Tour at 17:00
Due to strong winds on the Faxaflói bay, we have had to cancel this tour. For further information, please stop by the ticket office, send us an email (elding@elding.is) or call +354 519 5000. Weather forecasts from the Icelandic met office can be found on www.vedur.is.
Tour at 14:00Report from Elding: Our tour started from Hafnarfjörður under an overcast sky with wind and swell. The boat ride was partly roller coaster like but calmer when we went with the wind and waves. We were trained in patience and we got rewarded when finally a dolphin was leaping higher than the waves and we managed to go there where they were. We found a pod of around 5 white-beaked dolphins with a small calf in the middle of the group. We saw them very well despite the rougher conditions as they leaped frequently and came closer. Happy about this encounter we left towards Reykjavik after they disappeared as quick as they appeared before.
- Carine Zimmermann
Tour at 13:00
Report from Hafsúlan: This afternoon we sailed from Hafnarfjörður in order to avoid the high swell and the wind. Therefore the sail was much smoother and more comfortable. For the longest time we were sailing without much sign of cetaceans. Only the random northern fulmar and gannet showed up. Suddenly a small pod (3-4) of harbour porpoises appeared. The tiny cetaceans surfed in the waves and showed themselves 3-4 times before submerging. Later on we spotted a flock of feeding northern gannets and decided to check it out, when a minke whale surfaced out of the blue. The large whale came 4 times to the surface before it dove down and was never seen again for the rest of the tour. Thus, we made for the harbour with an challenging grin on our faces: we dared to fight the wind and waves and were rewarded with a whale.
-Dominik Schmid
Tour at 10:00Report from Elding: we went through some of our normal search areas before deciding to head west. The south-western wind was a bit strong and waves and white-tops were present. Around half-way into the tour, Captain Hermann spotted a semi-lunging minke whale amidst diving northern gannets, however unfortunately the animal only did it once and then vanished. We continued searching past the town of Hafnarfjörður (where we had decided to arrive back at the end of the tour) and even further alongside the coastline of Vatnsleysuströnd on the northern side of Reykjanes Peninsula. However, with the exception of 2-3 harbour porpoises, our search yielded nothing further so before we got to Hafnarfjörður, we issued all passengers with a complimentary return ticket so that they can come back with us free of charge within the next two years.
-Baldur Thorvaldsson
Tour at 9:00
Report from Hafsúlan: The wind was coming strongly from the south this morning causing a rocky and cold ride this morning. However, the passengers were comfortably looked after in their warm overalls and by the nice staff. Early on a small pod (4-6) of white-beaked dolphins surfed in the waves in front of us. One was leaping out of the water and two were slowly moving in close to the boat and then submerged. Due to the high waves and swell it was very difficult to keep track of the dolphins though. Thus, when we found nothing else in the bay for the rest of the tour, we granted the passengers complimentary tickets, so they may have another chance to see whales with us.
-Dominik Schmid
Birds seen on today's tours include: fulmars, lesser black-backed gulls, northern gannets, common guillemots, kittiwakes, puffins, great skuas, cormorants and storm petrels
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