MONDAY, 29 JULY 2019

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  20:30

Report from Elding: This midnight tour was one of the most beautiful, incredible tours of the season. Absolutely no wind meant that the water was like a mirror and as the sunset the colours reflected of the ocean. We found the mother and calf humpback whales very early in the tour and  was able to follow them calmly as they travelled together. The juvenile seemed to want to play with the boat as it breached, blew bubbles and came super close to use but mother was not amused and pushed the juvenile away. We left them in peace then and went searching for other cetaceans and soon found a very large, scattered pod of white-beaked dolphins, with lots of juveniles. At least 30 dolphins spread out a large area. They were busy feeding when we found them but once arriving they started to come under and around the boat. Causing very excited passengers as they were just meters from the playful animals. The whole tour was just amazing and as we had a few returning passengers from previous unsuccessful tours, they were super happy to have a tour like this evening on their last evening in Iceland. A very magical evening.

- Megan Whittaker

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  17:00

Report from Eldey: The sea was mirror flat, the sun was glancing over us through light clouds and we could feel nothing but a light breeze. Apart from a very enjoyable ride, our tour was simply remarkable. Right after we left the harbour we encountered a mother and calf pair of humpback whales! We observed these beautiful angels of the sea as they moved around us, at some point very close to our vessel! After a long while we resumed our search and tried to find something else. Eventually we sighted a pod of around 12 white beaked dolphins. At a certain moment our dolphins crossed over the glare, posing for the classic “dolphin over sunset picture”. Another unforgettable tour!

- Inês Cunha

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  14:00

Report from Hafsúlan: We begun under the clouds and finished this tour under a blue sky. The wind was soft and the sea perfectly flat. We first crossed a pod of harbour porpoises but they desappeared really quickly. After 40 minutes at sea we saw spashes faraway. It was a pod of white-beaked dolphins. Unfortunately when we arrived they were gone. We continue our tour and we fastly found 3-4 minke whales feeding in an area with a lot of birds. It was probably a feast going on under the water. We stayed for a while with those minke whales surfacing sometimes very close of the boat, until we had to head back to Reykjavik. During the way back we were so happy to see 2 humpback whales, an adult and a calf. They seems to be calmly traveling to the north east. At the same moment we also so a big pod of 7-10 white-beaked dolphins traveling to the same direction. What an awesome tour! 

-Miquel Pons

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  13:00

Report from Eldey: Weather conditions provided quite a pleasant ride. The good visibility made it possible to appreciate our striking surroundings. We did not have to search long until we found a pod of around 10 white beaked dolphins. We were able to stay for a long while. Later on we crossed an area with a lot of bird activity, indicating the possible abundance of prey. Close to a big flock of birds we spotted our first minke whale! Soon after we realized there were at least 4 more in the area. Everybody was amazed by these sea giants, as they popped up quite close to our vessel. Another great tour with Elding!

- Inês Cunha

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  10:00

Report from Hafsúlan: Still we are so lucky with wind and rain these days. The sea was flat and the clouds that were covering the sky remained dry. Visibility was great and from far away we could already see large flocks of birds feeding and amongst them the gracefully flying and impressively diving northern gannets. Approaching this area, we encountered a total of 4 minke whales! One of them even showed some impressive feeding behaviour as it propellered it's body through the water to get the maximum amount of fish possible into it's mouth. Inbetween we always saw a few of the small harbour porpoises popping up as well, also enjoying the plentiful fish. A great tour and wonderful morning to be out at sea.

- Jose Manuel Valero

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  9:00

Report from Eldey: Perfectly smooth seas and barely any wind was awaiting us for our tour this morning. The sun was also peeking out behind the clouds from time to time. On this tour we had to search a little bit longer, until we came across our first cetaceans. However, we were awarded with sightings of 4 minke whales. Some of them came very close to the boat and were also easy to photograph for our passengers. In between northern gannets were plunging into the water, creating splashes at the surface. It was an amazing sight, having all this wildlife around us, after the bay looked rather empty, at the beginning of the tour. In the end we could return happily to the harbour, getting some more sunshine on the way.

- Diana Besel

Birds seen today: northern gannet, atlantic puffin, common guillemot, northern fulmar, kittiwake, black-backed gull.

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.