Arctic Sea Tours Whale Watching
Arctic Sea Tours Whale Watching
4.5
Boat ToursFishing Charters & ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife ToursSpeed Boats Tours
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Arctic Sea Tours is located in Dalvik in the North of Iceland, not far from Akureyri. Dalvik is a charming fishing village on the Tröllaskagi Peninsula, an area that is known for its excellent whale watching conditions. The tours take place in the Eyjafjörður fjord, where you can find various types of whales including humpback whales, minke whales and the majestic blue whale as well as other fascinating wildlife like dolphins & various bird species. On average we have a 98% sightings success on our tours, making it the best in the country. Our rib boat express tour adds an adrenaline pumping experience, as we go faster and even further allowing us to cover more area in hopes of seeing more wildlife! Join us for a fun & exciting whale watching adventure!
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Arctic Sea Tours Whale Watching
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4.5
470 reviews
Excellent
400
Very good
46
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Terrible
8
Séverine P
Annecy, France48 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Fantastic tour,well organized, with a great friendly team!
We saw a lot of whales, this is really wonderful
We really advise to take the speedboat rather than the other boats, as can go much faster to the site where whales are
Thanks a lot to the team!
We saw a lot of whales, this is really wonderful
We really advise to take the speedboat rather than the other boats, as can go much faster to the site where whales are
Thanks a lot to the team!
Written 16 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melkorka
3 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
Had a fantastic time. At first, we barely saw anything, but after a while, the whales started popping up all over. One even got on its side to wave at us with its fin, and two whales swam in tandem alongside us for a while. Besides that, the scenery was gorgeous. Would absolutely recommend.
Written 25 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Going4gold
33 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
We joined a ‘Classic Whale Watching Tour’ on a wet but very still day. The waters were very calm. Almost immediately after leaving the harbour area we were able to get some good sightings of puffins, fulmars and other sea birds. We quite quickly also spotted some Minke whales. What a thrill! We then moved on further out to sea, taking in the incredible views, before seeing some porpoise. We were then so fortunate to see a very graceful Humpback whale, surfacing for air and then diving, before resurfacing a few minutes later. We were able to follow the whale around, keeping a respectful distance, watching it’s movements. What an incredible experience it was! As the boat turned around and milled about, we did also see some whale activity on the horizon further out to sea, of what looked like a breaching humpback. It was a perfect day. The crew were all very professional. The guide was very pleasant, knowledgeable and invited questions. I would highly recommend.
Written 23 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emily H
Martinsville, IN8 contributions
Jun 2023 • Friends
I wish this tour would have been cancelled due to bad weather. The wind was bad making the waves in the bay very tall, therefore the boat was rocking continuously to the point of being unsafe. Numerous people were vomiting due to seasickness, I myself was on the verge of puking but managed to keep it in somehow. Several times passengers including myself were violently thrown to the ground as there was nothing for them to hold on to. I was upset that elderly passengers and children were allowed on board and endured the abuse of this boat ride as they could have been severely injured. It was 3 hours of this. There was no safety briefing and we were not given life vests. I was completely traumatized from this ride upon return and honestly surprised we returned with all passengers on board. I give two stars instead of one only because we did see a couple of whales but everyone on board was clearly miserable and/or scared.
Written 26 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joris B
1 contribution
May 2023 • Solo
We booked the Whale watching tour on the speedboat in end of May. This is not primetime whale season but the staff of Arctic See Tours is skilled and knowledgable and we were able to see multiple humpbags up close.
The boat allows you to get to the whale quickly after it is sighted but the crew is very respectful to the animals and turns of the engine well in advance of reaching it allowing the whales to come close, you still have to get lucky with the character of the whale and how willing it is to stay to the surface and get close to the boat.
Given the scenery of the the fjord the trip on the water with the boat alone was already worth the price. I would definitely recommend it. I went on a cold (close to freezing) but sunny and dry day.
