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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Europe and Mediterranean

Europe and Mediterranean

Iceland

Glacial-water snorkelling at Silfra, and summer whales and puffins in the north, with all whales watched from the boat.

Dark lava rocks and beach on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula coast, Iceland
Snaefellsnes Peninsula coast · Photo: Kameron Kincade on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 26 Sep 2026. Sources: Iceland to submit bill banning whaling, Oceanographic, Sep 2026; Iceland's government confirms whaling ban bill for Feb 2027, Humane World for Animals, 2026; IceWhale Code of Conduct for Responsible Whale Watching, Operators Manual.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The US State Department rates Iceland at Level 1, exercise normal precautions, issued 5 May 2026. Australia's Smartraveller also advises normal precautions, and warns about volcanic eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula and changeable weather. Sources: US State Department travel advisory, Iceland · Smartraveller travel advice, Iceland Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

ScubaSnorkellingWhalesDolphinsWildlife watching

Why Iceland

Iceland is cold-water ocean travel. At Silfra in Þingvellir National Park you can snorkel or dive with a guide in very clear glacial spring water, 2 to 4°C all year, in the gap between the North American and Eurasian plates. A drysuit is needed for diving and there are medical and age checks. From spring to autumn, humpback and minke whales feed in Skjálfandi Bay at Húsavík and in Faxaflói near Reykjavík, and puffins nest from May to August. In late winter and spring, orcas follow the herring along Snæfellsnes. We watch all whales from the boat, never in the water. Please know that Iceland still allows commercial fin whaling. A licence runs until 2029, and 93 fin whales were killed in summer 2026. The government says it will bring a law to end whaling in 2027.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

CanadaRussiaNorwayGreenlandFranceSwedenBelarusUkrainePolandAustriaHungaryRomaniaLithuaniaLatviaEstoniaGermanySwitzerlandLuxembourgBelgiumNetherlandsIrelandDenmarkUnited KingdomIcelandFinlandSlovakiaCzechiaSilfra, Þingvellir, IcelandHúsavík and Skjálfandi Bay, IcelandSnæfellsnes and Grundarfjörður, IcelandReykjavík and Faxaflói, IcelandWestfjords, Iceland

When to go

May-Sep. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Whale watching in Iceland follows a respectful industry code, and we watch all whales from the boat, never in the water. Silfra is a managed national park site with clear safety rules. Iceland still allows commercial fin whaling, and fin whales were hunted again in 2026, so we never eat or buy whale meat and we choose operators who support whale protection.

Checked 26 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Iceland

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Silfra, Þingvellir

Exploring

Snorkel or dive with a guide in very clear 2 to 4°C glacial water between two tectonic plates.

🤿 In the water: Very clear glacial spring water, Lava walls between two tectonic plates, Green algae in the shallow lagoon

When: Year-round. The water is 2 to 4°C all year. Summer gives long daylight and easier roads. Divers need a drysuit card or 10 drysuit dives, snorkellers are usually 12 or older.

Rules and fees: Silfra lies inside Þingvellir National Park. Divers need a drysuit certificate or at least 10 drysuit dives in the last two years, nobody may dive alone and the depth limit is 18 metres.

Húsavík and Skjálfandi Bay

Exploring

A northern bay where humpback and minke whales feed in summer, watched from the boat.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales, Minke whales, White-beaked dolphins, Harbour porpoises, Blue whales (sometimes, spring and early summer), Puffins (May to August)

When: Apr-Oct. Humpbacks and minke whales feed here from spring to autumn. Blue whales come some years, mostly in spring and early summer.

Snæfellsnes and Grundarfjörður

Exploring

A west coast peninsula where orcas follow the herring in late winter and spring, watched from the boat.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Orcas (late winter and spring, not every year in the same fjord), Humpback whales, Minke whales, White-beaked dolphins, Harbour and grey seals (from the shore)

When: Jan-May. Orcas follow the herring, so they move between fjords from year to year and are less regular from June. Winter sea and weather can be hard.

Reykjavík and Faxaflói

Exploring

Short whale and puffin trips from the capital's old harbour, watched from the boat.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales, Minke whales, White-beaked dolphins, Harbour porpoises, Puffins on small islands (May to August)

When: Apr-Oct. Whale trips run most of the year, and spring to autumn is calmer. Puffins nest on the small islands from May to August.

Westfjords

Exploring

Remote fjords with summer humpbacks, big bird cliffs and seals, far from the busy roads.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (summer, in the fjords), Harbour and grey seals, Puffins at the bird cliffs (May to August), Arctic foxes (on land)

When: Jun-Aug. Summer is the only easy time. Many roads and boat trips are closed or hard in winter.

