Húsavík: Big Whales and Puffin Island Speedboat Tour

The best part of this Húsavík trip is the 12-seat RIB boat, which can cover a lot of water and move quickly when a whale appears. You may see humpback whales, minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, or, with good luck, even a blue whale or walrus. From April 15 to August 20, the trip also visits Lundey, the famous Puffin Island.

I like the small group, since everyone gets a fair view, and I like the guides’ mix of marine knowledge and practical care. Guides such as Austin, Ignacio, Inaki, Iñaki, and Alessandra have been praised for clear explanations and warm personalities. The main drawback is the open sea: it can be cold, wet, and choppy, and no company can promise whales.

The speedboat is a great choice if you value time spent searching more than a quiet, gentle cruise. You should be comfortable with brisk acceleration, spray, and a firm seat. The supplied suit helps greatly, but your own gloves, hat, and warm layers still matter.

Key points to know before you book

• Fast RIB access: The boat can cover a large area of Skjálfandi Bay and reach sightings quickly.
• Small group size: The boat carries no more than 12 passengers, so views are not lost behind a crowd.
• Puffins are seasonal: Lundey Island is part of the outing from about April 15 to August 20.
• Wildlife is varied: Humpback and minke whales, white-beaked dolphins, porpoises, seals, and occasional blue whales are possible.
• Warm gear is supplied: Water-resistant overalls, rainwear if needed, and life vests are included.
• The ride is active: Expect cold air, spray, and some chop. Bring gloves, a hat, and warm clothes.

Why the RIB makes a difference in Skjálfandi Bay

Húsavík is one of Iceland’s best-known whale-watching towns, and this trip uses speed rather than size to cover the bay. A rigid inflatable boat is not a silent sightseeing platform, but it gives you a more immediate ride and lets the captain move across a wider search area during the two-hour outing.

That matters because whales do not wait beside the harbor. The captain may need to travel a fair distance to find feeding activity, and the RIB can get there faster than a larger vessel. Several outings have produced close views of humpbacks, sometimes with repeated surfacing, flipper slaps, or breaches.

I would choose this format if your priority is seeing as much of the bay as possible in a short time. The boat’s limit of 12 passengers is another real advantage. You can shift your gaze quickly when the guide points out a whale, and you are less likely to spend the entire sighting looking around someone’s shoulder.

The tradeoff is comfort. A larger whale-watching ship usually gives you more room to walk about and may feel steadier in rough water. This RIB is more exciting, but the ride can be choppy. If you have back trouble, heart problems, epilepsy, mobility concerns, or are pregnant, this is not the right outing. Children must be at least 8 years old or 130 centimeters tall.

Starting across Skjálfandi Bay

Meet at the Húsavík Adventures ticket office at Hafnarstétt 11, 30 minutes before departure. The office shares a building with North Sailing and sits across from Húsavík’s famous church, so it is easy to locate in the harbor area.

After check-in, you receive a safety briefing and the required gear. The water-resistant overalls are compulsory under Icelandic regulations and are a welcome layer against spray and cold wind. Raincoats are available if needed, and life vests are included.

Wear comfortable shoes and warm layers underneath the suit. I would treat gloves and a hat as essential rather than optional. Your hands are exposed while holding on or taking photographs, and several outings have been described as very cold and wet even when the wildlife viewing was excellent.

Once aboard, the boat heads into Skjálfandi Bay. More than 10 whale and dolphin species are known to visit the area during the year. Humpback whales are the most frequently mentioned sighting, but minke whales, white-beaked dolphins, harbor porpoises, and seals are also possible.

The English-speaking guide explains what you are seeing and helps you read the water. A good guide does more than point at a fin. You learn to watch for a blow, a dark back, a tail, or a change in the movement of seabirds. Guides with marine biology backgrounds have added useful detail about animal behavior, identification, and responsible viewing.

