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Iceland

Our destination the fishing village of Dalvik in the distance.

We drive to the fishing village of Dalvik where we set sail on a restored fishing vessel from the harbor for a whale watching excursion.

Leaving the fishing village of Dalvik

As you can see we were outfitted with some cold weather clothing which was very much appreciated in spite that it was the end of June summer.

As we left the harbor and entered out into the sea the sky was incredible as you can see.

The staff onboard were experts on local marine life, and with their help we spotted dolphins, porpoises and followed for some time several humpback whales which we watched with great anticipation every time we saw one surface, swim and jump, and dive under

I was really glad to have that warm coat over my clothes. It was cold on the Atlantic.

Humpback whales are migratory and spend summers in feeding grounds in higher latitudes toward the Polar Regions where food is abundant. During the autumn and early winter, they migrate in the direction of the Equator to their mating grounds and may travel up to 10,563 miles every year.

Here we have three swimming together. Humpback whales are without a doubt among the liveliest of the larger whales at the surface. They commonly roll over, leap out of the sea and slap their fins and flukes on the surface with a lot of splashing.

A mother and calf. Reproduction in the North Atlantic takes place during the period between December and April and peaks in February and March. Gestation lasts 11–12 months, with the females usually giving birth to a single calf.

The females generally give birth every other year, and the older the mother, the more likely the calf is to survive. The calves suckle for only 6 months, although lactation can remain active for up to a year.

They also often stick their head straight out of the ocean, probably to investigate conditions on the surface. This behavior is called spy-hopping.

The calves learn the migration route by following their mothers to the feeding ground during their first spring and remain faithful to that area thereafter. Not all humpback whales appear to migrate every year. In such cases when they do not, they remain at the feeding grounds throughout the winter where the food is available all year round.

Humpback whales are rather slow swimmers, traveling at around 5 mph during migration. They can, however, swim at up to 17 mph in shorter bursts. Deep dives are generally of short duration, or 10 minutes, as is common among other rorquals, although they can dive for up to 30 minutes to a depth of at least 820 ft.

They often seek out boats and follow them for a while. Humpback whales are usually on their own, although it is not uncommon to see them in smaller groups consisting of 2–5 animals

Humpback whales also come to Iceland during the summer months. Humpbacks are renowned for their gregarious and acrobatic behavior. Basically, Humpback whales are the attention-seeking divas of the whale world. It is common to see them on whale-watching tours; breaching, slapping their tails and flukes, or feeding.

When you see a Hunchback expelling air this is the part of the body. This air is usually warmer than the air just above the surface of the ocean, so the water vapor (small particles of water carried in the air) condenses. ... So the “spout” you see is not a fountain of water; rather, it's a stream of warm air being forced out of the whales lungs, aka the whale's breath.

These groups do not remain together for long, so they rarely form close bonds, with the exception of females and their calves. Hundreds of humpbacks can, however, congregate in areas where there is an abundance of food. The groups are particularly unstable in the feeding grounds during the summer and only stay together for a few hours at a time.

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