The boat allows you to get to the whale quickly after it is sighted but the crew is very respectful to the animals and turns of the engine well in advance of reaching it allowing the whales to come close, you still have to get lucky with the character of the whale and how willing it is to stay to the surface and get close to the boat.
Given the scenery of the the fjord the trip on the water with the boat alone was already worth the price. I would definitely recommend it. I went on a cold (close to freezing) but sunny and dry day.
Written 22 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Colinasita
Philipsburg, St Martin / St Maarten589 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
Used this company as part of an 6 day tour around Iceland with tour radar in April. We were a small group so opted for the faster RIB boat. At the office they provided all of us with a thick onesie overcoat but I HIGHLY suggest you wear your warmest clothes to go whale watching, especially if you upgrade to the fast Rib boat! Wear your waterproof/windproof shoes, the warmest gloves, the warmest beanie etc. Anything that can stop the wind from going through your clothes. Living in the Caribbean the experience was way too cold/freezing for my husband and I who are used to 30C degree weather year round. The tour guide mentioned that on the water that day it would be -10C degrees.
Did we see whales? Yes we did! It was a very amazing and magical experience to see them up close. We saw the whale pop up about 5-6 times.
Did we see whales? Yes we did! It was a very amazing and magical experience to see them up close. We saw the whale pop up about 5-6 times.
Written 10 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan S
1 contribution
Aug 2022
Watch out for this UNHONEST company (Arctic Sea Tours in Dalvik)! They are running business in an unhonest way. We wanted to do whale watching in Iceland. Earlier in the day, we were in Husvik trying to do a whale watching tour, but the tour was cancelled due to bad weather. Since we stayed in the Dalvik area later in the day, we called this company and they told me that the weather was good there and they still ran the whale watching tour.
But here is the real trick: what they did not tell you was that they would take you to an area where the weather was good but whales were NOT as active as what Dalvik whale watching was famous for. If you google it, you would find out that Dalvik whale watching was advertised for a success rate of 98%. We had a nice weather in the bay area but we did NOT spot a single whale. I thought that we were just unlucky to be one of 2%! But then I found out I was wrong!!!
I figured out that this company took us towards the inner bay instead of going out to the sea to watch whales. Their tour guide told me that they did NOT take us to the area where the whales were the most active, because THE WEATHER WAS REALLY BAD THERE! Well, if the weather was bad, I would be fine if they cancelled the tour like North Sailing in Husvik, or tell you the truth and let you decide. But they simply did NOT tell you the truth, and instead just took you to a back-up area where whales were spotty. The view was nice, but we were NOT there for a view in a cold weather for 3 hours! We wanted to see whales, a lot of them! We were disappointed to see NONE! I don’t have the data, but I would highly doubt the success rate of spotting whales in that back-up area would be 98%! You might be really lucky to spot one or two whales. I really regret that I did not pay attention to another bad review I saw earlier, and took a tour with this UNHONEST company. It not only wasted my time and money, but also ruined my vacation mood!
And this company did not care about customers at all! When I brought up this issue to them, they simply did not want to talk to me about it – I guess they were upset that I found out that they did business in this TRICKY way. They just told me that they knew what they were doing – I guess they did know, but a lot of people were tricked!
Again, be careful when this company tell you that the weather is good for whale watching – you might be simply wasting your time and money like I do. Indeed in a country like Iceland, the weather is bad most of the time even during the summer. You would be very disappointed if you go whale watching with them!
But here is the real trick: what they did not tell you was that they would take you to an area where the weather was good but whales were NOT as active as what Dalvik whale watching was famous for. If you google it, you would find out that Dalvik whale watching was advertised for a success rate of 98%. We had a nice weather in the bay area but we did NOT spot a single whale. I thought that we were just unlucky to be one of 2%! But then I found out I was wrong!!!
