Húsavík Whale Watching

     We are booked to stay two nights at Lake Myvatn so that we could relax a little and also do some fun activity.   We decided to go to Húsavík which is a fishing village an hour north of Lake Myvatn.  Húsavík has become a center of whale watching in Iceland due to whales of different species that frequently enter the bay.   We have gone on whale watching tours in Alaska and Hawaii and really enjoyed them so it seemed like fun activity for today.  However, after days of sunny weather we woke to an overcast and much cooler day.  We were not deterred and drove north.

     After getting tickets for the whale tour we visited the Húsavík Whale Museum.  It's a good museum for a small town and has skeletons of thirteen different types of whales.  This gave us a good idea of the variations in size.  There is evidence that as early as the 12 century Icelandic fishermen worked in teams to fish for whales which could provide food for a whole village.  Despite current international agreements regarding whale fishing, Iceland still does some whale fishing.

     We were just going to take pictures of whales so we had a quick bowl of soup and then headed to the car to pile on all our warm clothes.  We both have waterproof hiking boots and good raincoats and pants.  We added fleece jackets, stocking caps, and gloves.  Once on the boat we had the option of also wearing an insulated jumpsuit.  Rick added that layer, but I could hardly bend my arms already and passed.  The converted wooden fishing boat took us out of the harbor and into the arctic sea just a few miles south of the Arctic Circle.  As the waves rolled the boat and wind blew spray over the bow I channeled my inner Deadliest Catch crab fisherman spirit and thought warm thoughts.  

     We saw several Harbor Porpoises, lots of little Puffins, and a Minke whale while we bounced over the waves.  As we approached a bay near a small island, I was sure I saw a whale spout.  Sure  enough, there was a Humpback whale.  We slowed down and followed this whale and several others.  They seemed much smaller than the Humpbacks off Maui.  We were surprised that our tour boat and the two others that showed up when the whales did, followed the whales pretty closely.  In Hawaii and Alaska the rules about staying a fair distance from the whales are strictly enforced.  

     There was plenty of action and everyone got to see a whale.  We were all fairly wet and chilled so the cup of hot chocolate and cinnamon buns that were offered were very welcome.  I took off my wet gloves and wrapped my hands around the warm cup.  I enjoyed seeing the whales and really was happy to have made it so close to the Arctic Circle.  

     On the way back to the hotel we stopped for one of Iceland's favorite foods, pizza.  It's a less cheesy and less saucy pizza than what I'm used to, but was good and a cheap dinner.  We are tucked into our room early tonight watching BBC TV.  The wind, cold and waves have worn us out.