Sunday, 5 July 2026

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 20:30
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 20:00

Today's Whale Watching tours from Reykjavík are on schedule as shown above. Remember to dress according to weather and feel free to borrow our thermal overalls if needed!

Report from Eldey: This wonderful, sunny and calm morning, we headed out onto the flat bay with pristine cetaceans spotting conditions! Our first sighting happened quite early on, when we spotted a large blow. As we headed over, we realized there were 2 humpback whales swimming very close to one another. As we got closer, we were treated to a rather rare display of behaviours, as these whales were rolling onto their side and backs, showing off their long, white pectoral fins, as well as their ventral pleats. We also got to see them spyhopping, sticking their faces out of the water, letting us get a good look at their chins and the tubercules which give their rostrums their bumpy appearance. After spending a lovely time with this pair of humpbacks, we continued on our way and soon spotted another blow of yet another humpback whale in the distance, but because there were a lot of boats in that area already, we decided to continue on in hopes of finding something all to ourselves, which we soon did! We spotted a very sleek dark back with a very curved dorsal fin, a minke whale! We actually got to see 2 of them in an area, and this normally shy species of whale gave us a nice close look, swimming quite close. As we were about to continue, some splashes caught our attention, some breaching white-beaked dolphins! We headed closer to get a better look and got to see a rather large pod of about 15 individuals, with what looked like at least 4 mother-calf pairs, rather active at the surface. We got to see the youngsters showing off leaps, breaches, and got to see the group porpoising together before coming to a stop in an area where they began to circle. Most likely, this group began feeding, and this feast hidden beneath the surface even attracted another minke whale! We spent the remainder of our time with these dolphins and the minke, which was following them closely. We soon had to turn and head back towards the harbour, but we got to see the pair of humpbacks on our way back, and got to see their gorgeous fluke dives as a perfect finale to this wonderful tour. What a busy morning in Faxafloi!

- Orsi Stipsicz

Report from Hafsúlan: A very calm day in the bay, with almost no wind. Perfect conditions for sailing out into Faxaflói Bay. With our overalls and jackets, we started our adventure searching for marine life at the surface of the water. After sailing for a while, we spotted our first blow. Our first humpback whale was feeding using the bubble-net technique. This humpback whale was surrounded by a flock of seabirds, all patiently waiting for the giant to surface, just as we were. As the whale emerged, the birds quickly gathered around to take advantage of the fish brought closer to the surface by its feeding.
Later, we continued our trip heading west and encountered two more humpback whales. This time, they were much calmer, spending longer periods underwater between each surfacing. After watching several beautiful surfacings and a few amazing fluke dives, we decided to leave the area. The bay was clearly full of food this morning, as we found humpback whales everywhere. Before heading back, we found another very active  individual, treating us to plenty of awe moments and making a fantastic end to the tour.

-Knut Albrecht

Report from Eldey: On this gorgeous sunny afternoon, we had whales pretty much non-stop. The first humpback whale was bubblenet feeding - already amazing, but that was only the beginning. We soon arrived to an area with five humpbacks, 2 pairs and one single individual, who later joined up with one of the pairs. These whales were all feeding, and so were hundreds of kittiwakes and black-backed gulls. After we left them have their lunch, the sightings continued: one more humpback whale was bubblenet feeding and in the distance we spotted some jumping dolphins! Upon closer inspection, this was a pod of 12-14 white-beaked dolphins with lots of very small calves. They were playful and some of them even jumped! When it was really time to leave, we spotted two more humpback whales who were slapping their pectoral fins. Oh, and there were also lots of minke whales in the distance throughout the whole tour - probably around five or six! So all in all, we couldn´t have asked for a better tour. 

- Eline Van Aalderink

Report from Hafsulan: The weather remained stable throughout the afternoon, giving us a very smooth and calm bay. With incredible visibility across Faxaflói Bay, we were able to explore even more feeding grounds, all teeming with life and activity. In one particular area, we counted at least five humpback whales, while two minke whales could be seen in the distance. The shy minkes preferred to keep their distance, but the energetic humpbacks treated us to some truly unforgettable moments. We witnessed spectacular bubble-feeding behaviour, watched them lifting their long pectoral fins above the surface, and even saw their mouths completely filled with food as they lunged through dense patches of prey. After spending some time in the first feeding area, we continued sailing east until we reached a second feeding area. This time, nature surprised us with an incredible pod of around 15 white-beaked dolphins. They were extremely active, socializing and mating, creating a spectacular display. Suddenly, a humpback whale appeared in the area, followed by an increasing number of seabirds. It was an unforgettable moment, as all these different species gathered together, feeding on the same abundant shoals of fish. It was an incredible afternoon surrounded by so much wildlife and feeding activity.

-Maria Huaman

Report from Eldey: This evening, we continued to have absolutely gorgeous, sunny weather and pristine conditions for spotting cetaceans. We made our way out into the bay, basking in the sunlight with smooth sailing ahead. Our first sighting was an elusive minke whale, which we got to see surface a couple of times, as we continued deeper out into the bay in hopes of finding some busier areas. We then spotted the fluke, or tail, of a humpback whale which had gone for a rather long dive. As we were waiting for this whale to come back up to the surface, we were distracted by some splashing in the distance, and quickly made our way over. It was a rather large pod of 12-14 white-beaked dolphins, many of which were adorably tiny calves, most likely it was the same pod we had seen earlier in the day. They were quite active, leaping and breaching at the surface. As we were following along, they stopped in an area and started circling and leaping synchronously, very clearly feeding on a batch of yummy fish. There was also another minke whale making brief appearances in the background. Though we were completely enchanted by these playful, active baby dolphins, we decided to continue on and let them enjoy their dinner in peace. We headed for an area with large flocks of birds, some active, some resting on the surface, and we also spotted some large blows. The whale responsible was again, another humpback whale. We got to see this individual for a couple of surfaces, showing us the blows and some beautiful fluke dives. As we were watching this whale, we noticed quite a few more blows in the distance along with some very excited flocks of birds, so we headed over to get a better look. It was a pair of humpbacks feeding together, forming their famous bubble-nets and lunge feeding at the surface! At one point, seemingly out of nowhere, a third whale joined, and the trio continued feeding together, forming bubble nets incredibly close to the boat, lunging mere meters from us! We got to hear some very powerful blows as well as some trumpeting from these whales and they were forming the bubble spirals under the boat at one point! What incredible close encounters, exciting behaviours, straight out of a nature documentary! A grand finale to a wonderful day out on the bay!

- Eline Van Aalderink

Atlantic puffin, Arctic tern, Arctic skua, Northern fulmar, Northern gannet, great and lesser black-backed gull, black-legged kittiwake, herring gull, common guillemot

Report from Elding: The wind picked up a little bit from the afternoon as we went out to find the whales under the midnight sum. As in the afternoon we spotted the blows of several whales in the distance and some serious splashing told of much activity. Followed around by the seabirds a a total of 6 humpback whales was feeding in a small area and 3 of them seemed to work together to maximize their success. We could see them blowing bubble rings around the fish and lunge feeding close to the surface. A great sight just a few meters from our boat. We spend a good time with the animals before we had to return to the harbor.

-  Knut Albrecht