We don’t choose to cancel tours lightly, as well as this being our livelihood we are all from seafaring families, we love being out on the water, and showing our incredible wildlife to people from all over the world!
When we have cancelled a tour it’s normally because of the waves rather than anything else. The waves build up more if the wind is coming from the West compared to when the wind comes from the East because there is land to the East.
But the other company is going!
Each company has different boats and different limits. Our priority is not just your safety but your comfort. Our boats can take huge waves, but we don’t want customers paying to feel miserably seasick for 3 hours of their holiday!
Other companies make their judgments according to their weather and wave predictions, and their crew and their boats. We can’t predict the weather perfectly so all the companies make their own decisions. If we have cancelled our tour we give you the choice to either refund or reschedule with us, if you want to go out with another company just ask for a refund, and then you are very welcome to book with another company.
Why is the yacht going but the speedboat is cancelled?
The speedboats need calmer seas to go out as they are small and fast, so sometimes the waves are too big for a speedboat that skims on top of the waves, but the larger slower ships can push through the waves so it is safe and comfortable for those on board.
But the weather looks great in Reykjavik Harbour, the sea is so calm!
The purpose of a harbour is to protect the ships inside it from the weather outside it, that’s why you’ll see great stone walls to help stop the waves. Reykjavik has a great combination of natural defences – the islands – and man-made main ones. Where we normally have to go to find whales is well outside of the harbour, so the sea can be much rougher out there than here in Reykjavik Harbour.
Where can I see the weather forecast?
https://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/elements/faxafloi/
This link takes you to the English language page of our national weather service. It is set to the bay of Faxafloi where we go out, and to wind, which is the most important weather for us.
