Whale Watching Iceland in February
Today, we had different groups of dolphins in the morning and in the afternoon dolphins and a humpback whale. On top of that we enjoyed the beautiful landscapes of Snaefellsnes.
Category: whale diaries
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Humpback Whale in Breidafjördur on February 20, 2019
Humpback Whale in Breidafjördur on February 20, 2019
We finally got to go out on sea again today, and found two species in Breidafjördur! First we came across a humpback whale, whose blow we could see from afar. This individual was lifting up the fluke repeatedly. Later on in the trip, we then spotted a group of about 7 white-beaked dolphins that we got some really nice looks at.
Whales in Iceland in February
You might have heard that baleen whales are migratory. This means they do not live the whole year around Iceland. During summer, they come to Iceland mainly to feed. Late in autumn they migrate to sub-tropical waters for mating and birthing.
This is correct for the majority but luckily not for all of them. As this humpback whale we saw today clearly demonstrates, there are always some baleen whales that stay over winter in Iceland. The whales that stay here are typically those who are still too young to reproduce or too old. Sometimes a whale simply wants to take a year off or did not feed enough during summer to sustain for the entire migration. So that means there is definitely always a chance to see humpback whales in Iceland in February.
Whales in Snaefellsnes in February
Luckily there are not only baleen whales around Snaefellsnes. White-Beaked dolphins live for example all year around in Icelandic waters. Plus, there is always the chance to see toothed-whales such as orcas and sperm whales on our winter whale watching tour from Grundarfjordur.
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Three Species Day! Iceland Whale Watching February 15
Iceland Whale Watching February 15, 2019
Wow, what a day! We have many photos to share with you today from our winter whale watching from Grundarfjordur. It was a three species day with the following impressive sightings
White-Beaked Dolphins
We started our morning trip by spotting a large group of about 40 white-beaked dolphins that were leaping out of the water in front of a snowy landscape.
Orcas
As we came further out in Breidafjördur, we spotted a group of orcas that was foraging and travelling. The killer whales we saw today were Roulette (SN043) and her core group. They are our most-sighted group in Snaefellsnes.
Sperm Whales
On our afternoon trip, we found ourselves surrounded by sperm whale blows and counted at least 10 individuals. This was followed by another amazing killer whale sighting. What else can you wish for?
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Whale Watching Iceland February 13, 2019
Snaefellsnes in February
Many travelers come to Iceland in February to enjoy the snow covered nature and to watch the Northern Lights. Snaefellsnes is not only the perfect region to cover these things but offers more! In this region of Iceland you have the chance to see orcas, also called killer whales. Orcas are known for their long dorsal fins and black-and-white coloring. They feed during winter around Snaefellsnes on herring. For many travellers it is a dream seeing orcas in Iceland. Winter is a great time for orca watching in Iceland. We often see these very social mammals in February on our whale watching tours in Snaefellsnes.
Whale Watching Iceland February 13, 2019
Today we had a beautiful sunshine tour with orcas! With an impressive backdrop of a very snowy Snaefellsnes Peninsula, we watched at least 7 individuals, including two younger calves, as they were foraging and feeding.
Iceland Winter Whale Watching in February
At this time of the year our whale watching starts from Grundarfjordur located in the North of the peninsula Snaefellsnes in West Iceland. December and March have proven to be good months for orca winter sightings but we also see them regularly in February. Read more about our whale watching tour by clicking this LINK.
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Photos: Marie Mrusczok (Tour Guide)
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Iceland Whale Watching in January – Report from January 24, 2019
Iceland in January
Are you planning your holidays to Iceland in January? Do you plan exploring the wonderful nature in a rental car? We are sure we do not have to give you any recommendation for the famous Golden Circle and South coast of Iceland since those regions are widely know. But have you considered visiting the Snaefellsnes peninsula in the West of Iceland? This region of Iceland is very quiet during winter and you can experience Iceland in a very authentic way. Plus, Snaefellsnes is a wonderful region for winter whale watching in Iceland.
Iceland Whale Watching in January
In this article we want to share with you a few photos from our whale watching tour on January 24, 2019. We seem to be really lucky with orca sightings these days! Today we had to go on a bit of a search, but finally spotted a group of 5 orcas as they were travelling towards West. We got a clear view of the Westfjords as well and came back to a very snowy Grundarfjördur.
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Is it Worth Going on a Whale Watching Tour in Iceland During Winter?
As you can imagine, January is quite cold in Iceland so if you are planning to join our whale watching tour from Grundarfjordur you need to dress very warm. We also recommend wearing one of the warm overalls we provide for free on our boat. Because of storm and rough sea we unfortunately have to cancel from time to time a whale watching tour in January (in case of a cancelled tour you can reschedule the trip with us or would get a full refund). But in between there are always wonderful whale watching days here in Snaefellsnes. We love watching not only the amazing killer whales but also always enjoy the impressive Snaefellsnes coastline including the majestic Mt Kirkjufell.
