Another visit to Special Tours proved even more rewarding than the first visit. The weather was absolutely freezing but guests donned thick coats, hats and gloves and stood on deck to watch the wonder that was more than 3 humpback whales diving up and down around the boat. The total joy of seeing these gentle giants pop up and spray a mist from their blow holes is most excellent.
Special Tours offer a unique Icelandic experience of adventure on the open arctic sea. Its incredible sailing out of a snowy harbour and into open ocean surrounded by white capped mountains. Just the scenery is jaw dropping but the whales are utterly mind blowing and you see how special Iceland and its environment really is.
The guides on the boats talk you through the types of whales they see, their individual features and design, their personalities and talk about their history and migration. Posted at the front of the top deck they call out every sighting they spot to ensure guests dont miss a thing, calling locations around the boat and the naming the whales as they are seen.
With a Special Tours ticket you also gain entry to the Whales of Iceland Museum/exhibition which allows you time to learn about various types of whales, the things that threaten them and how we can preserve these marvellous creatures. My favourite feature was the in house theatre which played a continuous film about the impact of sound on whales.
The staff said about the exhibit…
“Our newest exhibit is a conservation exhibit, developed in cooperation with the International Fund for Animal Welfare and local whale scientists. The exhibit focuses on five major threats that whales face today and what each of us can do to help. And looming over the exhibit is a life-sized fin whale model!”
The award-winning documentary Sonic Sea is shown daily on a large cinema screen in the conservation exhibit, included in the cost of admission. The film discusses the effects of noise pollution on whales and marine life.
These trips and your time in Iceland not only with the local people but with the local whales are really a once in a lifetime experience. With whale populations scarce seeing them is more magical than one can really ever explain. They are so much bigger than you think, so much more graceful and calm. It is hard not to go away not worrying about them and feeling like we all need to do more to protect them.
This company never disappoint and it was a pleasure to spend time with them.