Lundey Island and its summer puffins

During puffin season, the boat makes for Lundey, often called Puffin Island. The season runs approximately from April 15 through August 20. Outside those dates, the trip becomes a big-whale outing and does not include the puffin stop.

Lundey is valuable because you can see puffins in several ways. They may fly above the boat, sit on the water, or gather in large numbers on the island’s cliffs. In strong conditions, you might see hundreds or even thousands, though exact numbers and viewing distance depend on the day.

The puffin stop is more than a quick photo opportunity. It gives the trip a second focus, so the outing is not only about waiting for a whale to surface. You get dramatic views of the island and a chance to watch seabird behavior at close range without leaving the boat.

There is one practical point to keep in mind: the boat may not always reach Lundey. One outing had to skip Puffin Island, and the crew continued with whale watching instead. Sea conditions, timing, and wildlife movements can affect the route. If puffins are your main reason for booking, choose a date within the season and understand that nature still controls the schedule.

The nearby Tjörnes Peninsula adds another layer to the scenery. Its fossil beds include layers dating back about two million years. You will not be taking a land walk through the fossils on this tour, but the peninsula gives your guide a useful story about the age and changing character of the region.

Whale watching with room to react

After Lundey, or directly after leaving the harbor outside puffin season, the boat searches the wider bay. The guide and captain work together: one watches for wildlife and explains behavior, while the other positions the boat and moves when a sighting develops.

This is where the RIB earns its higher price. If a whale surfaces in the distance, the boat can often reach the area quickly. It cannot guarantee a close encounter, and responsible crews do not chase or crowd animals, but the speed gives you more flexibility than a slower vessel.

Humpbacks are the stars of many trips. You might see one animal surfacing repeatedly, several whales feeding together, or a mother and young whale traveling in the same area. Some outings have seen three, four, six, or more humpbacks. Others have produced a single whale. Both are normal for wildlife watching.

The best moments can be brief. A whale may show only its back and blow before disappearing for several minutes. A guide who can identify individuals by markings or explain feeding behavior makes those short appearances more meaningful. You are not simply waiting for a postcard pose. You are learning how to watch the water and understand what may happen next.

Other sightings can add plenty to the trip. White-beaked dolphins may move near the RIB, porpoises may appear briefly, and seals may surface. Blue whales have also been seen when the crew chose a different search area, while a walrus was an especially unusual sighting on one spring outing. These are possibilities, not promises.

What the ride feels like in real conditions

The RIB is the attraction and the challenge. It is fast, open to the air, and designed to give you a broad view. You may feel spray and wind, and the boat can bounce over chop. The supplied overalls protect your main clothing, but you still need warm layers beneath them.

The ride has been especially well received by people who worry about seasickness. The open air and movement helped some passengers feel better than they expected. That will not be true for everyone, so bring seasickness medication if you normally need it. Pills are not included.

Your seat position can affect what you see, but the small group helps. You can look across both sides of the boat, and the captain may reposition so everyone gets a useful angle. Keep your camera ready, but do not spend the whole trip staring at the screen. Whale appearances can last only seconds.

The crew places safety first. Guides and captains have helped passengers who felt unwell and have adjusted support for people with specific concerns. If you have a weak heart, a bad back, epilepsy, or another health issue, contact the local provider before booking rather than making a last-minute decision at the dock.

Guides, wildlife lessons, and the human touch

The guide is a major part of the value here. Austin has been praised for explaining whales, seabirds, and ocean safety with energy and humor. Ignacio and Inaki have also been singled out for their enthusiasm, while Alessandra and other marine biology trained guides have made the natural science easy to follow.

The strongest guides do not turn the trip into a lecture. They give you enough information to make each sighting clearer, then allow quiet time to watch. You may learn how guides recognize individual humpbacks by markings, why seabirds gather in certain places, or how a captain approaches whales without interrupting their behavior.

The crew’s attitude toward the animals matters. The best encounters described on this route involve getting close without forcing the whales to change course. The speedboat gives you fast access, but the goal is not to rush at wildlife. A respectful captain will slow down, wait, and keep the animal’s space in mind.

