Call me Inky! On my visit to Iceland with my friend Brooke and our families, we went whale watching! Sadly, some Icelanders still participate in whaling (hunting for whales). I am opposed to whaling, except in the case of indigenous communities who use the whale for survival. However, whale watching is pretty fun!
Brooke and I were very excited, as we both love wildlife- particularly marine mammals! We are both fans of the show Octonauts, which is about a crew of wildlife rangers who protect the creatures of the sea. We decide to show our fandom by wearing special tees with Octonauts characters on them! My shirt has Boris the Narwhal (yes, I know narwhals don't live in Iceland!) and Brooke's has an Arctic Orca (arctic orcas *do* live in the waters of Iceland!). Orcas are actually dolphins, not whales- but both are cetaceans (the family that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises).
Our whale watching boat chugged out onto the open water pretty quickly. Brr! It was cold there; Brooke and I were glad we wore layers! Even though it was August, it was pretty windy and chilly. Soon, it was time to look for whales. Brooke and I had each brought binoculars. A professional whale spotter and another researcher were up at the top of the boat looking for whales, but we wanted to do our part too!
Whale ho! After what seemed like ages, the professional spotter saw a northern minke whale! Minke whales are baleen whales, which means they have a special way of eating! They use their baleen, which is like a sieve, to filter food out of the water. We learned that orcas actually like to eat minke whales! Wow! I was excited to see my first whale in the wild. So cool!
The whale watching boat was really fun. The trip lasted about three hours and the majority of the time, we were NOT looking at whales! Brooke and I brought some toys to entertain ourselves. I brought a little toy of Boris the Narwhal. We were lucky we didn't get seasick, actually! The boat had a lower level where you could warm up and learn about different species of whales and dolphins from educational displays. Plus, the guide gave us lots of facts to keep us entertained.
Before long (and after seeing a few minke whales, dolphins, and a flurry of puffins!), it was time to head back to Reykjavik. I had a fantastic time! My family goes to Cape Cod sometimes in the summer, where you can go whale watching, but we have never tried it. I'm glad I got to go whale watching for the first time in Iceland! It was so beautiful.
Our ship left Reykjavik that night, but before we went back to the Disney Magic, we stopped by the Whales of Iceland exhibition. It was pretty dark, so most of our photos didn't come out that well. It's a big exhibition with life size whale sculptures! That's right- you can actually see how big each species of whale is! It was awesome. I climbed into this whale mouth for a photo.
Eventually, it was time to head back to the port. We took a sleepy bus ride and made it back to the ship in time for a cocoa and a nap before we headed to our next port. I adored Iceland. Our days there were so magical and full of excitement.
Have you ever been to a place that was magical everywhere you went? Where did you go?
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