TUESDAY, 23 JULY 2019

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  20:30

Report from Hafsulán: What a ride! With the beginning of the tour starting with a warm breeze and no swell and the tour ending with a bone chilling wind from the Northeast and the boat shaking above the waves; this was just one of the turnovers that we experienced. The light of the lazy setting sun and the overcast does create beautiful images, but it also makes for harder spotting conditions. We were sailing a bit more then the usual 10 nm and saw no cetaceans. There were dozens of northern gannets flying around us and other bird species as well that accompanied us in our journey. At some point it was starting to get a bit unnerving that we didn't see any larger movement on the sea. We went to a spot where the presence of dolphin a was radioed in, but we were unsuccessful to find them when we got there. There was just a ridiculous amount of gannets feeding-plunging into the water. Since it was very late in the tour, we decided to go back and play some music to relax. But suddenly we spotted a fin! Soon enough we were surrounded by 20-30 white-beaked dolphins. They were swimming around us, under us, leaping out, jumping and bow riding. We managed to stay for a while with this playful group and enjoy the special moment with the setting red sun lighting the action. What a rollercoaster of emotions.

-Lucas Heinrich

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  17:00

Report from Eldey: The wind had picked up a little on this tour but it was still quite warm and only a few of our passengers needed our free overalls. The seas were calm providing great visibility for spotting. After 30mins the guide spotted one minke whale once but after 10 minutes of searching it was not seen again. Another 30mins passed and leaping white-beaked dolphins caught our attention. It was amazing at least 12-15 dolphins, adults, juveniles together. It was mainly the juveniles having all the fun, leaping and slamming their bodies on the surface over and over again and sometimes 4-5 dolphins at a time. We all got some great footage. After about 30min of a wonderful encounter we left the dolphins and went searching for more. On the way home eagle eyed passengers spotted a minke whale surfacing a couple of times 700-800m from us. We stopped, turned and got to the place it last went down for a dive but once again it was a very sneaky whale and disappeared. Still, the scenery, dolphins and birdlife was incredible. Wonderful tour. 

-  Megan Whittaker

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  14:00

Report from Hafsulan: A perfect weather for a whale watching this afternoon. It was sunny and warm with a fresh and nice wind. The sea was perfectly flat, so it was like sailing on a lake. Only 20 minutes after we left the harbour we found our first sighting of the day. It was a minke whale. We saw this mysterious species surfacing a few time, but it was quite elusive. We continue our trip admiring the beautiful landscape, with Snæfellsjökull in front of us. We finally found a pod of 6 white-beaked dolphins. We saw the splash they were doing with their jumps. We tried to approach them slowly but they fastly desappear. We offered our passengers a complementary ticket to give them the opportunity to come back for free in a new tour in the next two years.

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  13:00

Report from Eldey: When we thought the weather conditions could not get any better, the sun started to shine! We headed towards the same direction as the previous tour, but this time it took us very little time to have our first sighting! Soon after we left the harbour we found 2 minke whales! Even though these whales, as most baleen whales, tend to be more of a loners, it is not unusual to find more than one on the same spot. This does not mean they are traveling together, but simply that they are using the area for the same purpose, which would usually be feeding. Sometimes these small rorquals can be a bit difficult to keep track of due to their unpredictability after they go for a deeper dive. However this pair was quite easy to fallow and seemed to be quite comfortable with our presence, allowing us to observe them for a long period of time. On our way back to the harbour we ran into a pod of 7 or 8 white beaked dolphins. This bunch was not on their greater mood though, showing some signs of avoidance as they started to move away from us. For these reasons we simply stayed enough time so that all our passengers could take a good look at them, and then we left straight after. These animals are just like us, they have different dispositions and a responsible company, we respect that at all times, in order to be able to enjoy these wonderful creatures every day. Another great tour with Elding!

- Inês Cunha

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  10:00

Report from Hafsúlan: 

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  9:00

Report from Eldey: Weather conditions were quite favourable to be out at sea. Some grumpy clouds were a bit intimidating, but we manage to go through the tour without any rain! Visibility was quite favourable allowing our passengers to appreciate our beautiful settings. After around 1 hour of search we found a pod of 8 white beaked dolphins traveling through the area. We could easily keep their pace and enjoy their presence for a long period of time. All our passengers were amazed as all of the sudden the dolphins turned towards us and went under our vessel popping up on the other side. This moment provided great recordings! Later on our way back we also found a minke whale! It was possible to keep track of it for a while, allowing our passengers to take their precious pictures. Another ride to remember!

- Inês Cunha

Birds seen on todays tour: northern fulmars, manx shearwaters, atlantic puffins, commmon guillemots, northern gannets, eider duck, black-legged kittiwake, arctic tern, great black-backed gulls, 

We are sailing from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík today. The seas should be calm today, but 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.