In the deep blue of Iceland’s remotest northern fjords, a humpback whale breaks the ocean’s surface and ejects a geyser of ocean spray. The midnight sun hangs heavy in the sky, casting its golden rays over the Arctic Ocean and its best-kept secret, a pod of docile humpback whales. Nothing but a thick dry suit and an arm’s width separates you from these massive creatures. Here, in the depths of the far-flung fjords of Akureyri, adventurers go where only fishing dinghies have ventured before, to seek out an ultimate intimate encounter with nature and the chance to snorkel side-by-side with a migrating pod of humpback whales.

The humpback whale is a beast of rare encounter, most often glimpsed by a fleeting fin or fluke. However, this Iceland arctic adventure whisks you away from the black-sand beaches and galactic glaciers of the south and instead plunges you headfirst into their underwater realms of the north. Guided by a local marine expert, this is intimacy at its finest, and the swim with humpback whales forms part of Black Tomato’s life-altering Journeys to Come itineraries. Taking advantage of the endless light of Iceland’s summer solstice, the intricate labyrinth of the whales’ markings are yours to decipher without interruption under the midnight sun. A fleeting moment lasting a lifetime, this is the preeminent tale of campfires to come and the next evening’s lingering nostalgia.

Every summer, the northern fjords of Iceland tick to the pace of a different clock. While the rest of the world submits to darkness, the golden orb of summer solstice stands defiantly on the horizon. Reeled in by warmer seas, migrating pods of humpback whales depart the Gulf of Mexico and descend upon the region’s bountiful supplies of squid, krill, and herring. Flipping the traditional Iceland whale watching tour on its head, Black Tomato’s swim with humpback whales itinerary taps into this ethereal season, presenting a “unique opportunity for a limited period of time, during that ephemeral migration which coincides with the extraordinary midnight sun of arctic summertime,” says Black Tomato co-founder Tom Marchant.

Departing from Eyjafjörður, the arctic expedition in Iceland commences aboard a pointy-nosed private RIB and chases the hot trail of a pod of humpback whales, leaving rugged islets and jouncing dolphins in its wake. The local marine guide divulges the top-secret haunts of the whales in Iceland, before pausing solemnly. “This is the whales’ home, so we enter with respect,” he says. Once plunged into the arctic depths, his words ring true. A mere speck in the shadow of these majestic mammals, their presence alone is a humbling reminder of nature’s ascendency. Yet, as commanding as they are, the breath-taking creatures have a playful side. Back onboard, the whales vault and arch out of the water in a frolicking display of artistry, as though wishing goodbye to their new bosom friends.

As the recent phenomenon of the rare aquamarine encounter settles in, and the RIB glides past more islets, nature blossoms unharnessed elsewhere on the fjord-chiselled coastline of northern Iceland. A quartet of tiny puffins stands to attention on a grassy ledge, yellow-ivory beaks snapping from side-to-side as one beady eye stares out to the sea of bobbing minke whales and dolphins. Overhead, white-tailed eagles and great skua swoop in and out of the clouds in the orange-streaked midnight sky, framed against the jet-black seascape of Mývatn and its snow-capped mountain peaks.

A second otherworldly experience awaits inland, where the itinerary takes you past the rugged craters of Lúdentarborgir and Mount Hverfjall’s lava fields, and into the azure blue chambers of the Lofthellir ice cave. Guided by another local connoisseur, you must forge your way into the lava cave, carved into a million different shapes. The ice-sculpted walls and hanging stalactites refract light like a thousand mirrors, bathing the chamber in a subaqueous tint. Much like the deep blue of the swim with humpback whales, the chambers seem effervescent with ethereal energy, another unforgettable experience added into the throw.

Iceland is well-known as the land of ice and fire, and heading to the south of the island, geothermal baths and bone-warming local Kaldi lager help to thaw the sweet arctic chill. At The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon, luxurious timber and wide-paned glass line the walls of the suites, overlooking nature’s steamy sauna below. A few steps from each suite leads into pore-invigorating bliss, the perfect antidote to the chill of the arctic air of your swim with humpback whales. A tonic of finely sifted minerals prepared by mother nature herself, the baths are the ideal place to float backwards and reminisce on how the folds of the ocean rippled over your head with every stroke of the whales’ fins.

More than an Iceland whale watching tour, the swim with humpback whales in Iceland is the missing jigsaw in a complete travel journal and the tale of late-night tête-à-têtes to come. An intimate encounter with nature in the land of ice and fire, a more extraordinary, revitalising, and simply exclusive Iceland arctic adventure is difficult to come by.