Tuesday, 18 October 2022

Tuesday, 18 October 2022

Today we will be operating on Þruma RIB for our 10:00 and14:00 Premium Whale watching tour and 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
  • PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 10:00
  • CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00
  • PREMIUM WHALE TOUR| 14:00

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.

CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 09:00

Report from Eldey: When we sailed out into Faxaflói, facing the cold wind and feeling some medium high swells, we had no idea what the bay had in store for us. Our first sighting was of harbour porpoises who showed us their small bodies during a few surfaces. Next we spotted a blow... Although we were fairly certain this blow belonged to a minke whale, confusion struck when we reached the area and we saw two humpback whales. Probably, the minke whale had disappeared and our focus was quickly shifted to the humpback whales, especially because they suddenly came up right in front of us. What happened after that was truly incredible - the two humpback whales (who we identified as Mariupol and Neila) circled our boat, always coming up two or three meters away from us. Sometimes we could even feel their blows in our faces! We watched them watch us, absolutely amazed to see the size and the beauty of these animals up close. This really was a once in a lifetime that passengers and crew will not soon forget! 

- Anna Richter

CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00

Report from Eldey: The swell had picked up a bit in the afternoon as we sailed towards the areas where we had had our sightings earlier today. First up we found the first dolphins of the day, and lots of them! Around 20 white-beaked dolphins were feeding in the area and we could enjoy them as they swam all around us. After some time we left the dolphins to look if we could spot something else, and we were very happy when we spotted two large blows further out. The two humpback whales Neila and Mariupol had calmed down since the morning and were swimming peacefully side by side. They came really close to us and we enjoyed some breathtaking moments with these beautiful animals. Before we knew it, time had run out and we headed back to Reykjavík. On the way we encountered 5-7 more white-beaked dolphins that we could check out for a few minutes before motoring back to the harbour. 

- Eline van Aalderink

Bird species encountered during this tour:

Black-headed gull, greater black-backed gull, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, black-legged kittiwake, common guillemot, eider duck, great cormorant, European shag, sooty shearwater, long-tailed duck