FRIDAY, 27 JULY 2018

Tour at 20:30 

Report from Elding: Sun was shining, sea was calm and finally the temperature was warming up. We were looking forward to heading out into the big blue to search for some whales. After 30 minutes of sailing we came across our first, a minke whale that came to the surface about 3 - 4 times then a longer dive before returning to the surface again for another breath. We were able to stay with the minke whale for a while and once home and looking through our minke whale catalogue we discovered it to be an individual called ´Richy´an individual we have known for 11 years now. Amazing to see these whale returning year after year. We left teh area and carried on after a while and after anotehr 30 minutes of sailing a big blow was see, as we aproached we could see that it was a humback whale but soon realised it was a grumpie humpie. Surfacing 3- 4 times and then 10-15 minute dives. We followd him/her for a few more surfaces but in teh end we had to head home. Gisli entertained the guests with his musical talents and the incredible sunset had everones camera´s working in overtime. What a love tour to end the day. 

- Megan Whittaker

Tour at 17:00

Report from Eldey: What a lovely evening we have had, sun shining almost no wind and finally a real summer day in Faxafloi. The only thing that we missed was ice-creams because we had everything else. It took us a while but after sailing almost till the middle of the bay we discovered two pods of 6-10 white-beaked dolphins playing a lot of tricks, jumping out of the water, coming around us with curiosity, it was fantastic. Later on, we continued our trip and we discovered a solitary minke whale. When we were about to head back to Reykjavik, a flock of birds caught our attention so we approached the area to discover at least 4 more minke whale actively feeding and one of them was head-slapping! It was a great goodbye from Faxafloi.

-Rodrigo A. Martinez Catalan

Tour at 14:00

Report from Hafsulan: Because of the sun many Icelandic families joined us this afternoon. It nice to see that whale watching becoming more popular among locals. It was almost hot when we were leaving harbour with wind blowing in our backs. After sailing a while under this amazing conditions we found pod of around 10 white-beaked dolphins. Animals were traveling fast making many splashes but still we managed to get close look at their shining bodies. When we were watching dolphins we got a call about a whale almost on the other side of the bay. We went there as fast as we could because again it was an incredible rare North Atlantic Right Whale! To respect this whale we were watching it with a distance but still having a nice view. Smiling faces of our passenger who understood how lucky they were was the best possible reward for our team. 

- Ewa Malinowska 

Tour at 13:00

Report from Eldey: We had lovely weather for the tour this afternoon, with sunshine, blue sky and sea conditions were rather smooth. However, we could't find any cetaceans for the first half of the tour. Finally, we came across an area were a lot of seabirds were feeding together and this is were we found 2 minke whales. They were producing bubbles to push the fish to the water surface, which makes it easier for them to feed. The minkes were also surfacing close to the boat, so our passengers were able to take a close look at them. After this enjoyable encounter we headed back to the harbour, soaking up the sun.

-Diana Besel

Tour at 10:00

Report from Hafsúlan: A windy but sunny morning today. We headed out the bay in search of some wildlife. After about 1 and a half to 2 hours of waiting to spot something we saw a minke whale. It surfaced a few times before disappearing completely. We left the area to try our luck and find something else. Our patience paid off because we spotted a big blow, it was a humpback whale. It surfaced for us and went for dives but never showed the fluke. After some time with this whale we went back to the harbour and enjoyed the sun.

-Kolbrún Þóra Sverrisdóttir

Tour at 09:00

Report from Eldey: Our first trip of the day was fantastic, with tons of seabirds and whales as well. After scanning Faxafloi for a while a blow caught our attention, it was a minke whale traveling smoothly. It wasn't´t the only one. We spotted 3-4 of them during the tour and one of them delighted our eyes while she was actively feeding and closely followed by hundred of hungry birds. But the surprise was for the end. A bigger blow was sighted and after waiting patiently a humpback whale surface just next to the boat, showing us her magnificent body. The way back was marked by the sun which allowed us to enjoy a beautiful way back home.

-Rodrigo A. Martinez Catalan

Birds seen during our tour: eider duck, northern fulmar, black-legged kittiwake, northern gannet, arctic tern, arctic skua, herring gull, great black-backed gull, lesser black-backed gull, atlantic puffin, common guillemot, black guillemot.

Tour status: RUNNING

We are running our tours today from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík, sea conditions are favorable but the wind is picking up a bit, and therefore there might be some movement on the boat, and we do have seasickness tablets for free at the ticket office and on the boat.  Please don't hesitate to contact our ticket office for further information, either via phone +354 5195000 or elding@elding.is