Atlantic Mackerel

Photo: Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-NC-ND

Atlantic mackerel arrive at Vestmanna in enormous schools from May through September, drawn by the productive upwelling generated by tidal currents sweeping past the cliff faces. Schools of tens of thousands of fish circle the cliff walls in tight formation, their iridescent blue-green flanks catching the filtered Arctic light to create one of the most visually stunning schooling fish experiences in European waters. Mackerel are fast and mercurial — the school contracts into a dense ball at the approach of a diver, then explodes outward in all directions before reforming at a short distance.