Friday, 18 July 2014

Tour at 20:30

Report from Elding: The weather had improved considerably as the day wore on and this evening we had near perfect conditions. The skies were overcast and the wind was quite calm. We decided to start out by heading towards where the basking shark seen on previous tours had been spotted. Our search bore fruit very quickly and an alert passenger shouted 9'o clock! Turning the boat we saw a dorsal fin which definitely belonged to a Basking shark. As per usual this individual was very calm and we were able to carefully maneuver very close to him and get an excellent look at the shark just underneath the water surface. We then proceeded to go further out and try our luck with other species. Further out we spotted two Minke whales from a distance but they were swimming very fast and we only saw them a couple of times before they took a deep dive. Very close to the minkes we found an exceptionally friendly group of dolphins. They spent nearly and hour playing and interacting with the boat. Again and again they surfaced right next us on either side and it was almost like they were putting on a show. It was an absolutely phenomenal experience and an encounter to remember!

-Ívar Elí

Tour at 17:00

Tour at 14:00

Report from Skruður: As we sailed out the weather had made a big improvement on the morning, this time there was very little rain and even the wind had calmed down. Much better than in the morning! And the sightings followed suit, this afternoon we were treated to two pods of White-Beaked Dolphins, this on its own is a success but how these pods behaved made the tour fantastic. The first pod we found at the beginning of the tour and the second at the end, so although the middle of the tour was spent searching everyone still got a great look at these animals. Both of the pods were incredibly interactive and were constantly bow-riding and playing with our boat, and when they weren´t beside us they were leaping and smashing their bodies on the water surface. The first pod had 8-10 dolphins in it including two calves! And the second pod had 6 dolphins but no young ones. It was a massive feast for the eyes, something we can all be very happy to witness.

- Jack Ball

Tour at 13:00

Tour at 10:00

Tour at 09:00

Birds seen on today's tour include: Atlantic Puffin, Northern Fulmar, Northern Gannet, Storm Petrel, Kittiwake, Common Guillemot, Black Guillemot, Eider Duck, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Manx Shearwater, Arctic Tern, Arctic Skua, Great Skua.