Whale watching in Iceland is something that is a must and part of my role at The Scuba News UK is looking into the things divers and tourists might want to see on trips and what is offered. As a diver myself, I am hugely interested in all sea life and and am drawn to activities that allow me to learn about and interact with marine life and the sea world in a positive and non damaging way.
Special Tours is a company that have based a business on celebrating the wide variety of wildlife that you can find at sea, from the smallest puffin to the biggest blue whale, the tour company has its heart set on education and encouraging enthusiasm towards the natural world.
Dr. Carole Carlson, former head of research and education for the Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown, Cape Cod and USA is one of the most distinguished dolphin experts in the world and she commented on Special Tours saying that the company ‘is a truly hands on floating classroom.’
Diving for me is a superb way to look at an overview of the underwater world, to explore it and embrace myself in a world that is as alien as space. Seeing marine life above the surface, popping up here and there totally unexpectedly is so exciting and really gives another perspective. The knowing that something is down there, possibly underneath you and that it might breach any moment keeps you on the edge and engaged.
The service on the boat was brilliant and the guide was able to relay a huge amount of detail to tour goers about all of the things we saw.
It was a very friendly and comfortable boat with dry areas in warm cabins and fantastic look outs. The unpredictability of marine life really wasn’t an issue because there was so much more to see, species of birds and incredible views.
My photographer, Radoslaw Krol and I were extremely lucky to witness a very dramatic display of dolphins jumping out of the water for over 5 minutes. A number of them played near the boat and disappeared and reappeared throughout the trip.
The closeness of the boat to the sea life was amazing but the boat also moved away often to allow space and to avoid disrupting any feeding that was taking place.
Special Tours has a lot going for it in terms of its environmental engagement and abides by a policy that is dedicated to conserving and protecting the natural environment. This motivation to operate a tour company in a sustainable way and to contribute rather than detract from the eco system is honourable and a real selling point for the company.
The vibe on a boat when a whale shows its head and the ‘ooooo’ and ‘arrrrrrh’ sounds are special. On this particular tour there were lots of children and seeing the pure excitement in their faces encouraged me to think about why it is so important that children in the future get the same opportunity to witness this wonder. It reminded me of the importance of conservation efforts and the importance of all being part of that vision.
Iceland operates a huge tourist industry based on the ocean and Special Tours respects that and aims to maintain it in a responsible way and I think that that is something worth looking into.
Choose Special Tours and visit them on their website for more tour details and reviews. Go and see something incredible!
All photography by Radoslaw Krol
