Monday, 31 August 2026

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 17:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 09:00, 10:00, 12:00, 13:00, 16:00, 19:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 15:00

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: We sailed out on this chilly, but sunny morning, eager to spot cetaceans in Faxaflói bay. The sea conditions were quite comfortable, smooth sailing and optimal spotting conditions ahead. We had our first sighting quite early on, a minke whale swimming near our boat. This whale was living up to the species' reputation of being a bit shy, and incredibly fast, as it moved from one side of the boat to the other in a flash, and seemed to be travelling rather quickly. So, we continued on, and soon came across a second minke whale. This individual seemed to be a bit smaller, most likely it was a younger whale, which also tend to be a bit less shy and more curious than the adults. Once this whale had satisfied its curiosity and started heading away, we continued on and soon had our eyes on some small splashes ahead, a rather large pod of about 6 harbour porpoises which were very busy and active at the surface, most likely feeding in an area with a lot of seabirds swarming around. Our attention soon turned to some larger splashes in the distance, as well as a large blow, so we headed over to see what all the commotion was. We saw 1 white-beaked dolphin, which swam towards us but quickly disappeared, but we had our eyes on the large blow of the humpback whale anyway. This humpback whale was a bit of a challenge to keep track of, going for frequent deep dives, showing off its fluke, but we soon found ourselves very close, and the dolphins also seemed quite interested in this whale, joining in and interacting with this gentle giant. Interactions like this are always very exciting to witness, and the presence of this pod of 4 white-beaked dolphins led this humpback to show off some pectoral slaps for us! We stayed with this humpback with its entourage of dolphins until it was time for us to head back to Reykjavík. What a busy and exciting start to the day!

- Milan Vansteelandt

Report from Hafsulan: The week started with calm seas, a chilly northern breeze and plenty of sunshine. We were ready for another adventure out in the bay. After some time travelling, we reached an area where we spotted the first splashes. A pod 5 very active harbour porpoises was feeding and moving quickly around the boat, giving us some nice views before we continued. Towards Snæfellsjökull we spotted the blow of a humpback whale. As we got closer and took the first photos, we started looking at the details of the whale (especially the fluke) and soon realised that it was a familiar individual. It was Harbour Master, or Harby for the friends! We gave this individual the name Harbour Master because just a week and a half ago, this same whale was spotted inside Reykjavík harbour. Since then, the name has stuck. This individual was very active at first, surfacing and moving around the area, but after a while the behaviour changed and the whale became very calm. Then, suddenly, Harby appeared right next to the bow. Having this familiar whale so close, moving calmly alongside the boat, was a unique and magical moment. Later we spotted a very calm minke whale, sometimes surfacing close to the boat and other times a little further away. We then started our journey back to the harbour, enjoying the calm sea and sunshine, and more (between 10-12) harbour porpoises on our way back. A lovely day out in the bay with some great encounters!

- Anna Richter

Report from Eldey: We set out in the afternoon, with the sun shining down, and the sea conditions somehow even calmer than before. Visibility was pristine, as we were able to see all the way to Snæfellsjökull. There were some dark rainclouds gathering over Reykjanes, but luckily, the bay was bright and sunny. We had quite a ways to got, as it seemed like most of the action was heading North, so we had to sail for a long while to get to our first sighting. We spotted a blow up ahead and made our way closer, but along the way we were actually interrupted by a minke whale swimming across in front of us. It was a lovely view of this otherwise shy and often elusive species, and once it began swimming off into the distance, we continued to the area where we had seen the blow. As we got closer, we saw that this was a very busy spot, with a lot of seabirds circling above, and we got to see the regal Northern gannets performing their impressive plunge dives. Soon, the humpback whale responsible for the blows we saw, surfaced nearby, and treated us to a couple of majestic fluke dives. As we admired this whale, it suddenly breached right in front of our boat less than 100 meters from us! A rather unexpected, but very welcomed spectacle! We got to see the behaviour this species is most famous for, which is so rare to see in their feeding grounds! What a treat! We got to stay with this whale for a couple more surfacing sequences before we had to start making our way back towards Reykjavík. On our way, we came across 2 more minke whales as well as a pod of 5 harbour porpoises who were travelling and porpoising along very close to us! How lovely to get to see these itty-bitty cetaceans so active, and so close! 

- Orsi Stipsicz

Report from Eldey: We headed out this evening with the sun shining bright, but thick showers around the bay. We even got to see a lovely rainbow as we sailed into the bay, looking for signs of cetaceans. Our first sighting was a humpback whale, which we could spot from far away as the sinking sun shone through their blow. We headed closer and saw many beautiful fluke dives from this calm, restful whale, before we soon had our eyes on another blow about a mile away. So, we headed over to get a better look at this second humpback. As we approached, it was a bit of a challenge to keep track of this whale, but the reason behind this became clear when it surfaced with its ventral pleats distended and pectoral fin up in the air, this whale was very busy feeding! We got to see some more fluke dives from this whale, before turning our attention to some splashes nearby. As we headed closer, we got to see a lone harbour porpoise, which was incredibly curious and very brave, as it swam very close to us. We soon found the source of the splashes, a pod of what turned out to be about 10 white-beaked dolphins. We got to see this lovely pod for a good while, and just as we were about to leave, they started leaping and breaching, putting on a show! So we stayed a little while longer to admire these acrobatic dolphins. The rain had caught up to us at this point, so when the dolphins calmed down, we turned to head towards the harbour, and headed inside for some much needed hot cocoa! What an exciting evening tour!

- Milan Vansteelandt

Northern gannet, Northern fulmar, common eider duck, great cormorant, greater and lesser black-backed gull, herring gull