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Humpback whale set up home near harbour in Iceland for three weeks delighting tourists and locals

2024-01-31 581 Dailymotion

A humpback whale has been spotted frolicking around a harbour in Iceland for the last three weeks.<br /><br />Locals in Hafnarfjörður - which lies 10km south of Reykjavík - have been "lining up on the harbour" to see the spectacle. <br /><br />Asa captured close up videos of the whale as it sprayed air out of its blow hole - just metres from the onlookers standing at the edge of the harbour. <br /><br />The whale - thought to be a young male - is estimated to be 20 feet long and locals have been deciding what to call him.<br /><br />They have suggested Humpy and Juno - but a name hasn't been agreed on yet. <br /><br />Asa Steinars, 33, a photographer who also runs campervan trips, said: "It's quite unique.<br /><br />"You can go whale watching in Iceland and sightings out at sea are common, but I have never seen one this close before."<br /><br />According to Asa, locals are loving having the whale around.<br /><br />"There haven't been any talks of getting rid of him," she said.<br /><br />"Some days he goes out to the ocean but he always comes back."<br /><br />Asa says this particular whale is "behaving uniquely".<br /><br />She said: "He's not shy at all, he swims right up to the end of the harbour, it's amazing."<br /><br />However, residing in a busy harbour is not without its risks.<br /><br />"We are hoping he doesn't get hit by a boat or anything," Asa said. <br /><br />"I noticed a few scratches on his back - it looked like at some point he had been hit by something.<br /><br />"But he seems to love it here."

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