This also explains why the experience can still be worthwhile on a quiet whale day. You get the bay, Tjörnes Peninsula, Lundey in season, seabirds, and a guide who can put the setting into context. Still, I would not book any whale tour if you need a guaranteed sighting.

Is $198 a fair price?

At $198 per person, this is not the cheapest way to get onto Skjálfandi Bay. You are paying for a small group, a two-hour trip, an experienced crew, required protective clothing, and a fast boat that can cover more ground.

I think the price makes sense if you want an active outing and are comparing it with a large-boat cruise. The RIB is quicker, the group is capped at 12, and every passenger has a better chance of seeing a sighting without a packed deck. The price also includes the overalls, rainwear if needed, and life vest.

The value is weaker if you prefer a slow, sheltered cruise or if you are mainly interested in a guaranteed puffin stop. Puffins are seasonal, whales are wild, and rough weather can cancel a departure. The company may cancel if conditions are unsafe or if fewer than four people have booked, offering another departure or a full refund.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before departure, and you can reserve without paying immediately. Those terms help if your Iceland route is still taking shape, but you still need to arrive at the office 30 minutes before sailing.

Who should book this Húsavík tour?

I would recommend it to adults, older children, couples, families with children who meet the height and age rules, and anyone who wants an energetic whale trip rather than a quiet boat ride. It also suits photographers who want a small group and a quick response when wildlife appears.

You should bring a hat, gloves, warm clothing, and comfortable shoes. If you are prone to motion sickness, pack your usual remedy. If you have back, heart, mobility, or seizure concerns, ask the operator about your situation before booking.

Choose a date between April 15 and August 20 if puffins matter to you. For whales alone, the tour runs beyond the puffin season, and winter trips can still produce memorable sightings, including an occasional breaching whale. You simply need to accept shorter daylight and colder conditions depending on the date.

Should you book the Big Whales and Puffin Island RIB?

Book it if you want close wildlife viewing, a small group, and a fast ride. The combination of humpbacks, dolphins, seabirds, Lundey, and the Tjörnes Peninsula gives you plenty to watch during two hours, and the guides add real value.

Skip it if you need a calm, dry boat, have a medical condition that makes a rough ride risky, or would be disappointed by a day with few whales. For everyone else, the $198 price is reasonable for a focused, high-energy outing that can reach wildlife quickly and leave you with far more than a harbor cruise.

FAQ

How long is the Húsavík RIB whale-watching tour?

The tour lasts two hours, including the boat ride through Skjálfandi Bay and the wildlife search.

Where does the tour begin?

It begins and ends at Hafnarstétt 11 in Húsavík. Check in at the Húsavík Adventures ticket office, located across from the town’s famous church in the same building as North Sailing.

How early should I arrive?

Arrive at the ticket office 30 minutes before departure for check-in, clothing, and the safety briefing.

When can I see puffins on the tour?

Puffin sightings at Lundey Island are offered approximately from April 15 through August 20. Outside that period, the trip focuses on big-whale watching.

What whales and other animals might I see?

Possible sightings include humpback whales, minke whales, white-beaked dolphins, porpoises, seals, and, less commonly, blue whales or a walrus. Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed.

What clothing and equipment are included?

The tour includes warm water-resistant overalls, rainwear if needed, and life vests. You should bring warm clothing, comfortable shoes, a hat, and gloves.

Is the tour suitable for children?

The minimum age is 8 years, or the child must be at least 130 centimeters tall. If a child is slightly below 130 centimeters, contact the local provider before booking.

Is this tour suitable for people with medical or mobility concerns?

The tour is not suitable for pregnant women or people with back or heart problems. If you have epilepsy, mobility issues, or another health concern, contact the local provider to discuss possible assistance before booking.

Can I cancel the booking?

You can cancel up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund. The operator may also cancel because of bad weather, too few passengers, or another operational reason, in which case an alternative departure or full refund is offered.