FRIDAY 31 JULY 2020

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 13:00

Report from Elding: The weather situation didn’t change much from this morning so it was still a bit wavy and still warm. We sailed out into the bay and kept going until our captain spotted a huge flock of birds. It took a while for the rest of us to see what he saw, but when we did we were amazed. One solid portion of the horizon was covered with birds, that at this distance looked like flies. Only when we were in the middle of that could we appreciate the magnitude of the event. Hundreds of northers gannets were everywhere around us. The were feeding by charging the water surface and created splashes everywhere the eye saw. It would have been strange if no cetaceans showed up for this gigantic feast. And indeed, first we spotted 3 white-beaked dolphins and later on we saw a pair of minke whales, also feeding around the area and surfacing in unison. The whales were really relaxed and the few times they came up to the surface close to us, we really managed to take a good look. As if this whole bizzare even wasn’t enough, most of us on the boat also saw a harbour porpouse that was swimming surprisingly slowly next to us. Absolutely brilliant!

- Lucas Heinrich

 

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 09:00

Report from Elding: We started this morning with some choppy seas but the wind was warm so it wasn’t so chilly as it can be. The norm was still the search for a good spot of over an hour and this tour was no exception. After a few trials and errors with following the birds, we finally arrived to a promising location where the birds were feeding by the dozens. It was a spectacle to see. Maybe a 100 northern gannets all feeding and plunge-diving. Just as we were crossing between the feeding birds, a small pod of 3 white -beaked dolphins decided to join the party. The dolphins were really curious about the boat and were playing in front, around and under it. We were surely thankful for these cetacean visitors and started to head back to the harbour. It was a bumpy ride back but we were happy for the adventure and full of memories.

- Lucas Heinrich

Birds seen on today’s tours include: atlantic puffin, arctic tern, manx shearwater, common guillemot, arctic skua, northern gannet, kittiwake, black-backed gull, northern fulmar, eider duck, great skua.

 

We are sailing from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík today for the tour at 09:00. We are expecting the wind to pick up a bit as the day goes on, so the sea will be a bit choppy, so if your are prone to sea sickness we have sea sickness tablets available at our ticket office. 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.