Seal spotting

September 20, 2025 -- Lara's favorite part of the trip was seal watching at the seal colony at Ytri Tunga Beach. I enjoyed it too. The walk on the "beach" to the viewing area was challening. You had to walk over various sizes of rocks, being careful to avoid stepping on seaweed and potentially falling. I was very cautious on the way out, but got the hang of it on the way back -- big steps on big rocks.

Ytri Tunga Beach

I was wrong:  we saw seals!

The beach was tough going.

Lara looking for seals

Seal beach

Three Harbor seals

Watch a video of the seals

In Iceland, there are two common types of seals:  harbor seals and grey seals. The harbor seal can grow up to 6.5 feet long and weigh 220 lbs.  Females out live males:  30 to 35 years vs. 20 to 25. The female has one pup in June. We would have seen the seals when they were pregnant (gestation is about 9 months).

Reflections

Closer

Five of them

Rocky beach