Húsavík: Unforgettable Whale Watching Adventure

This was amazing! We loved our tour and lucked out with the weather. We saw so many whales and puffins! It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

It was interesting and got information and opportunities to take video and photo. As a solo visually impaired person I knew I may have had little to no chance of seeing anything. I don’t think I ca

The 3 hour GG1 tour uses converted old fishing boats. That much is knowable in advance. What is not as clear is that the conversion apparently did not include much consideration for guest comfort. There are not enough seats (which are just wooden benches) for all passengers. Instructions are given to just hold on to something. No dedicated handrails or other support structures were apparent. Unless the whales are near shore in calm seas, this is always going to be a very uncomfortable experience since the boat will have to travel some distance at speed, which will produce significant splashes. The overalls are necessary to make it even bearable at all. However, putting them on is itself tedious and uncomfortable. I also agree with other comments about the lack of effort to provide acceptable viewing experiences for all when whales are sighted. There was no effort to maneuver the ship in order to optimize the chances of people towards the aft of the boat to have good views. People along the front gunwales were asked to lower their bodies, but this was not enforced. It would mean kneeling on the floor, essentially, so would be difficult to do under the circumstances. Also there was virtually no insightful commentary beyond the most common place public knowledge factoids. Overall this tour felt like a money grabbing operation and my recommendation is to avoid it.

Amazing trip! Saw 3 different whales come to the surface about 30 times. Guide did a great job spotting the whales and explaining all about them. Would highly recommend this trip.

It was easy to find the check-in office but it was not clear what was happening next. Some people were putting on coveralls before going to boarding area but we were told to just go to boarding area. Our ticket stated we would be in jet boats but we ended up on an older vessel with very few seats.

Awesome experience on a sensational boat, skippered by a great skipper ( jo) with a fabulous, extremely knowledgeable guide (Mateo) We were blessed to see Humpbacks, White beaked dolphins, harbour porpoises and lots of beautiful birds. Jo did an amazing job finding and getting along side the whales and Mateo's commentary was first class!

The excursion office is VERY hard to find with very poor signage. Given the weather, I was actually surprised we went out onto the water. I grew up on boats and was fine, but a few people got sick. I also feel that we were crammed onto this boat. It was VERY rocky & choppy. We did spot a few whales, which was nice, but overall, the experience was just okay.

We had a wonderful experience on our whale watching tour with Gentle Giants. From the very beginning, our two guides organized everyone quickly and efficiently, making the start of the trip smooth. On the way out to the usual whale-spotting area, we had the chance to chat with our guide Fabian, who has a wealth of knowledge about Iceland and was happy to share it with us. Soon after, we spotted two humpback whales and waited patiently as they resurfaced after each dive. Fabian explained in detail about the whales and their behaviors, which made the experience even more meaningful. We’ve been on similar tours in the past, and each time truly feels like the first. Watching whales in their natural habitat, exactly where they belong, is a humbling and unforgettable experience. It’s an honor to share the planet with such incredible species, and we are grateful to Gentle Giants for giving us the chance to do so in such a respectful and memorable way.

Such a great experience! Very friendly guide, lots of information, but most of all, we had such luck - we saw a seal, puffins, and two humpback whales, splashing AND breaching! 🤩

We had a great time going out on the water with Gentle Giants. We got to see one humpback whale, which is a once in a lifetime thing! What a cool experience!