Saturday, 25 December 2021

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

• 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 Elding: We went out on Christmas hoping that the wildlife of Faxaflói would be generous and we had more than expected. We quickly started with 2 pods of 2-4 harbour porpoises very close to the islands near Reykjavik. After this nice first sighting we went directly to the north of the bay looking for the signs of wildlife, and through the binoculars we quickly saw 8-10 white-beaked dolphins jumping ! We approached the area and the dolphins were coming very close, curious to see the boat from closer, bow riding, disappearing under our boat and jumping on the side. It was a wonderful show. There was at least two calves accompanying When it seemed that the dolphins were not interested anymore we kept going trying to find other animals. We saw 2-3 more white-beaked dolphins very quickly and much more when we started to head back in Reykjavik direction. In total during the tour we saw at least 3 different pods for 30 white-beaked dolphins. Another whale watching boat found a humpback and we were looking for it. It was having long dives and moving quickly so not easy to observe. We finally saw the humpback whale surfacing at 200 meters away and approached it keeping a respectful distance with it. The animal showed us its tail and went for a deep dive. But after one minute we had the best Christmas gift that we could imagine, in one of those time suspended and unique moment, the humpback whale breached, getting completely out of the water ! It was breathtaking. It breached 3 times then was slapping the water with its head. It went for another dive and an instant after jumped again a few times. After a little pectoral slap it went slowly away and it was time for us to come back to the harbour after an unforgettable Chrismas.

- Miquel Pons

Report from Eldey: On the birthday of Jesus we left the harbour with two boats, after enjoying the beatiful views of the Snæfellsjökull we found a pod, they were a happy family of 6 white-beaked dolphins, and justly then it started to snow! it really fulfilled our wishes and hopes. They were jumping out of the water, and they looked as they were enjoying lots! The curious individuals human-watched us. After a time we decided to leave them alone, but they started following us as they saw the waves of ouf boat. All of a sudden at the distance we could see a huge blow. It was a humpback whale! so we headed to that zone. While we were waiting for it to surface again 30 disperse white-beaked dolphins showed up, some of them afar some of them pretty close. Suddenly the humpback surfaced again swimming slow. And then we could listen to the passengers admiration and emotion, as it started to breach again and again, looming its body fully out of the water, chin slap breaching and flipper slapping, what a show! The wonders of the ocean with its presence captivated us, what a sight! it was such a huge delight. A present for all of us, it was a Merry Christmas!

- Estel Sanchez Cami