Animals

Animals recorded in Iceland

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMinke whale surfacing and exhaling, seen from aboveCommon minke whale (North Atlantic)Balaenoptera acutorostrataSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlue whale blowing a tall spout off San DiegoBlue whaleBalaenoptera musculusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasEndangeredFin whale surfacing, showing its white right lower jawFin whaleBalaenoptera physalusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSei whale's tall dorsal fin breaking a calm sea surfaceSei whaleBalaenoptera borealisSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasEndangeredSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableOrcas surfacing close together in calm Arctic Norwegian watersOrca (killer whale)Orcinus orcaSeen in 55 countries in the AtlasData DeficientSpotted harbor seal lifting its head out of calm waterHarbor sealPhoca vitulinaSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBasking shark swimming underwater in green water off Argyll, ScotlandBasking sharkCetorhinus maximusSeen in 23 countries in the AtlasEndangeredGrey seal resting on a seaweed rock in Northumberland, UKGrey sealHalichoerus grypusSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHarbour porpoise rolling at the surface off Berry Head, DevonHarbour porpoisePhocoena phocoenaSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernA male northern bottlenose whale lifting its head above the surface in the Gully, Nova Scotia, during a research expeditionNorthern bottlenose whaleHyperoodon ampullatusSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedWhite-beaked dolphin surfacing, head and beak at the water lineWhite-beaked dolphinLagenorhynchus albirostrisSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAtlantic puffin spreading its wings on a cliff in IcelandAtlantic puffinFratercula arcticaSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePod of common dolphins surfacing in calm blue seaCommon dolphinDelphinus delphisSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTiger shark with clear stripes swimming over a reefTiger sharkGaleocerdo cuvierSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedTwo long-finned pilot whales surfacing side by sideLong-finned pilot whaleGlobicephala melasSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSilvertip shark swimming in open blue waterSilvertip sharkCarcharhinus albimarginatusSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasVulnerableDwarf minke whaleBalaenoptera acutorostrata (dwarf form)Seen in 30 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernOceanic whitetip shark with pilot fish in sunlit Red Sea waterOceanic whitetip sharkCarcharhinus longimanusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredAtlantic walrus with long tusks resting on sea ice, SvalbardAtlantic walrusOdobenus rosmarus rosmarusSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedLion's mane jellyfish with long hair-like tentacles, Highland, ScotlandLion's mane jellyfishCyanea capillataSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedMoon jellyfish in a harbour in Zeeland, NetherlandsMoon jellyfishAurelia aurita and other Aurelia speciesSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedShortfin mako shark at Condor Bank in the North Atlantic, AzoresShortfin makoIsurus oxyrinchusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBlue shark swimming in open blue water off the Azores with a diver in the backgroundBlue sharkPrionace glaucaSeen in 50 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedSpiny dogfish resting on the seabed at the Josephine Marie shipwreck, Stellwagen Bank National Marine SanctuarySpiny dogfishSqualus acanthiasSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasVulnerableAtlantic white-sided dolphin leaping clear of the sea, showing its pale flank stripeAtlantic white-sided dolphinLagenorhynchus acutusSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSailfish swimming in open blue water, seen from below, with its long bill and tall dorsal finSailfishIstiophorus platypterusSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasVulnerableAtlantic bluefin tuna leaping out of choppy water, recorded in Hovedstaden, DenmarkAtlantic bluefin tunaThunnus thynnusSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernA single silvery herring angled through deep blue water off Skjervoy, northern NorwayAtlantic herringClupea harengusSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhite-tailed eagle in flight low over calm water with a fish in its talons, near Raftsund, Lofoten, NorwayWhite-tailed eagleHaliaeetus albicillaSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernYoung hooded seal with a spotted coat lying on drifting sea iceHooded sealCystophora cristataSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasEndangeredGreenland shark swimming just above the seabed in deep water, filmed by a research vehicleGreenland sharkSomniosus microcephalusSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreat cormorant perched on a branch, with white head plumes and a glossy blue-black backGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHuge flock of sooty shearwaters flying low over the sea beside a rocky coastSooty shearwaterArdenna griseaSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedClose view of a northern gannet face, with pale blue eyes and a golden headNorthern gannetMorus bassanusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeach's storm-petrel in flight over water, wings spread, with a pale patch at the base of the tailLeach's storm-petrelHydrobates leucorhousSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasVulnerableManx shearwater banking just above the sea, white underparts and dark upperparts visibleManx shearwaterPuffinus puffinusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat shearwater flying low over calm water, its reflection belowGreat shearwaterArdenna gravisSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernEuropean shag sitting on its nest of dry grass, dark green-tinged plumage and yellow gapeEuropean shagGulosus aristotelisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernNorthern fulmar sitting on a cliff ledge, facing the cameraNorthern fulmarFulmarus glacialisSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernStarry ray resting on a sandy seabed, with a spotted back and thorns along the tailStarry ray (thorny skate)Amblyraja radiataSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLongnose velvet dogfishCentroselachus crepidaterSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedBlue skateDipturus batisSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredBlack dogfishCentroscyllium fabriciiSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRound skateRajella fyllaeSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
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