What to Wear Whale Watching in Akureyri

The three-layer system

Start with a moisture-wicking base layer next to your skin. Merino wool or a synthetic blend works best. Avoid cotton, because it holds moisture from sweat and spray and feels cold in the wind. Over that wear a warm mid layer such as a fleece or a thick sweater.

The outer layer is a jacket that is both waterproof and windproof. On the big boats the crew hands out warm overalls, so your own jacket matters most for the walk to the pier and the minutes before boarding. On your legs wear warm trousers. Jeans are acceptable if they are comfortable and not restrictive, though denim stays wet a long time once spray hits it. A warm hat and gloves belong in your bag on every sailing of the year, because your hands are exposed whenever you hold a camera or a railing. The table sums up each layer.

Why the fjord feels colder than town

Elding advises dressing warmly because it is chillier on the water than on land. Akureyri sees summer temperatures up to 25°C and winter averages around 0°C, but a warm day in town tells you little about the air mid-fjord on a moving boat. Dress for the sea, not for the car park.

The Elding Classic lasts 2.5 to 3.5 hours, long enough for a light jacket to stop being enough.

Good choices

Hiking sneakers with grippy rubber soles are the best all-round choice for a fjord boat, and waterproof hiking boots are better still on the oak boats from Hauganes and Arskogssandur. Deck boots work well if you have them. Whatever you choose, it must be closed-toe with a sole that grips a wet surface. North Sailing lists shoes as not included on its Husavik trip, so the boats do not lend footwear.

Wool or synthetic socks matter as much as the shoes. Cold feet end a whale watching trip early, and the overalls do not cover your feet. The table rates each kind of footwear for a fjord boat.

What to skip on your feet and body

Skip high heels, flip-flops and slick soles outright. Skip wide scarves and floppy dresses too, because they catch the wind and get soaked by spray. Leave expensive jewelry at your guesthouse, since a ring lost over a railing stays in the fjord.

A hat should fit tight or have a strap or toggle. Polarized sunglasses cut the glare off the water and make fins and blows easier to spot.

Packing checklist

Run through this list the night before your sailing. Late arrivals get no refund or rescheduling at Elding, so you will not want to hunt for gloves at the pier.

- Merino or synthetic base layer - Fleece or warm sweater - Waterproof and windproof jacket - Warm trousers and one spare layer in the bag - Warm hat with a strap, plus thin gloves - Closed-toe shoes with non-slip soles and warm socks - Polarized sunglasses and sunscreen, because sun reflects off water - Camera or phone plus a spare battery, cold drains batteries fast - Binoculars if you have them, a wide field of view is best for whales - Water bottle and a small snack, since the RIB has no food - Seasickness medicine taken before boarding - A small dry bag for electronics

Sunscreen surprises people in Iceland. The air feels cool, yet the reflection off the fjord still burns uncovered skin. Put it on before you board.

What not to bring

Leave anything you cannot afford to lose or get wet in your room. Wide scarves, umbrellas and loose hats fight the wind. A large suitcase has no place on a sightseeing boat, and the 12-passenger RIBs have no spare room at all.

One small daypack per person is enough. Food and drinks are sold on board the Elding big boats, so there is no need to pack a meal for 3 hours.

How to prepare

Elding suggests taking seasickness medicine before boarding if you are prone to motion sickness, not once you feel unwell. Ginger chews and acupressure bracelets help many travellers. Once under way, stay outside if you can, look at the horizon and keep your head steady.

Boat choice changes the ride. The 3-hour Elding Classic Whale Watching from Akureyri at $113 per person sails on a catamaran for up to 190 passengers with a heated indoor area, which moves more gently than a 12-passenger RIB. If you are sensitive, pick a big boat and sit near the middle. The table shows when to use each remedy.

Jeans

Jeans are acceptable on a whale watching boat if they are comfortable and not restrictive. The catch is that denim retains moisture, so one wave of spray keeps your legs cold for the rest of the trip. On the big boats the overalls go over your trousers, which helps.

Quick-dry trousers are still the better answer in Iceland, and if you wear jeans, bring a thermal layer for underneath.

Swimsuit

A swimsuit under your clothes is fine if you plan to use a lagoon or hot tub around Akureyri before or after your sailing, but you will not need it on the boat itself. Forest Lagoon is a 5-minute drive from the town centre, and Hauganes has hot tubs by the black beach of Sandvik. Add a cover-up against the breeze, then the overalls on top.

Follow the crew's instructions at boarding for where to stow wet kit.

Season by season

Akureyri sees summer temperatures up to 25°C and winter averages around 0°C, and it is chillier on the water than on land in both. Build your outfit from layers rather than from a forecast number.

In summer, a base layer, fleece and waterproof shell are usually enough, with sunscreen and sunglasses doing real work in the long daylight. The Midnight Sun Whale Watching from Akureyri at $95 per person is a 3-hour evening sailing, so bring an extra fleece for the evening air. In winter, the Elding Classic and Ambassador's big boat still sail, and Ambassador adds an 11:00 departure from 1 December to 31 January. Add a second mid layer, waterproof trousers, a buff and insulated gloves. If Elding cancels for weather, you get a full refund. The table sets out what changes by season.

Practical fixes

The Elding Classic includes free warm floatable overalls, raincoats and blankets, with children's sizes. Special Tours provides warm floatable overalls, also in children's sizes. Ambassador lends warm overalls and blankets, and Whale Watching Hauganes and North Sailing hand out warm overalls before departure. On the RIBs, Elding adds neoprene gloves and goggles. In Husavik, Gentle Giants makes overalls obligatory on RIB tours but optional on its oak boats unless the captain decides.

So your job is the layers underneath. Wear your bulkiest layers on the day, including your heaviest jacket and boots, since you carry them anyway. Wool socks and a hat are the cheapest upgrades with the biggest effect.

Family kit

Give each child a merino or synthetic base layer, a fleece, a waterproof shell and a strapped-on hat. Add a spare shirt in the bag, because one wave of spray soaks a small passenger quickly. Boots or sturdy sneakers with non-slip soles matter even more for children on wet decks. On Elding boats, under-13s must wear life vests and under-16s need a responsible adult.

The big boats lend overalls in children's sizes: the 3-hour Elding Classic Whale Watching from Akureyri at $113 per person and the 2.5-hour Special Tours Whale Watching from Akureyri at $102 per person. The RIBs take riders only from 10 years or 145 cm, so younger children belong on a big boat with a heated indoor area to warm up in.

Classic boat versus RIB

On a big boat you walk a stable deck, lean on railings and can step into a heated cabin, so comfort layers matter most. On a RIB you sit in a fast open boat and the wind does the work, so the provided overalls, gloves and goggles go on over your own layers, and everything loose must be zipped away.

Compare the formats before you pack: Elding Classic Whale Watching from Akureyri runs 3 hours at $113 per person, while the faster Elding RIB Express Whale Watching runs 2 hours at $189 per person. Special Tours Whale Watching from Akureyri runs 2.5 hours at $102 per person. Each has free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, so check the forecast the day before. The table sums up what to wear on each.