Whale-sighting rates by port: what the operators publish

The short answer: no whale-watching operator in Húsavík or Reykjavík publishes a sighting rate by month. The nearest thing is North Sailing's annual logbook, which gives a season total: in 2025 "whales were spotted on 1061 out of 1108 tours = 95,76%" from Húsavík, March to November. Elding in Reykjavík gives a year figure with a winter and summer split: "an overall 91% success rate", "94% in winter and 90% in summer" for 2024. Everything else on the operators' pages is a round number without a denominator. The table below is what they state, and nothing more.

#What each operator publishes, read 1 November 2026

Two definitions matter. North Sailing's crews "count trip as 'unsuccessful' if nothing bigger than porpoises is seen", and also if conditions were so hard that not every passenger saw the animal. Elding's rule is that "when only harbour porpoises were encountered, the tour is regarded as 'No Sightings'". Both exclude porpoises, so the figures are comparable in that one respect; the seasons are not, because North Sailing's denominator runs March to November and Elding's runs all year.

#Species, where stated

North Sailing's 2025 logbook breaks the 1,108 Húsavík tours down by species: humpbacks on 972 (87.73%), minke whales on 425 (38.36%), white-beaked dolphins on 226 (20.40%), northern bottlenose whales on 91, harbour porpoises on 82, blue whales on 18 (1.62%), and single tours with a fin whale and with killer whales. Elding's 2024 review gives humpbacks on 77% of tours, minke whales on 43%, white-beaked dolphins on 32% and harbour porpoises on 19%. The Reykjavík humpback figure is the one to carry: in 2024 roughly one Reykjavík sailing in four saw no humpback, against one in eight at Húsavík in 2025.

#What they promise when nothing is seen

North Sailing's FAQ: "In the unlikely event that you don't see whales on your trip, we'll offer you another trip free of charge." Elding's terms: no refund, but "a complimentary ticket" for a Classic tour from Reykjavík or Akureyri, "valid for two years" and "for returning passengers only", with "No cash value". Gentle Giants' pages read today carry a 24-hour free-cancellation line but no stated no-whale policy. Weather cancellations are refunded in full at Elding; the others' pages do not say.

Prices, where the page gave one: Elding's Classic Reykjavík tour, adults 14,500 ISK, children 7–15 7,250 ISK, under 7 free; Special Tours "From: 12.490 ISK". North Sailing's and Gentle Giants' price pages did not render a figure today.

#What it means for a booked sailing

A 95.76% season rate is a property of 1,108 sailings, not of yours. Read it as the share of days the free re-trip was needed: about one sailing in 24 at Húsavík in 2025, about one in 11 at Reykjavík in 2024. The re-trip is only worth anything if you have a second day in the port, which is the planning point.

On the North and Diamond Circle ledger the Húsavík night is Day 3 and the morning of Day 4 is in the town, so a failed Day 3 afternoon sailing has a Day 4 morning to use the voucher. The ten-day Ring Road ledger passes Húsavík on Day 6 on its way to Akureyri with no second day; book the earliest departure and accept that the voucher is a souvenir. Reykjavík sailings fit the South Coast and Golden Circle ledger on Day 1 or 2 and the ten-day loop on Day 9 or 10, both with a following day in the city; the twelve-day ferry journey has Reykjavík only on the evening of Day 8.

Season, in the operators' words: Húsavík "from March to November", with "May to September recognized as the peak season" (North Sailing); Reykjavík tours run 1 January to 31 December (Elding's schedule page). Neither says which month is best in numbers, and until one of them publishes the monthly split, nothing on this site will either.

#Sources

• North Sailing, Logbook 2025, read 1 November 2026: https://www.northsailing.is/whale-watching/logbooks/logbook-2025
• North Sailing, Logbook 2024: https://www.northsailing.is/whale-watching/logbooks/logbook-2024/
• North Sailing, Logbooks 1995–2025 and FAQ: https://www.northsailing.is/whale-watching/logbooks/ and https://www.northsailing.is/whale-watching/frequently-asked-questions/
• Elding, "Looking back on 2024" (dated 2 January 2025): https://elding.is/is/node/9127
• Elding, "How likely is it to see a whale or dolphin?", schedule and prices, terms: https://elding.is/how-likely-it-see-whale-or-dolphin , https://elding.is/reykjavik-schedule-prices , https://elding.is/terms-conditions
• Gentle Giants, home page and "Highlights of 2025" (9 January 2026): https://www.gentlegiants.is/ and https://www.gentlegiants.is/news/2026/01/09/highlights-of-2025/
• Special Tours, home page: https://www.specialtours.is/