Photos: Marie Mrusczok (Tour Guide)
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Snaefellsnes Orca Watching in January – Report from January 23
Amazing Orcas in Snaefellsnes on January 23, 2019
We were yet again successful with orca sightings on today’s trip! We spotted several individuals travelling and socializing. There were three males next to our boat that were really playful, with one of them swimming upside down on the surface! Lots of tail claps and rolling around going on, too. We hope the weather will hold for more sightings in the next days.
Snaefellsnes Orca Watching in January with some Friends from Scotland
For us it is important not to only show our passengers the impressive Icelandic orcas but to also educate them about these very interesting animals. With our guide Marie, we have a real orca expert on board. Today she had the following exciting news about some individuals in the group:
“The Scots are back!” – Today we had our first sighting of the season 2018/19 of at least one member of one of the groups known to travel between Scotland and Iceland. Guess who it was? Gunnar (SN068), the subject of our last Orca Guardians naming contest! He was spotted with two males from Roulette’s group, who are thought to stay in Icelandic waters all year round (Boromir (SN044) and Faramir (SN045)). There were more females and juveniles further out, and it is likely that also Mousa/Vendetta (SN069) was around, judging from one very distant fin picture we got. We are hoping to have more news of them soon!
Iceland Orca Watching in January
So far, January is a very successful month for us and we had already several impressive orca sightings in a row. We really hope our success for our Snaefellsnes orca watching in January continues.
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Whale Watching Iceland January 21, 2019
Iceland in January
When visiting Iceland in January you have to be prepared for rough weather since it is not only the coldest but also one of the darkest months of the year. But it is not all bad and in between some stormy periods, we also get perfect sunny days.
Whale Watching Iceland January 21, 2019
January 21 is a very good example of a wonderful winter day in Snaefellsnes. After some stormy days, we finally got out on the sea again. We were rewarded with a beautiful orca sighting. We spotted 10 individuals traveling in Breidafjördur, including two big males. Our tour guide Marie took the following pictures.
Video “Killer Whales Iceland” by Olivier Staiger
Among our passengers was Olivier Staiger who shot this amazing video from our winter whale watching tour. We feel this video does not only capture our wonderful orcas in the best possible way but also perfectly shows the snowy landscape of Snaefellsnes and the famous Mt Kirkjufell from a different angle at sea. Watch and enjoy it.
Olivier regularly travels to Iceland during winter to film the Northern Lights. Find more of his videos on his Facebook page AuroraFiddler.
Iceland Winter Whale Watching with Láki Tours
We offer winter whale watching in Snaefellsnes from December to March. December and March have proven to be good months for winter sightings. But as you can see, we also have wonderful killer whale sightings in January. Read more about our tour by clicking this LINK. We highly recommend adding a whale watching tour in Snaefellsnes when coming to Iceland in January.
Whale Watching Iceland Winter
When planning to join a whale watching tour in winter we recommend dressing as warm as possible. Wear different layers and definitely also take on top the warm overalls we provide our guests on our boat. Usually, it is a bit colder out at sea than on land. In between, you can warm up a bit in our indoor area plus we also serve hot chocolate on our winter whale watching tour from Grundarfjördur.
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Iceland Orca Watching January 17, 2019
Iceland Orca Watching January 17, 2019
Today we had a beautiful encounter with a small group of orcas. Part of this group was one calf, but also females and a sub adult male. We found them speeding towards East, and they were definitely heading straight for something. We are hoping to see more of this as there seem to be several different groups coming through the area at the moment.
Iceland Orca Watching with a Unique Encounter Today
Our guide Marie, the founder of Orca Guardians Iceland spotted two very special individual among the orcas today. The orca Roulette (SN043) was re-sighted with her youngest calf, first spotted in March and April 2018. She had lost one of her calves (Wavewalker, SN197) that was born between December 2015 and January 2016 shortly after giving birth. This calf now seems to be much healthier and stronger. It has almost made it through the first year, which is always the critical time for survival.
Interested to Adopt the Orca ROULETTE?
Roulette is the most-sighted female around Snæfellsnes during the wintertime. Over 50 encounters with this charismatic orca have given us plenty of special observations. Do you want to support the orca research in Iceland? Orca Guardians Iceland offers a unique adoption programme. Adopt the orca ROULETTE and support with your donation the protection of orcas of Iceland.
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Snaefellsnes Orca Watching January 13, 2019
Snaefellsnes Orca Watching January 13, 2019
We had another beautiful tour today, with a snowy landscape, a white-tailed eagle, and a group of about 12 orcas! We could watch them rest in a resting line. Later on they got surface-active and a little bit of foraging and feeding was going on. It was a very pretty sight!
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Iceland Orca Whale Watching January 12, 2019
Iceland Orca Whale Watching January 12
After 10 days without trips because of bad weather conditions, we were treated to an amazing killer whale encounter today! After a long search we spotted a total of 15 individuals towards the end of the trip, and we could watch them foraging and travelling. There were several youngsters around, and the male dorsal fins sure looked impressive in the snow!
Social Structure
Have you wondered why we often see orcas in groups? Killer whales live in complex and stable social groups. Normally, individuals separate for only a few hours at a time, to mate or forage. We regularly see the same groups in our whale watching area in West Iceland.
