the harbour. They were beautiful!
We motored on another few minutes towards some birds circling the water. The guide explained that they were a good indicator of whale presence, as the hunting whales drive krill to the surface, which has the side effect of making them easy for the birds to catch. As predicted, we almost immediately spotted a humpback, followed quickly by a second. The whales were gigantic, and so agile under water! As they were feeding they would gracefully come up for air before smoothly diving back under, flicking their fluke into the air on the way. We watched and followed behind these two whales for over an hour before heading to Puffin Island!
This puffin island is one of 3 populations in this harbour. There are many around Iceland, but even though some other puffin colonies are struggling, this one is home to 80,000 puffins each year! Puffins are sea birds and only come to land to lay their eggs and raise their chicks from May - August. Their coloured beaks and strange wing shape reminded us of some kind of exotic rainforest species. It was easy to spot the puffins amongst the other more elegant seabirds, with their low altitude and frantic wing flapping. The guide told us that their wings were actually tuned to fly through water like penguins, enabling them to dive to depths of 100m!
To warm us up before heading back, our guide passed around a bottle of locally distilled Aquavit. It wasn't the most delicious tipple I'd ever had, but it certainly did the trick.
We zoomed back in to the harbour at midnight. We still haven't got used to the midnight sun, so it was disconcerting walking back to the campsite through the sleeping village, even though it was still light! We haven't talked about it so far, but Iceland doesn't see a sunset for several weeks in the middle of summer. The further north you are, the more pronounced it gets, and here in Husavik it's quite extreme.