Faxaflói Bay holds 23 cetacean species in a 950-square-kilometre water column fed by the Irminger Current, where Atlantic cod migrations draw minke and humpback whales within five nautical miles of Reykjavík's Old Harbour year-round.
The bay's sudden depth drop to 250 metres creates upwelling zones rich in krill and capelin, making these waters one of the North Atlantic's most reliable whale-watching grounds. Puffins return each April to nest on Lundey and Akurey islands, their clifftop burrows visible from tour boats that circle the islands' guano-stained ledges during breeding months.
Commercial whale watching began here in 1991, transforming Iceland's relationship with cetaceans after the International Whaling Commission moratorium. Today's fleet ranges from stabilised oak boats to rigid inflatable vessels capable of 35 knots, all departing from Reykjavík Old Harbour's Geirsgata pier. Marine biologists staff most cruises, identifying individual humpbacks by fluke patterns catalogued in the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue. The most frequently sighted whales include minke whales, which surface every three to five minutes to feed, and humpbacks that breach during competitive feeding displays between June and September.
Faxaflói's puffin colonies peak at 30,000 breeding pairs, their presence timed to the capelin spawn that floods shallow banks each spring. Atlantic puffins dive to 60-metre depths, their wings beating underwater at 400 strokes per minute to catch sand eels and juvenile fish. The islands' basalt shelves create optimal nesting terrain, and boat operators maintain 50-metre exclusion zones to prevent disturbance during fledging season. White-beaked dolphins appear in 40 per cent of summer sailings, often bow-riding in pods of eight to fifteen individuals.
The Reykjavik whale watching and puffin tour operates from a harbour district built on reclaimed land in 1917, where the Maritime Museum and FiskSúpa restaurant mark the old whaling station's footprint. Departure frequency peaks between May and August, when daylight extends past 23:00 and sea conditions favour smaller RIB boats. Winter sailings focus on orcas and pilot whales that follow herring migrations into the bay's deeper trenches, offering a markedly different marine wildlife profile than the puffin-heavy summer months.
3 hr
