Wednesday, 20 August 2014

Tour at 17:00

Report from Hafsúlan: It was still quite windy this afternoon as we headed out. We had to sail for a while until we finally found some diving northern gannets. They were apparently feeding and seemed to be plummiting from the skies! Awesome! We did find some two or three minke whales there, but unfortunately, they were being shy and not coming up a lot. So in the end, we did not deem the tour a successful one and decided to give our passengers complimentary tickets in the end.

-Arnór Tumi

Tour at 14:00

Report from Elding: The sun was shining bright, but the strong wind from the north made this ride a rocky and adventurous one. We headed for the South towards the Reykjanes peninsula to stay with the waves on our way out. Some 10-20 northern gannets were circulating in front of the vessel at some point. Apart from the occasional puffin and northern fulmar not much seemed to be happening for the entire time during this trip. Most likely there was simply to little food in the bay this afternoon to attract the whales. All guests received a complimentary ticket and can therefore have another go and hopefully more luck next time.

-Dominik Schmid

Tour at 13:00

Report from Hafsúlan: This afternoon, we decided to head north along the coast in the direction of Akranes to avoid the swell. Fortunately though, the weather improved drastically around 50 minutes into the tour and we headed out onto the bay to the area where a minke whale had been spotted this morning. Quite sadly, we did not manage to find any whales on our way despite sailing through many areas. What a disappointment. At lease the weather was better and the visibility excellent so we could enjoy a stunning view on Snæfellsjökull glacier on the way. At the end of the tour, we gave out complimentary tickets. Better luck next time!

-Arnór Tumi

Tour at 10:00

Report from Elding: A strong and cold northeasterly wind was coloring the ocean surface white but there was not much swell. That was probably the reason why people didn't get sea sick in this rougher conditions. We found a sheltered zone beside mount Akrafjall and from the height of Akranes we sailed out in the bay of Faxaflói with the wind and the waves in our back. We were enjoying the sun and the clear sky, the rainbows in the water splashes beside the boat, the landscape and the birds. We could admire the flying skills of the fulmars gliding gracefully in the wind gusts or the fast winging of the small puffins or the big northern gannets. Unfortunately no cetaceans emerged through the water surface, that's why we hope to see everybody again in calmer conditions with nice sightings of whales, dolphins or porpoises.

- Carine Zimmermann

Tour at 09:00

Report from Hafsúlan: It was windier than expected this morning and the swell was quite rough but yet, we headed out on the Faxaflói bay hoping to find some whales. On the way out, one harbour porpoise was seen surfacing three times but then it disappeared and we continued our journey. It took us a long while to find what we were looking for and it wasn't until the end of the tour that we finally got to see a big minke whale surface right in front of us. It was very close and came far out of the water so that we could really appreciate the seize of it. Then, it came up quite frequently and regularly, maintaining a steady speed and direction. After about 10 minutes, it stopped surfacing and after that, we did not see it again and headed back to the city. Due to the swell, some of our passengers got sea sick but despite the rough conditions, it was a bright and sunny day. We would have loved to get some more sightings but that's wildlife and nature.

-Arnór Tumi