Tuesday, 17 September 2024

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 09:00, 13:00, 17:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 9:00, 10:00, 13:00, 15:00, 16:00

Report from Eldey: It was cloudy as we set off and the waves were on the slightly bigger side with some whitecaps. But throughout the whole trip we still didn't move much meaning everyone felt fine which was great as everyone got to enjoy our wonderful start to the day. On our journey out we spotted 3 very elusive and fast harbour porpoises. But then after about an hour or so of sailing we came across an incredible hot spot. To start with we found a pair of feeding humpback whales! One even spy hopped just after we spotted them which was really cool. We got to watch them surface and fluke dive together very regularly. Then we also noticed there were 4-5 minke whales in this area feeding too. There must have been a lot of fish under the water. After watching these whales for a while we carried on and saw 2 more minkes separately (so 6-7 in total for the trip). One of them surfaced really close to our bow. After a great morning we then started to head back to the harbour with a very happy boat.

- Rob Hyman

Report from Eldey: We sailed of with calm winds and cloud covered skies into Faxafloí this afternoon, excited about what could be in store for us. We didn´t have to sail for too long to see 2 harbour porpoises, even though they vanished rather quickly. After a total of about 45 minutes of sailing, we found a pod of about 5 white beaked dolphins. They were moving very quickly and changing directions often so after some time, we went onwards again. We then saw the same couple of humpback whales still feeding together. We calmly saw them fluke dive side by side a couple times until a second pod of about 8 white beaked dolphins joined the show! They played around with the humpbacks for quite some time, jumping around while we could hear multiple excited blows from the humpbacks! The humpbacks really seemed to enjoy their newfound friends as they were rolling around in the water and fluke diving sideways often! Along the fringes of this spectacle, there were also 3 minke whales feeding a bit more in the distance so it was safe to say we spent this afternoon completely surrounded by these amazing marine mammals! Eventually, time ran out and we had to leave this spectacle behind. Before we got to port though, we saw some more glimpses of 5 more harbour porpoises as a cherry on top of this great afternoon!

- Milan Vansteelandt

Today, we sailed out into the open waters of Faxaflói Bay, the light rain didn’t dampen our spirits, and as the wind started to ease, the sea calmed, making for smoother sailing. After about 45 minutes of sailing, we were rewarded with our first sighting: a minke whale! But we had heard there were humpback whales in the area, so we pressed on, determined to catch sight of these giants. Our patience paid off. We spotted the first  blow of a humpback whale in the distance! We approached cautiously and 2 humpback whales resurfaced in synchrony. Suddenly, a massive pectoral fin emerged from the water, waving to us ! We stayed with these two for some time, watching them fluke multiple times. Off in the distance, a third humpback whale appeared, and we could see minke whales resurfacing now and then, adding to the spectacle around us. As we prepared to head back, one of the humpbacks tail slapped the water close to our boat! It was the perfect finale, followed by one last graceful fluke dive! We sailed happily back home after an extraordinary encounter with the whales of Faxaflói Bay. 

- Maria Ernesto