Monday, 29 November 2021

Today we will be operating on our lovely vessel Eldey for the 09:00 and 13:00 Classic Whale Watching tours. Make sure to dress appropriately for the tours as it is always colder on sea than on land. 

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 09:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00

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 mandatory in areas where keeping 1 meter distance from others is not possible. 

Report from Eldey: The swell and waves were making the tour a bit rocky in the beginning so we first took shelter near the beautiful mountain near Akranes, before heading towards west with the wind in our back, making the tour as comfortable as possible for our passengers. We entered into an area were flocks of birds were very active, which is a good sign of the presence of fish,  which makes more likely to see cetaceans. We stayed there a while observing the different species of birds and scanning the surface. One one point we saw a very irregular splash like a minke whale was feeding just beneath the surface of a small flock of birds, we searched for a long time and thought we saw a small minke whale in the distance but as there were a lot of shadows on the waves and it was moving so fast we were not 100% sure. We were getting low on time so we start heading back and started spotting first 2-4 harbour porpoises that quickly disappeared, and then a pod of 8-10 white-beaked dolphins. It was so adorable to see that half of those dolphins were calves, some of them being still very tiny. This encounter became even more magical when snow started falling on our heads and one of the little ones started having fun, slapping its head and body on the surface. They didn't seem to be bothered by our boat allowing us to observe them from a close distance. After a last look we slowly moved away and back to port. 

- Megan Whittaker

Report from Eldey: This afternoon tour was a true testament to how Icelandic weather can change. We first headed out in good visibility and slightly windy conditions but we could see the clouds rolling in.  It wasn’t until half way through the tour when it all started to change, wind increased and snow fell in an almost horizontal plain making it quite hard to search in certain directions. By that time we were enjoying the company of a pod, perhaps two, very scattered white-beaked dolphins. There was  5-7 individuals next to our boat plus a few more in the distance. They were seen to be trying to catch their lunch, showing behaviours such as speedy surfacing, body slamming the water and herding. It was an absolute joy to watch nature at its best. On the way home we warmed up once more in the heated saloons and a hot drinks available at the onboard cafeteria.

- Miquel Pons