Friday, 21 June 2024

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 20:30
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 20:00

Today we will be operating our Classic Whale Watching on our lovely vessel Eldey at 9:00, 13:00, 17:00, 20:30 and our just as lovely catamaran Hafsúlan at 11:00, 15:00. Our Premium Whale Watching tour will operate on Þruma I-V at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 20:00

Report from Eldey: This morning we sailed out eager to see what Faxafloi had in store for us. Only 20min out we spotted a quick elusive harbour porpoise. After a few glimpses it was gone again and so we continued on our adventure. Another 20min of sailing and suddenly we were in the middle of a feeding frenzy. There was roughly 25 white beaked dolphins swimming all around us. You could pick any direction and see dolphins, some where just swimming by, some were jumping and doing flips, some were bow riding. It was quite the sight to see! In the middle of all this were 2 humpback whales and 4-7 minke whales as well! The dolphins were keeping us entertained while the humpbacks were taking their time between their dives. It was quite a sight to see! On multiple occasions all three species came incredible close to the boat. It was a fantastic way to start the day! Eventually we sadly ran out of time and had to head back to harbour.

- Anna Richter

Report from Hafsúlan: The seas today were calmer, and there was even no white caps created by wakes breaking, so we could scan the whole area in search of our favorite animals! The wind was very weak, and didn't take long until we found our first sightings: dark backs coming up at the surface and going down. We had at least 4 minke whales in the area, feeding a lot! The birds, especially the Northern gannets, were also having a feast around us. We also spotted splashes further away, from white-beaked dolphins! On the way to the dolphins, we were still able to spot at least 3 more minkes on our front, very active. Getting to the dolphins, there were 2 different pods of about 10-15, and one of them came very close to us, bowriding. We had fun watching them following us, until we got to another pod of 5 dolphins when we went to explore other area. Not far, we also saw 3 more minkes, now the smell of them giving away that they were still around. Very stinky minkes, these ones! On our way back, 3 pods of harbour porpoises, with about 4-6 individuals each, came to join the area, giving us very good looks of them. We came back very satisfied and happy after this beautiful morning!

- Milla Brandao

Report from Eldey: The bay had got a bit brighter this morning with the visibilty improving too. We could see all the way to the Snæfellsnes peninsula. After sailing for a little under an hour we started to see lots of splashes ahead and noticed there were considerably more seabirds around now. Before we could reach the splashes we noticed 5-6 dorsal fins slowly coming above the water. We had found a very relaxed pod of white beaked dolphins. They were coming up very regularly and also came quite close to us. The splashes were continuing ahead so we decided to check them out. Here there were about 20 dolphins all jumping and going crazy. Some of these also decided to come and bowride giving us a really good look at them through the water. Ahead of us were also lots of Northern gannets diving and around them we started to spot minke whales too! In this area there were around 10-15 minkes. Coming up quite often in different places all around the boat meaning everybody had a really good view. We then headed home enjoying the good weather after a lovely tour.

- Rob Hyman

Report from Elding : Our tour started like most days and we made our way to the center of Faxafloi on quiet seas, under a mild wind and a mostly cloudy summer sky. Visibility was allowing us to see all the way to the Snæfellsjökull volcano and its snow-capped summit. A large flock of very active northern gannets spotted in the distance caught our attention and we maintained our direction towards the movement, crossing a pod of traveling harbor porpoises in the process. We made it the flock of birds to find two minke whales regularly coming up to the surface, probably feeding. We took a moment to observe them when, all of a sudden, in the distance in front of us, a breach ! A humpback whale, surrounded by even more birds. Was it alone ? Was it going to do it again ? We promptly headed to its direction as we couldn't wait to find out. We got there and found the birds, but no whale whatsoever. Eventually patience paid off, and just a few moments later the humpback whale was back just twenty meters from our boat, surfacing and clapping its pectoral fin on the water, like for greeting us. We were blessed with several intimate moments when the whale surfaced again just a few meters from us, causing the kids (not just the kids) to scream of excitement. Another minke whale and a pod of white-beaked dolphins were sharing the scene, a true exceptional moment even for our crew. Once the humpback disappeared, we finished our tour with several pods of active dolphins, coming to check our boat, bow-riding or jumping all around, and two other minke whales appearing regularly in the distance. We finally said goodbye and finally brought our passengers back to Reykjavik after another exciting afternoon in Faxafloi bay. 

- Olivia Garcia

What a tour. We sailed out in a very calm sea and didn`t have to wait long for our first encounter. We saw about 3 pods of seemingly feeding white beaked dolphins that kept jumping out of the water. We could stay with them for a while but decided to see if we can find other species as well. A little bit further out we spotted a blow and tried to approach. It turned out that there were 3 resting humpback whales that stayed very close to each other. At some points they came very close to the boat and everybody got a very good look at the individuals. All of the sudden one of the humpback whales breached about 50 m away from our tour. It was very spectacular and (nearly) everybody saw it. Within that region there were also at least 5 minke whales that were probably feeding as well because they changed directions a lot. Overall we had a very unique tour and the highlights were the resting and even breaching humpback whales.

-Lasse Roggenkamp

Report from Eldey : Tonight was one of a kind. For our summer solstice midnight tour, the sky was full with dark clouds but no wind was felt, the air was warm and the sea was like a mirror : the perfect conditions. As usual we sailing towards the center of the bay and crossed the path of our first traveling minke whale. We continued our route, as our attention was caught by a series of splashes in the distance. They were created by a pod of a dozen of white-beaked dolphins, actively playing and jumping all around. In that same area we spotted our first humpback whale : that individual was resting, cruising at the slowest pace, only emerging to the surface for a few powerful breath. It finally disappeared from our sight and as we were still on the lookout, suddenly another humpback breached right in front of our boat! And it was only the beginning. As that same individual was delighting us with a fluke slapping show, on the opposite direction a pair of humpbacks started breaching multiple times, slapping their pectoral fins and flukes before the magestic snow capped mountains in the background. We slowly followed them, in awe of what we were witnessing. The joy was palpable. Once the humpbacks disappeared, we ended the tour surrounded by a large pod of dolphins jumping, diving below our boat and riding our wake. We sailed back to the harbor with large smiles on our faces, after the best celebration to summer we could have imagined. 

- Olivia Garcia