SATURDAY, 1 JUNE 2019

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE  | at 17:00

Report from Eldey: it was a wonderful day today. Few minutes after leaving the port we saw a pod of 5-7white-beaked dolphins, they were swimming around the boat and it was nice to see them enjoying surfing the swells. The dolphins were on a mission maybe to catch their dinner so we left them in peace. We had to wait around 55 minutes until we saw the first blow most likely from a minke whale. We stayed  around the area waiting to see if it showed up again, unfortunately it didn´t however many puffins were flying nearby and passengers enjoyed seeing them. We sailed a little further south and suddenly a big blow from, we believe to be a humpback whale. It showed up just in front of us but sadly it went down for a deep dive. It seems like there was not much food for the whales on this tour and the weather was also a little more challenging. In the end we had an unsuccessful tour and we gave our passengers the opportunity to come back again with a complementary ticket and enjoy with wonderful wildlife.

- Jose Manuel Marco

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE  | at 14:00

Report from Hafsúlan: After a beautiful morning, we started the trip very optimistic. As soon as we left the port, we discovered that the wind was blowing a bit stronger than in the morning, but the sun was still warming our heads and we had good feelings for the tour. We had to wait around 45 minutes until the first encountered. We saw a big dark shape in the distance that at first sight seemed to be a humpback whale but, as soon as we got closer, we discovered that it was "Humpy",a famous minke whale within our company! Last time we saw it was in April so we are always happy to discover it is still around. After a few minutes with Humpy, we changed the coarse to look for more animals and, in the distance, we started to see a lot of splashes that turned to belonged to a really nice pod of about 10 white-beaked dolpins that accompanied us while playing with the waves for quite a long time. When they decided to go away it was time to go home. That is what I call a happy ending.

-Elena Gutiérrez Ruiz

 

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE  | at 13:00

Report from Eldey: This afternoon tour was still accompanied by sunshine throughout. We had to head out a little bit further into Faxaflói again and it took us about an hour to spot our first flock of seabirds. However, we were greeted by a big pod of 11-15 white-beaked dolphins feeding together with the birds. They took a dive underneath our boat and headed away, after giving us a close look at their beautiful black and white coloration. At around the same time a total of 7 minke whales started surfacing at various distances around the boat, probably also feeding on the fish that was plentiful in that area. In between the minke whales 2 humpback whales showed us their tails, going for longer dives and coming up again shortly. Being sourrounded by so much wildlife it was difficult to decide which whale to follow. We enjoyed the company of the whales for a while, before heading back to Reykjavik, soaking up more sun.

- Diana Besel

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE  | at 10:00

Report from Hafsulan: Just like our 9 am tour, we had a beautiful summer morning to sail out today. With nothing but sunshine and the volcano Snæfellsjökull far in the distance, visibility could hardly have been better. But to spot the humpback whale that we encountered, it really did not need much as the first thing we saw was how it lifted its gigantic body out of the water and performed a picture perfect breach. Just to top it all of it began slapping its pectoral fins on the water and showing us their unique white colouration. We enjoyed this show for well over half an hour until we decided to circle the area to have a look for more species. Sure enough we found what totalled up to be 5 minke whales feeding close to where the humpback was also. It was another tour with nature at its best! 

- Sabrina Voswinkel

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE  | at 9:00 

Report from Eldey: An incredible tour!  Weak easterly winds provided a pleasant sailing into the bay of Faxaflói. We headed straight to the area that was very productive yesterday and was so pleased to see the seas teaming with wildlife again. Firstly, a large scattered pod of white-beaked dolphins, at least 20-25 scattered in small pods of 5-7 individuals.  Chasing after their fish, juveniles leaping and twisting in the air to be followed by a large splash. We then left the dolphins to pursue a blow from a whale in the distance, suddenly huge flocks of active birds got our attention and we could see whales feeding underneath. Didn´t know where to look or which flock of birds to go too first.  Soon we had at least 3-4 minke whales around us, few coming up close to the boat and many times to give us plenty of opportunities to get some pictures. Soon after a blow from a humpback whale popped up just in front of us. Whoo hoo! A little bit elusive to begin with but became quite playful in the end, pectoral fin slapping and even BREACHING!! Jumping out of the water. AMAZING!! It was a perfect morning, it really could not have been better.

- Megan Whittaker

Birds seen today: common guillemot, lesser black-backed gull, greater black-backed gull, razorbill, arctic tern, Atlantic puffin, northern fulmar,  eider duck, black-legged kittiwakes, manx shearwaters.

We are sailing from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík today at 9:00, 13:00 and 17:00. There could always be some movement out on the sea, so if you are prone to seasickness we have some seasickness tablets free of charge at our ticket office. The sun is shining, but make sure to dress warmly and make use of our warm overalls as it is always colder on sea than on land. For more information contact us by email elding@elding.is or by phone +354 519 5000.