Northern bottlenose whales in önundarfjörður: bearing witness at the edge of the known

Northern bottlenose whales are among the least seen whales in the North Atlantic. Deep-diving, offshore and elusive by nature, they live far beyond the edges of most human experience. To encounter them at all is rare. To spend days alongside Northern bottlenose whales in Önundarfjörður, monitoring their behaviour unfold in a quiet fjord, feels like standing at the edge of what we know about the ocean.

In October 2025, I spent several days in Önundarfjörður in the Westfjords of Iceland. Undertaking monitoring of this group of Northern bottlenose whales whilst joining Whale Wise during their field season. This is where my work of ocean advocacy and visual storytelling meet. Little is know about why this small group of northern bottlenose whales, two adult females and two calves, had taken up temporary residency in the Önundarfjörður fjord. Their presence unexpected, intriguing and threaded with concern.

Repeated behaviour in a shallow fjord

Each day in Önundarfjörður followed a familiar rhythm. The Northern bottlenose whales would appear close to the pier. Logging quietly in the shallows, resting at the surface in water far shallower than their typical deep-sea habitat. They made repeated close passes by the pier from which I was observing. Slow and unhurried, often making, what felt like, eye contact, before slipping beneath the surface for long dives along to the deeper part of the fjord.

Sometimes 30-60 minutes would pass before the whales surfaced in my view. They would reappear far down the fjord near the village and harbour of Flateyri. There, they surfaced repeatedly, breaching many times in succession, before disappearing again. Eventually, they returned to the shallows. Logging once more as if drawn back to the same quiet edge of the fjord.

This pattern repeated over several days and those days turned into weeks. The consistency of the Northern bottlenose whales movements felt deliberate, but the reason for it remains unknown.

Documenting from land and air

While the Whale Wise team were undertaking data collection of humpback whales (more on that here) in another part of the Westfjords, I spent long hours photographing. From the pier and when weather would allow, I was able to fly my drone and capture images from the air. From the pier, I focused on behaviour proximity, to reveal the whales skin condition. As well as the rare intimacy of observing these Northern bottlenose whales so close to shore in Önundarfjörður. From above, the aim was different. Aerial imagery allows us to assess body condition and overall appearance without disturbance.

Noting that all four whales showed visible lesions, along with heavy coverage of diatoms on their skin. Carefully documenting observations as part of ongoing monitoring. Contributing to a growing but still limited body of knowledge about this species.

Northern bottlenose whales are deep-sea dwellers, known to dive to extraordinary depths in search of squid and other food sources. Rarely seen at the surface for long periods, and even more rarely in shallow coastal fjords like Önundarfjörður. Simply put, we do not yet know why they were there.

What we do not yet understand

So little is known about northern bottlenose whales because of where and how they live. Their offshore, deep-diving behaviour means they’re rarely witnessed by humans at all. As a result, much of what we understand about them comes from strandings and subsequent necrosopies. As well as acoustic studies and fleeting encounters.

Over the late summer of 2025, at least five northern bottlenose whales were sadly found stranded in different locations along the north coast of Iceland. While it is not possible to draw direct conclusions, the timing adds weight to the unease many of us felt while watching this small group in the fjord.

This was not my first encounter with the species. In 2022, I witnessed a group of around seven northern bottlenose whales moving in and out of Westfjords fjords. To encounter them once feels improbable. However, twice and the length of this second encounter over multiple days in Önundarfjörður is utterly surreal. And yet, this rarity causes a growing concern. In doing so, it asks are these appearances a sign of illness, distress or disorientation from the deep ocean? Is something occurring in their environment that is leading them to come closer to shore. Or are we simply beginning to notice what has always been happening beyond our usual lines of sight? As a result of greater awareness.

Listening together: Whale Wise, community and shared knowledge

In situations like this, where certainty is elusive, attention becomes our most valuable tool. One of the ways Whale Wise is responding to the rarity and sensitivity of northern bottlenose whale sightings is through community-led observation and shared knowledge.

Whale Wise is dedicated to engagement to grow a compassionate community. To both share their field research and also support this with valuable sightings. Through this growing network, locals, travellers and people spending time along the coast, from sea farers and fishers who encounter whales in the deep, see folk sharing sightings, photographs and observations in real time. Patterns begin to emerge not from a single data point, but from many small acts of noticing.

This kind of community engagement is quietly transformative. It expands the field of awareness beyond research alone and allows community-led and land-based observations to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of whale behaviour, movements and changes over time. In regions like Önundarfjörður, you will rarely encounter species like northern bottlenose whales. Therefore this collective attention matters.

If you live in Iceland, spend time along the coast, or are planning to travel and want to learn more about responsible, land-based whale observation, you are warmly invited to join the Whale Wise community group: Íslenskir Hvalir / Iceland Whale Sightings. It is a space rooted in care, curiosity and respect for the animals we are learning from.

→ You can find and join the group here.

Each shared sighting adds to a wider picture. Therefore, each observation helps us listen more closely to what the ocean may be telling us, together.

Shared awe at the water’s edge

Alongside the science and the concern, there was also something quietly profound unfolding on the pier. Locals, visitors and passersby gathered, drawn by word of mouth. The simple magnetism of witnessing the whales from the road as they passed by. In doing so, conversations unfolded slowly, questions asked and information shared.

Standing together, we watched mothers and calves surface and breach, rest by logging at the surface and move through the fjord. In this moment, there was a shared sense of awe in knowing how rare this moment was, and how little we truly understand the lives of these northern bottlenose whales seen in Önundarfjörður. For many, it was the first time encountering a whale this close, from land and then learning that these are some of the rarest whales to encounter, meant that there was a shared moment of awe but a deep awareness of their presence sharing a warning too.

These moments matter. They are where science meets story, and where care begins.

Bearing witness at the wild edges

My role in moments like this is not to provide answers where none yet exist, but to bear witness. To document with care. To share what we see, feel and know, holds space for uncertainty.

Northern bottlenose whales remind us that vast parts of the ocean remain beyond our understanding. When they appear at the edges of our world, in quiet fjords and shallow waters like Önundarfjörður, they invite us to pay attention. Not with certainty, but with humility.

Rewilding our connection to nature means learning to sit with that not-knowing. To recognise that awe and concern can coexist. And as a result, understand that protection begins with listening.

If you are curious about marine mammals, ocean storytelling or the work I do as President of the Board of Trustees at Whale Wise, you can explore more of my marine work here.

→ Read Sixty humpback whales: a day that could shape a sanctuary here.