MONDAY, 17 AUGUST 2020

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE |  13:00

Report from Elding: We were so excited to go out again this afternoon after the incredible morning we had had. Waters were still so calm we could not have asked for better conditions. Knowing what we were looking for exactly made it so easy that we found the pod of pilot whales after only 20 minutes!! They had become even more active, were swimming fast, jumping out to decrease the resistance of the water, and even the calf within the group was keeping up. We stayed for no more than half an hour though, as we did not want to interfere with their obvious search of food, so we sailed further out after an already fantastic encounter. The sea as so flat, every little wave looked like a fin, and spotting a minke whale as well as a pod of 4 white-beaked dolphins seemed like no challenge to anyone. Our passengers were really doing a great team effort when the dolphins began to tease us, surfacing always in a different spot. Another minke whale surfaced as we moved on, also harbour porpoises made a short appearance. Close to Akranes, we had the chance to also get a glimpse at a humpback whale, but as it was clearly avoiding our boat we quickly left it alone. Respecting nature is our number one priority, as it is the only way to keep these animals’ trust in us and mostly, to ensure their well-being.

- Lucas Heinrich

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE |  9:00

Report from Elding: What a calm morning. We could not start out the new week better. Sunshine, mirror calm seas, as good as no wind, just the perfect sea conditions. Spotting was so easy that we soon saw a blow of a humpback whale in the distance and knew which direction to sail. This humpback whale was foraging, moving around rather randomly but surfacing frequently and lifting it’s tail before every dive – a beautiful view. As we had spend 45 minutes with it and still had time to spare, we wanted to show our passengers more species. So we sailed further out and encountered another humpback whale as well as 2 minke whales. Also a pod of 3 harbour porpoises came to show themselves, alongside another little star – a Puffling, so a young Puffin, that swam right next to the bow of our boat for minutes. This was an absolutely wonderful tour not just for the whales but all of nature here in Faxafloi. And just as we thought we would "only" sail back a pod of 20 or more pilot whales appeared near Engey!!! This was literally mind-blowing and everyone could clearly tell how fantastic was by how excited their guide, me, became.

- Sabrina Voswinkel

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

We are sailing from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík today for the tour at 9:00 and 13:00. 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.

At this time we have to ask that all our guests and staff ensure their own hygiene and safety at all times. Washing hands thoroughly with soap and using a hand sanitiser on a regular basis is advised, as well as wearing a face mask when keeping a 2 metre distance from others is not possible. Masks are available for purchase in our ticket office and hand sanitiser stations are located in high traffic areas.