I figured out that this company took us towards the inner bay instead of going out to the sea to watch whales. Their tour guide told me that they did NOT take us to the area where the whales were the most active, because THE WEATHER WAS REALLY BAD THERE! Well, if the weather was bad, I would be fine if they cancelled the tour like North Sailing in Husvik, or tell you the truth and let you decide. But they simply did NOT tell you the truth, and instead just took you to a back-up area where whales were spotty. The view was nice, but we were NOT there for a view in a cold weather for 3 hours! We wanted to see whales, a lot of them! We were disappointed to see NONE! I don’t have the data, but I would highly doubt the success rate of spotting whales in that back-up area would be 98%! You might be really lucky to spot one or two whales. I really regret that I did not pay attention to another bad review I saw earlier, and took a tour with this UNHONEST company. It not only wasted my time and money, but also ruined my vacation mood!
And this company did not care about customers at all! When I brought up this issue to them, they simply did not want to talk to me about it – I guess they were upset that I found out that they did business in this TRICKY way. They just told me that they knew what they were doing – I guess they did know, but a lot of people were tricked!
Again, be careful when this company tell you that the weather is good for whale watching – you might be simply wasting your time and money like I do. Indeed in a country like Iceland, the weather is bad most of the time even during the summer. You would be very disappointed if you go whale watching with them!
Written 15 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FreyrAntonsson
The abuse continues from this client. First they harrassed my young guide who did his best on the tour and is our best whale spotter. Second they harrassed my staff in the office. Third and most shocking the husband hit their young child straight to the face so the poor child fell off the bench. I would strongly recommend that you get help for yourself, your husband and especially for your children. In Iceland there is zero tolerance for abuse of children. We have filed in a police report and notified the embassy about you. We have the number plate on your car and I only hope someone has a chat with you.
Now to the tour. We are dealing with wild nature and as such we can never quarantee anything but we do our best to show our guests as much as possible everytime. In 98% of tours we can show people whales but 2% of tours are unfortunately not successful. Before and during each tour we get information and try to select the best possible course to find whales for our guests. Before the tour yesterday we had been seeing whales on the east side of Hrisey, it was difficult to watch but we managed. At the start of this tour we had news of a whale inside of the Island and there was a boat watching it and would be close to it until we would arrive, which was the case. The crew saw it three times far from the boat but were unable to show our respected guests. We made a big effort to find it but were unsuccessful. We were surprised how difficult it was to spot it. How long it dived and how far it travelled each time, but we can not control it as this is a wild animal. What should have been a easy outcome became difficult. We used all time possible and ordered a bus to the nearest harbor to buy us time to be able to finally show the humpback whale which certainly was in the area. We can only say sorry and we did our best, but in this case it was not enough. We can understand that people are not happy, that they voice their concern and even file for a refund. We however can not and will not tolerate abuse from you to our staff and to witness the abuse from you towards your own child which is giving us even greater concern.
Written 16 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
James
Peterborough, UK16 contributions
Great experience, the staff on the boat were passionate and ensured we got the most from our trip. We saw five hump back whales and a pod of dolphins. Would go again.
Written 19 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nielsen7
Denmark14 contributions
Jul 2022
We headed out from Dalvik an early afternoon in cloudy and foggy weather. We had hoped to enjoy the view of the fjord and surrounding mountains, but that was all covered in clouds. Hence our hopes were not high even though the guide assured us that humpbacks had been spotted that morning. The captain set a northern course at full throttle and we got busy hanging on to the handles and covering the ears against the cold headwind. After a good stretch, the clouds lifted a bit and the captain reduced the speed. Then, suddenly, through the fog towards the horizon, we saw the iconic silhouette of a jumping humpback! As we approached the area, we saw a couple of humpbacks surfacing for air and followed them until they dived. Next, we approached what seemed to be a mother and a young humpback. The young one was very playful and jumped out of the water a dozen times and swam in front of the boat waving its fin in the air. This was an absolutely breath-taking sight which we will never forget.
Going whale watching will always be a bit of a lottery, but Arctic Sea Tours has the experience and equipment to maximize the chances of success. The Express tour is not for elderly or very young children, but the suspension seats makes it as comfortable as possible and our 10-year old had no problem on this tour with calm wind.
