Iceland is a great place for wildlife watching and you'll find a variety of seabirds and marine mammals that feed on the rich fishing grounds all around the island. The long period of light during the summer even provides the right environment for plankton and krill, making it a diverse and abundant bay.
Currently, we know of around 23 different species of whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively called cetaceans) that frequent the seas surrounding Iceland. These range from the largest animal that has ever lived on our planet the blue whale to the smallest the hectors dolphin.
Below we have put together an overview of the most frequently seen species on our tours.
Currently, we know of over 90 different species of Whales, dolphins and Porpoises collectively called cetaceans. These range from the largest animal that has ever lived on our planet the Blue Whale to the smallest the Hectors dolphin. They are found in every one of our oceans and even some of our rivers. Anyone that has been whale watching and seen these magnificent mammals up close can tell you that it is an experience never forgotten and a feeling of amazement and happiness not quite understood.
On our whale watching tours we often encounter other species that don't belong to the whale and dolphin families. The various migratory and local seabirds, seals and even sharks bring surely added value to our tours.
The fishing grounds in Icelandic waters are known to be some of the most fertile in the world and Faxaflói bay is no exception of that. Both territorial and migratory stocks are found in Faxaflói and as a result a wide variety of species can be caught on our tours.
Seabirds are an important part of every whale watching tour and they often guide us to the whales. During the summer months the puffins make a spectacle of themselves as well as the gannets, fulmars, guillemots, skuas, arctic terns and many more. The winter birdlife is not so diverse but it is nice to see certain species in areas that you wouldn't normally see.