Thursday, 25 August 2022

Today we will be operating on Þruma RIB for our 10:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 16:00 Premium Whale tour and on our lovely vessel Eldey for the 09:00, 10:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 19:00 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 | 10:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 10:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 13:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 14:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 14:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 16:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 19:00

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.

Report from Eldey: It took us a little longer out on the choppy waves then yesterday but we did eventually find the whales that were in the bay that day. Initially stopping for 4 minke whales prowling the front of the boat with quick breathes at the surface, we soon were told of a humpback whale in the area and turned to approach it. This massive creature was spending a good 10 minutes underwater between dives but while we waited we spotted a pod of about 10 white beaked dolphins in front of us underneath diving northern gannets. The humpback surfaced again and we could see its powerful breathe at a distance before it raised its majestic tail for another dive. Again the dolphins came out to play and circled our boat from the left hand side to around our rear, getting within 20m from us with the juveniles leaping out of the water. Soon after the appearance of some minke whales threw us off, but were a welcome sight none the less, and the humpback returned one more time before we finally had to say goodbye to all the life in the bay. 

- Liam the upsidedown

Report from Elding: Although the northerly winds were a bit cold, the sea was relatively calm this morning because of a low swell. We encountered a minke whale who disappeared as fast as it appeared, but in the broader area we had seen the blows of many other animals. We made our way towards the biggest blow, on the way spotting two more minke whales. The big blow belonged to a humpback whale, one we know very well: the markings on the fluke told us this individual was Neila. Neila was diving approximately 5 minutes, then coming up a few times to show us her distinctive fluke. Sometimes she came very close to the boat so we got some very up-close looks of this beautiful animal. During the sighting we spotted 4 other minke whales and the blows of two other humpbacks, so the bay was full of life today!

- Eline van Aalderink

Report from Eldey: The sea was a bit rougher than expected and the whitecaps were numerous but this did not stop us from spotting whales. After spending some time riding the Icelandic rollercoaster on the seas we saw a minke whale pop up next to us, surprising all of us with its sneakyness. This fella did not stay long with us so we continued our journey until we spotted a blow, far on the horizon. This meant a humpback whale! We made our way to this individual but were rudely interrupted by a pod of 5-10 white-beaked dolphins. These animals seemed to be very calm and just travelling and minding their own business so we did not see them for very long. After that the chase for the humpback was on again and luckily some treacherous Northern gannets showed us where all the good fish was, that the humpy was most likely feeding on, leading us straight to it. And finally, it came up to the surface very close to our boat! We stayed with this individual for some time, enough to see it go on multiple deep dives, even showing us its fluke once. What a day with all of these three species and some passengers even saw the harbour porpoise for a quick second. What more can you wish for on such a day?

- Cindy Schwenk

Report from Elding: Sea conditions quite a little bit more rough than in the morning and made the boat a bit rocky. Even so, it was still possible to spot the animals, the bay is still full of life with a lot of Northern gannet in our way going very quickly towards the water to catch some fish. Very soon in the bay, we spotted our first 1 humpback whale. We saw this individual in the morning that was resting.This afternoon, the animal was mostly looking for food as it was doing some deep dives. However this humpback was also a bit elusive as we took so long to find it again, but the sea conditions were not helpful. At some point by looking for the humpback, we encoutered 2 or 3 minke whales very elusive, but still swimming around our boat. We spotted another blow again and moved to get closer, but very hard to see the humpback as it probably went for another deep dive. Afterward, we spotted a group 4 white beaked dolphins, maybe 1 juvenile with them and soon after a bit further from the dolphins, we saw the humpback whale again and went quickly for another deep dive. As the sea was getting a bit worse, it was time to leave the area and go back to Reykjavik.

- Enorha Guimard

Storm petrol, northern fulmer, northern gannet, Iceland gull, black guillemot, Atlantic puffin, Atlantic skua, greater and less black backed gulls.