Tip: bring proper winter gloves, warm socks and put up the hood of the suit before the boat leaves the harbour.
Going whale watching will always be a bit of a lottery, but Arctic Sea Tours has the experience and equipment to maximize the chances of success. The Express tour is not for elderly or very young children, but the suspension seats makes it as comfortable as possible and our 10-year old had no problem on this tour with calm wind.
Tip: bring proper winter gloves, warm socks and put up the hood of the suit before the boat leaves the harbour.
Written 10 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah
3 contributions
Dec 2021 • Couples
It was well organized and the staff was friendly. Bring very warm clothes even with the provided one-piece-flotation-suit.
We had perfect weather and the boat was not crowded nor rolling a lot. The expedition would have been worth it just for the spectacular views from the boat. We observed two humpback whales for over an hour.
We had perfect weather and the boat was not crowded nor rolling a lot. The expedition would have been worth it just for the spectacular views from the boat. We observed two humpback whales for over an hour.
Written 16 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
robalveston
bristol63 contributions
Why does Iceland continue to kill whales,????
Rennata Levy L
Long Beach, CA57 contributions
The whale watching tour promoted protecting the whales as this is their business. I am aware that Iceland has not signed the international whale protection. However, monies from whale watching trips might convince Iceland to protect whales in its boarders.
LND69
Plano, Texas2 contributions
What is the cost? Is the sighting of whales more successful here that in the south near Reykjavik?
Anthony A
Brussels, Belgium11 contributions
Hi! Would have to agree with Cristina. The north is worth seeing for its wilderness in any event. As for the whales, we did some research beforehand and went up to Dalvik because it’s supposed to be the best spot for whale watching. We certainly weren’t disappointed. Enjoy!
miltonman196
Milton230 contributions
How rough is the water out to see the whales? How big is the boat? (I'm worried about others on the trip getting seasick)
Freyr A
Lisbon, Portugal3 contributions
We do not go out in bad weather but the sea conditions do vary depending in wind and the direction of the wind. We are always inside the fjord watching whales. We have two boats one 15 meters long and other 20 meters. We can not guartantee people not getting sea sick because that does vary between individuals.
tractor12
Clevedon, UK50 contributions
Best time of year for Whale watching
Mark T
Aberdeen, WA2,822 contributions
To actually see whales its my understanding , it great year round. we went in early September .We saw numerous pods of whales and got great pictures . the weather was cooperative that day as it was sunny and neither cold nor rainy. They give you jumpsuits to stay warm however I wouldn't want to go whale watching in cold rainy weather and blowing winds. Luckily the area is in the fjords and not out in open sea so there were no rough waters . there were no issues of sea sickness in our group due to the calm water and the speed of the boat.
sarah_gunberg
Ada, MI61 contributions
Do they provide Dramamine if needed??
SeniorTravelGirl1
Menomonie, Wisconsin, United States97 contributions
I don't believe so. We had very heavy waves on one trip out and none was offered but no one got sick either! We were on the fjord, not the open seas so it shouldn't be a problem for most people but advise you bring your own if you are worried about this.
Suzanne R
Lyon, France2 contributions
Connaitre tout simplement les horaires, les possibilités de réservation, les prix et le nombre de personnes embarquées. Bref, des renseignements élémentaires et non des publicités plus ou moins bidon.
Beerd G
Den Bosch, The Netherlands1 contribution
Hi. I would like to know what the facilities are on board of your ship? Do you have lifejackets? Thank you!
Hey guys and gals! Any little chance to see whales while on the way from Dalvik to Grimsey? At first sight, it seems like the Saefara passes through a whale-stuffed area. Thanks in advance.
simona b
Florence, Italy2,415 contributions
ciao Marco, dipende dal tour e dal periodo dell'anno.
il tour base di avvistamento balene dura 3 ore e in agosto parte alle 9 e alle 13, mentre ad esempio a luglio parte anche alle 17 e alle 20:30, in ottobre solo alle 13, sul loro sito hanno tutte le informazioni dettagliate
