✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE| 9:00
Report from Eldey: Mirror calm waters provided optimum spotting conditions today. The birdlife was also absolutely amazing, both diverse and abundant, especially the cute atlantic puffins that were just everywhere.2-3 harbour porpoises were spotted on the way offshore but far and not easy for our passengers to stop. It took us an hour to get to the best productive areas and once arriving there were minkes and birdlife everywhere however, very scattered. We must have seen at least 7-8 minke whales but most kept their distance and we were only able to aproach one quite closely, at least 50meters from our vessel. Most likely resting as it surfaced very slowly. In my binoculors I spotted a pod of white-beaked dolphins 2-3 km in the distance and after getting closer we saw it was at least 6 individuls, adults and juveniles, miling around, sometimes breaching out the water and having a lot of fun. The tour ended with another minke whale before we headed home.
- Megan Whittaker
✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE| 10:00
Report from Hafúlan: Regardless of the cloudy weather that accompanied us from the beginning to the end of the tour, we had an excellent time. First we saw dolphins that were also jumping into the air and having a blast. It was so lovely watching them having fun and enjoying life. They also did us the honor of diving underneath our boat, which of course caused delighted laughs all over Hafsúlan. There were in total around 20 white-beaked dolphins around us. Upon sailing more to the west is where we started seeing another species, and lots of it. I would estimate we had around 12 minke whales in total, surfacing in all possible directions. To add to an excellent tour, we had a harbour porpoise diving really close to us, a sight that is seldom seen. I'm happy to say that most of us also had a really good look at this otherwise elusive cetacean.
-Lucas Heinrich
✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE| 13:00
Report from Eldey: Seas were still really calm for this afternoon tour and we had almost no wind, so still perfect conditions for spotting. After heading out for about 1 hour, we came across our first minke whale. This individual came very close to our boat, surfacing right in front of us. Sometimes you could even hear the whale before you saw it, which is always amazing. We left this individual to look for some more wildlife around. There were a lot of seabirds and also some flocks feeding. We did come across 3 more minke whales in the course of the tour, having some of them surfacing very predictably, so it was rather easy to take pictures of the minkes as well, which is not always the case. In between some harbour porpoises also popped up, in total about 5 individuals. Since the sea was really flat it was also easy to follow those animals, even though they are very fast swimmers. It was a lovely afternoon out in the bay.
- Diana Besel
✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE| 14:00
Report from Hafsúlan: The weather situation from our last tour was not getting better, on the contrary, we had rain for the most part of the tour. The weather however did not stop us from having an amazing time. When there are lot's of minke whales around you, you simply can't stay indifferent to the experience. Again a single harbour porpoise appeared to greet us while we observed the minke whales. One of the special events that happened on this tour, besides the minke whale being multiple times 20 meters away from us, was also the moment when it was lunge-feeding i.e. coming to the surface to feed with its mouth open; of course the guide missed it, but the passengers did not. :) As a special bonus, our captain Nonni spotted a group of 10 white-beaked dolphins to make the kids on board happy and to finish the tour with some nice airborne cetaceans.
-Lucas Heinrich
✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE| 17:00
Report from Eldey: Another great tour with plentiful wildlife, great weather and good people. Puffins were numerous as we travelled out to the whale watching area, flying back and forth to their breeding colonies. Flocks of birds aided us in locating the whales as they usually do and once again the bay did not disappoint. At least 5-6 minke whales, relaxing for the evening, slowly surfacing and giving us all plenty of photographic opportunities. Then a pod of 4 white-beaked dolphins, two mothers and their calves, in a short feeding frenzy near the boat and lastly a very elusive pod of 2-3 harbour porpoises that only came up a few times. It was a plesant sail back with music and calm seas. Another productive whale watching adventure.
- Megan Whittaker
✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE| 20:30
Report from Elding: The sky was overcast, but the rain gave us a break so we could enjoy a really nice tour with flat and calm seas from the very begining. All our passengers were really into the searching mood outside so, luckily, we had a lot of help on board. The positive feelings were in the air as we were looking for our beloved cetaceans. Roughly an hour after leaving the harbour, a really nice pod of 5 white-beaked dolphins made us a quick visit before dissapearing for the goods. We were trying to locate them, but it was not possible this time. We continued our heading until a black shape appeared really far away. We went to the area to discover it was full of life. Hundreds of birds were feeding around us and we got the feeling of the minke whale breathing smell. Finally, one really shy minke whale surfaced in fromt of us just once and then it left. Again we waited but, unluckily, it never popped up again. We had two encounters, but very briefly so, some passengers were not able to enjoy the animals. Thus, we decided to give our passengers the chance to come back again to enjoy these wonderful creatures free of any additional charge.
-Elena Gutiérrez Ruiz
Birds seen on todays tours include: atlantic puffins, northern fulmars, northern gannets, black-legged kittiwakes, manx shearwaters, arctic terns, common guillemots, eider ducks, lesser black-backed gulls.
We are sailing from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík today. If you are prone to getting sea sick, we do have sea sickness tablets available free of charge at the office and on board. 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.
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