Wednesday, 06 August 2014

Tour at 17:00

Report from Hafsúlan: Leaving Reykjavík older harbor in brilliant weather it didn't take us a long time to spot the first minke Whales in a distance. Knowing that earlier in the day there were great sightings in an other area we decided to head on. Just a few minutes later we could encounter a pod of 4-6 white Beaked Dolphins slowly traveling close to our boat. While staying with the dolphins we already saw several minke whales surfacing in a little distance. When we came closer to them the captain could even turn off the engines of the boat as there was no swell and no wind at all. It was amazing to listen to the blows of the minke's in the silent bay and to see them surfacing all around us. The 6-8 individuals in the area around our boat made it really hard to leave  after an amazing tour in the fantastic wildlife of Faxafloí Bay.

-Lukas Kindermann

Tour at 14:00

Report from Elding: The day had already been a fantastic one with so many whales and dolphins already seen and this afternoon would prove to be no exception. Still fantastic weather on this afternoons trip too, glassy seas made for perfect viewing of these sensational creatures. This trip would start almost exactly like the previous trip had, in almost the same area as this morning we found a pair of minke whales! The difference though was the behaviour of these animals, one was just slowly travelling while the other was actively feeding. It rolled near the surface twice, once was in full view allowing us to see the entire body of the whale plus its white stiped pectoral fins along its side. And this wouldn´t be the highlight of the tour! Over the tour we would see around 7 minke whales, while we were heading toward a pair we accidently came across a pod of white-beaked dolphins. There were around 6 dolphins that were slowly moving through the area, and while we were following them we found a second pair of minke whales. One of them didn´t pay much attention to the boat but the second was feeding and then very curious of the boat. It would come up very close to the boat and bring its head out of the water, it does this to bring its eyes out so it can see the boat. This is rare behaviour from the normally casual minke whales and a really fantastic thing to see. We got a great look at two species today, and one even got a good look at us!

- Jack Ball

Tour at 13:00

Report from Hafsúlan: It was still calm as we left the harbour this afternoon. Still, the glacier was visible in the distance and the sun was out and it was warm. At Grótta, very close to the shore, we found two minke whales that were feeding. One of them surfaced repedetly only meters from out boat. Amazing sightings. After some time, we decided to head further and look for dolphins. We sailed due north and on our way crossed paths with several more minke whales. Finally, we did find white-beaked dolphins that were together in a pod of around 6 animals. They were relatively close and every one should have gotten a good look. On the way back, we found a basking shark! Awesome. This is not very common. It was feeding in the surface and was almost stationary and we managed to carefully get very close to it so its whole body could be seen through the water surface. Great end of a stunning tour.

-Arnór Tumi

Tour at 10:00

Report from Elding: It was a beautiful summer day this morning, sunshine plus flat seas. On days like these you just have to sit back and enjoy the weather, but we barely had time to do this as we would have our first species very quickly and then rarely a moments rest for the rest of the tour. This was a three species day! The first was a pod of 5 harbour porpoises passing through the area, this happened after just 15 minutes sailing but we wouldn´t stop to look as we then saw two minke whales in the distance. The weather was so good we could see things for miles around. These first two were fantastic to look at, they were comortable coming close and making lots of appearances. After some time with these whales we headed further out and would end up seeing more whales than we could count! in total across the tour we saw 12-15 minke whales, some of them close by and some far away. And while we were watching the whales twice we were greeted by a pod of white-beaked dolphins! The first was around 7 individuals and was slowly travelling near to us and letting us see their black and white striped bodies break the surface, the second around 5 individuals large and was leaping and jumping and causing huge splashes in the water. Almost from start to finish we had animals to view, from 15 minutes out of the harbour to 20 minutes to the harbour, an incredible tour!

- Jack Ball

Tour at 09:00

Report from Hafsúlan: It was very calm as we headed out on the bay this morning. The conditions were excellent, it was bright, sunny and we had a stunning view on the Snæfellsjökull glacier throughout the tour. After a while, we started seeing the first minke whales from far away. Then, a few pods of white-beaked dolphins popped up as well and from there on it was very effortless whale watching. We ended up shutting off the engines as we were surrounded by feeding minke whales and dolphins for more than 40 minutes. Amazing! They came so close to us, among them was Humpy, a known and identified individual. They surfaced frequently, breathing heavily so that every one could hear them and enjoy with all their senses. On the way back, a few more minke whales and dolphins were spotted. All in all, around 5 pods of dolphins were seen, most of them including around 4 to 6 animals. There must have been at least 6 minke whales, if not 7 or 8 of them. Great start of the day! Let's hope it stays like this.

-Arnór Tumi

Birds seen on today's tours include: Northern gannets, lesser black-bakced gulls, puffins, arctic terns, fulmars, guillemots and kittiwakes.