‘In rare privileged moments, we enter [a whale’s] world, and then only briefly and shallowly, to watch through the murk or to eavesdrop.’-Diane Ackerman

I have spoken of my love of the ocean and whales so going whale watching again in Iceland was a must. Bonus, I was going in July and not January. It was still cold, the sun still was not fully visible, and I had a great time both times! While I saw a lot more sea life, I cannot say that one is better than the other-you should just do it whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I did not book this trip through Icelandair as I did last time so got my tickets via Get Your Guide, which is truly my go to platform for any excursion. I was snorkeling earlier in the day and love a sunset, so I did one of the later options for the approximate four hour tour. It also gave me time to eat lunch and have a white russian at the Lebowski Bar. They had so many options of white russians! I am not a big fan of the movie but I love a bit of kitsch!

I headed to the marina and boarded the ship. There were loads of options to sit, both inside and out. I chose to sit on the top front deck. The views were amazing. The boat was not too crowded so my view was not that impacted and even if it were, the french women sitting next to me scurried off anyone. There was also a wide variety of weather and lighting. It was very cloudy, then you would see the sun, and then it would be cloudy again. Other times it was so blue that you couldn’t determine where the sky ended and the ocean began. Dress in layers!

There were a lot of sea birds-including puffins- flying about. I mentioned in an earlier post that I did not feel that I would miss out on anything by skipping the puffin tour since I did this one and saw so many. There were also dolphins, a variety of small whales and porpoises. There was someone who would point things out so made it easy to get ready with my camera for whatever came my way. Again, the new zoom lens my dad got me came in clutch! Like I captured a dolphin leaping out of the water!!

Humpbacks were also spotted. The old trick of seeing a puff of smoke in the sky helped and when they’re near the surface a donut shape appears. You can also, on occasion, smell the disgusting odors from the blow hole. I did not see any more of the humpback than I had in the winter, so truly a crapshoot. Even going a lot further out, the sea is pretty shallow (relatively) so you won’t get the famed coming vertical out of the water. Still an incredible experience! I also was fully able to enjoy it without worrying about whether the northern lights would be a go or not as I did the last time.

Whale watching is one of my favorite things. It was the perfect way to end my second trip to Iceland. I have grown so much in the years from my first. I am a completely different person. Someone who is still scared all of the time but through exploring the world, I have learned to do it anyway. Iceland was the first leap and I will always cherish any time I get to spend here.