Friday, 19 July 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 and 20:30 and our just as lovely Hafsúlan at 11:00 and 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: We set off under a really sunny blue sky this morning. The sea and wind were also very calm making for great conditions for whale watching. After sailing for nearly an hour a minke whale surfaced a few times on our left hand side. At the same time we also noticed a few big blows ahead of us so we went for these instead. On our way we came across a couple pods of white beaked dolphins. In total there was about 10-15 dolphins. One pod was porpoising a lot with the other swimming towards us and under. We were now closer to the big blows which we now learnt belonged to 3 humpback whales! They were all solitary as is usually the case for baleen whales. The first one we came across we went past due to other boats being near it. As we went past it started to roll and we could see a huge white pectoral out of the water. We then arrived at the second humpback which was coming up very regularly and never really going for long dives. After being patient we eventually got to see a really nice fluke dive too. The 3rd humpback was going for many fluke dives which was really cool. After great sightings with these 2 we went back to the first humpback which now seemed to be resting. After this we headed home super happy, now in the rain. 

- Rob Hyman

Report from Hafsulan : Conditions were great in the bay this morning. The sea was rather flat, almost no wind, great visibility and even a few rays of sun. Upon reaching the most productive area of the bay, we quickly found our first humpback whale. It was gently cruising, diving regularly to pop back up a few minutes later, and we followed it for a little while. As we continued our journey, we found another, and again another humpback displaying the same behaviour, and our passengers got to notice a series of beautiful fluke dives. To our pleasure, the whales surfaced pretty close from us a couple of times. Before heading back to the harbour, we stumbled across a pod of traveling white-beaked dolphins that we could observe cruising and passing right under our boat ! On our way back to Reykjavik, we briefly spotted a traveling minke whale and another pod of traveling dolphins in the distance. We entered back to the harbour under a light rain but still the same quiet sea that saw us leaving three hours earlier.
 

- Olivia Garcia

Report from Eldey: This afternoon we had all the weather - we left a sunny Reykjavik and went into a slightly moody bay. After a bit of sailing we spotted a minke whale in the distance, this individual came up a number of times and even came quite close to the boat! We then headed on as it seemed this one was resting and we did not want to disturb longer. Shortly after we spotted 3 harbour porpoises but they did not come up again. We then saw 2 more minke's before spotted 2 big blows on the horizon. We headed closer to discover 2 humpback whales! Both were quite active and came up often and close to the boat! One even swam along side us for a bit before going for a deeper dive and showing its fluke again. Eventually we did head on as more boats were on their way and we did not want to overcrowd. On the way back we spotted yet another minke!

- Anna Richter

Report from Hafsulan : During our afternoon we started our journey with some rainy clouds but the sea conditions continued to be great so we had a good feeling about our tour. For the first half an hour we enjoyed our cozy drinks but it didn't take long before our first sighting... a minke whale at the distance! This individual resurfaced a number of times but was getting further away from us so we then headed on. Shortly after we spotted another minke whale, we gave it a quick look and then sailed a bit further into the bay before we spotted a big blow on the horizon. We headed closer to discover a humpback whale! The whale seemed slightly curious and active and came up often close to the boat! we watched as the whale fluked multiple times before deciding to continue our trip further out. Just about 10 minutes later we spotted some dorsal fins! White beaked dolphins! A small pod of about 6-7 individuals bow ridding and swimming around the boat! As the sun decided to show, we could see them perfectly under the water. Eventually we did head on as more boats were on their way but when we where starting our journey we spotted another minke whale! As we got closer we noticed another blow of a humpback whale, so we decided to see one more fluke dive before we head back to the harbour. -Maria Ernesto

Report from Eldey: We set off again and the sun had come back out which was a great start to the tour. We headed to the same exciting areas as earlier in the day. Again, we were greeted by big blows. Before we arrived at the blows a small, lone harbour porpoise surfaced a few times. Then we got towards the first blow and saw it was a feeding humpback whale. This whale was coming up a lot and also showing it´s fluke a lot too. We then headed towards another humpback. This one was going for longer dives but was staying at the surface for longer. Close by to this humpback was a pod of 6-8 white beaked dolphins. They appeared to be fairly relaxed by still swam right up to us and stayed pretty close which was cool. We then watched the humpback for a bit longer including one time where it surfaced just a few metres from our bow! After this the rain started again and we headed home after a lovely evening.

- Rob Hyman

Report from Elding: We set sail on a beautiful calm night, with the sea absolutely perfect for sailing and above all sightings. After a long time exploring, we came across a humpback whale calmly feeding on the surface, and it wasn't long before another one appeared. These were feeding on their own but we were able to enjoy their beautiful dorsal fins for over half an hour. Even Captain Otto decided to turn off the boat's engine to enjoy the encounter even more. And so it was, I decided to stay quiet for a while just soaking in the vibe that had been generated. After a while we decided to explore further and came across two more humpbacks whales, but along the way some playful white-beaked dolphins were jumping and bowriding. The encounter with the whales was beautiful as every now and then they would synchronize and we could see the dorsal fin at the same time. Some of the sightings were even more beautiful as they emerged in the middle of the sunset, making it even more emotional. We stayed a while longer, making the most of the time as the tour was going so well and decided to return to the harbor with lots of sightings and above all very active whales! The passengers were all very happy and excited about the tour!

- Sergi Gonzalez

Atlantic puffin, black guillemot, Northern gannet, Northern fulmar, herring gull, common gull, great black-backed gull, lesser black-backed, Arctic tern