Ísafjörður, 7/15/2022, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Arctic
A day of brilliant sunshine and calm conditions in the Westfjords, Iceland. We had an early start for a hike to a hidden waterfall in Vallagil. We spotted orchids, carnivorous plants, and breeding waders en route. Our afternoon was spent with humpback whales, which were feeding on krill (as evidenced by their bright orange poo!) deep in Ísafjarðurdjúp.
For as long as he can remember, Conor has always been preoccupied with the natural world, from the whales to the fungi. For most of his life he has been an islander: growing up in Cobh, Ireland and settling down in Tobermory in the Hebrides, Scotland...
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We began the day with a circumnavigation of Surtsey, the newest island in the Vestmannaeyjar Archipelago. This small desolate volcano captured the world’s attention in 1963 when it erupted without warning from the seafloor off the southeast coast of Iceland. From there we sailed north to Heimaey, or “home island”, where we disembarked and toured the area via coach or on foot. The more energetic folks climbed Eldfell, the volcano that nearly consumed the town and forced its evacuation during an eruption in 1973. Regardless of our choice of activities, all guests visited the Eldheimar Museum that records, preserves, and brilliantly commemorates the eruption that prompted the evacuation and destroyed nearly half of the homes in town. The devastation took one life but did have a significant and positive long-term impact. By fighting the lava flow with cooling water cannons, the townspeople halted its advance and improved the safety of the harbor.
National Geographic Endurance arrived in Djupivogur to a brilliantly sunny and warm morning. Guests set off with their local guides and the expedition team in all directions. Many visited the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon to experience the largest glacier in Europe and to photograph the enchanting Diamond Beach. Other guests explored the area in jumbo sized 4x4 vehicles or completed beach walks with our naturalist team. We finished the day by taking our National Geographic Expeditions Adventurers participants out in Zodiacs for a boat driving lesson. Everyone lived.
Today was a very busy day in the east fjords of Iceland. All enthusiastically made the most of the perfect weather to explore the region’s hiking, biking, and wildlife viewing opportunities. A hardy group of guests rode e-mountain bikes deeper into the back country for a new perspective of the region. While guests were ogling the thousands of puffins along the shoreline, the undersea team went for a dive near the steep cliffs of Borgarfjörður. They found a vibrant kelp forest below the calm surface waters. Tall Laminaria kelp was the primary player in this kelp forest with sea stars, comb jellies, flat fish, and many other creatures filmed for the guest recap later in the evening.