Monday, 26 August 2024

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 19:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 09:00, 10:00, 12:00, 13:00, 15:00, 16:00

Report from Eldey: This morning we sailed out onto extremely calm waters and clear blue skies! Apart from the slighty cool wind it felt like a summers day and we were eager to see what would be out to play! Not long after leaving the harbour we spotted a minke whale! This individual came up a few times, often close and often a few times before going down for a deeper dive. After a nice start we decided to double check the area we were in the previous days to see if we could continue with our lucky streak. We sailed around the island enjoying the sun and gorgeous landscape and spotted two small pods of 3-4 harbour porpoises on the way! On the way back we found 2 more minkes, this could be the same one from the beginning again! One of the minkes was even lunge feeding! We watched it a few more times before heading home, now with slighty sunkissed faces.

- Rob Hyman

Report from Hafsulan: With this wonderful sunny weather and calm wind, we were excited to sail out into the bay. We spotted the blow of a humpback whale quite early on, however after two surfaces the whale vanished into thin air - we waited for ten minutes but did not see him again. We decided to continue onwards, as we had seen another blow about two kilometers away - another humpback whale! To our pleasure, we discovered that this individual was Davy Jones II, a humpback whale that has visited Faxafloi many years in a row and is always very social. This time was no exception, and Davy Jones came really close to us for a very long time. After this amazing close-up sighting we continued our exploration, and came across a small minke whale. Unusually surface-active, this minke whale showed herself countless times and sometimes even came close to the boat! With these great sightings engrained in our memories, we sailed towards Reykjavik and enjoyed the sunshine and great views of the volcano ashcloud. 

- Eline van Aalderink

Report from Eldey: We set off still with the sun shining and very little wind. It took quite a lot of sailing to come across cetaceans but once we got to the right area it was 100% worth it. To begin with we spotted blows from a resting humpback whale. It was moving quite slowly but coming up for regular breaths yet never showing the fluke. Even though we never saw the fluke we could still identify this indivudual via their dorsal fin as our favourite, Davy Jones II. Very soon a pod of 7 white beaked dolphins started splashing their way towards us. Before we knew it they were jumping over the humpback, maybe annoying them. This woke Davy up and they started to roll a little bit with a small tail slap too. When the whale came up to breath it was very loud too, signifying its anger towards the dolphins. We then started the long journey home after this incredible sighting between 2 species.

- Anna Richter

Report from Hafsúla - We sailed under clear blue skies and a glorious sunny day, gliding across beautifully calm waters. After about 35 minutes, excitement rippled through the boat as we spotted three white-beaked dolphins! They seemed to be feeding and playing in the waves, and we may have even glimpsed a calf among them, adding to the thrill of the sighting.

Continuing our journey, we were treated to the spectacular view of the new fissure at the Reykjanes Peninsula—a bonus that made this tour even more special. Then, after another 20 minutes of sailing, a small minke whale appeared right in front of us! It stayed near the boat for several minutes, moving swiftly through the water, much to everyone’s delight.

As the whale swam away, we savored our return to Reykjavik, embracing the stunning sea views, the majestic Snæfellsjökull, the fissure, and the amazing sunshine. It was a day filled with unforgettable moments on the water.

Claudia Albir

Report from Eldey: We set off once again today hoping to find more cetaceans. We headed south to start with which gave us a good view of the smoke from the volcano currently erupting. There wasn't too much life in this area except for a few Arctic terns and Northern fulmars. We then headed north and after quite a bit of sailing spotted a minke whale. It surfaced a few times for us in between dives for feeding. But it was a quite elusive minke and so we then didn't manage to see it come up again so we carried on. We then got closer back to Videy and saw a few plunge diving Northern gannets. As we only had the elusive sighting we gave out complimentary tickets.

- Rob Hyman

Report from Elding: We were hopeful as we sailed out, as we had been having very good days, with lots of sightings. We drove straight out, for many nautical miles, and then we turned slightly South, to search in a wide circle pattern. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we could not find any cetaceans. The evening was beautiful though, and many sea birds were around, so at least the trip was nice. We gave out complimentary tickets to come again.

- Rodrigo Ruiz Esquide

Northern gannet, northern fulmar, Atlantic puffin, great cormorant, Arctic tern, herring gull, great black-backed gull, lesser black-backed gull, black-headed gull, black-legged kittiwake, black guillemot, eider duck, greylag goose, manx shearwater