Sunday 4 July 2021
✔ CLASSIC WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 09:00
Today the sea was very calm, and it even though there was a bit of fog at the beginning it cleared as the hours passed by. Not long after two groups of white beaked dolphins (10-12 individuals) showed up. We went further out and we could find 2-3 humpback whales. The animals were very curious and approached the boat and they stared at us from 2 meters distance. They were very relaxed and swimming slowly. There were other boats coming so we went in search for other species. Different species of birds could be seen in this journey, Atlantic puffins, fulmars, great cormorants, and artic tern. While we were heading back to the harbour another group of white beaked dolphins suddenly appeared about another 14 individuals with babies. They were breaching coordinately. It was an amazing tour and as we had a lot of Americans on board we had a great show for their Independence Day.
- Estel Sánchez i Camí
✔ PREMIUM WHALE AND PUFFIN TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 10:00
Report from Þruma RIB: The sea was incredibly calm this morning as we headed out from the harbour. We began the trip with a stop at Akurey island to watch the ever active puffin colony and their neighbours – many of our on-board passengers got great photos because of the calm sea and steady boat. After saying good-bye to the puffins, we went further out to sea, but the fog was very thick and the lack of visibility made whale spotting tricky. However, our persistence was rewarded with a humpback whale sighting. The individual stayed in our proximity for quite a few minutes, surfacing frequently to pose for a picture.
- Fróði Guðmundur Jónsson
✔ CLASSIC WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 13:00
Report from Elding: This afternoon was a little different but we were still very lucky. The mist was still limiting our visibility and the wind was picking up a little to make it a lot chillier. We first found a pod of 3 white-beaked dolphins that were quite elusive so we didn’t stay long with them. Then a humpback whales that was breaching and flipper slapping, literally we felt it was showing us where it was. “Hey I’m over here” but as soon as we arrived it dove showed the tail and was gone for a 11min dive. We waited for the whale to surface twice more, waiting for about 11mins each time and when other boats came over we left. We found another pod of 2 white-beaked dolphins and another humpback whale that we were able to have a closer encounter with but again lots of boats came over and we left. We were definitely the lucky boat today spotting all the cetaceans first and having super nice encounters with them before others came and we left.
- Megan Whittaker
✔ PREMIUM WHALE AND PUFFIN TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 14:00
Report from Þruma RIB: The fog that laid over the Faxaflói bay in the morning had moved a bit closer to shore, so the visibility was greater out at sea but lesser close to the harbour. Therefore, we went straight out into the bay, and soon we smelled the foul breath of the minke whale, but we were unable to locate it for a few minutes. After having turned off the boat‘s engine, the minke surfaced rather close to us. It quickly went away, but that did not matter as we stumbled upon another elusive minke just a couple of minutes later. After that, we went to search for other species, and managed to end our whale watching with a a feeding humpback whale sighting. On the way back, the visibility was still low close to the harbour, but that did not matter for our puffin watching at Akurey island, as our rib boat was able to get very close to the island in the calm waters and the puffins were incredibly lively.
- Fróði Guðmundur Jónsson
✔ CLASSIC WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 17:00
Report from Elding: It was a very overcast sky this evening but the fog lifted to allow for better spotting conditions, the wind was chilly so the passengers made use of the warm overalls and hot drinks that were available in the saloon. On the first encounters the animals were pretty elusive: a group of about 6 white beaked dolphins, and one humpback whale. They just popped us a few times and disappeared even though we waited for a long time. A long time after a lot of searching time was running out and we had to head home. With only 30 minutes left of the tour we encountered 2 white beaked dolphins (mother and calf) and then suddenly a humpback whale. Then we had the most amazing encounter you could ask for as it came right up to the boat and spy-hopped and rolled just a meter from us. It’s probably one of the most life changing experiences you could have when a huge wild animal comes and interacts with you. Its brought back the smile on my face just writing about it.
- Megan Whittaker
Bird Species ID´d today: Northern Gannet, Atlantic Puffin, Common Guillemot, Arctic tern, Arctic skua, Northern Fulmar, Kittiwake, Eider Duck, great-black backed gull, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull.
Today we will be operating on Þruma RIB for our 10:00 Premium tour and our lovely vessel Elding for the 09:00 and 13:00 Classic tour. Make sure to dress appropriately for the tours as it is always colder on sea than on land. Join us by booking online or contact us directly for more information (elding@elding.is / +354 519 5000).
COVID-19: Keep in mind that passengers and crew are asked to ensure their own hygiene and safety at all times. Washing hands thoroughly with soap and using a hand sanitiser is advised. Masks are not mandatory but are recommended in areas where keeping distance from others is not possible.
