Thursday, 21 November 2024

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 09:00, 13:00

All whale watching tours are on schedule today from Reykjavík! Remember to dress according to weather and feel free to borrow our thermal overalls if needed!

Report from Eldey: The weather was cold enough to make me question my life choices (note to self: next time, bring more layers), but hey, at least there were no clouds, and there was barely a breeze to mess with our hair. So, with optimism in our hearts and hats pulled low, we set sail. About 30 minutes in, we spotted something small and adorable: a little seal just chilling in front of the boat. Cue the collective "aww" from everyone on board. But it didn't stop there. Oh no. We then spotted three more seals all hanging out in the same area, and many of them looked like they were still in the "tiny pup" phase of their lives. So cute! It's possible we just witnessed the seal version of a daycare center—what an adorable bunch. As we sailed further, we were treated to an epic sunrise with the volcano looming in the background. It was honestly a magical moment… if only a whale had decided to make a dramatic entrance to complete the picture. But alas, no cetaceans graced us with their presence that day. In the end, we handed out complimentary tickets to give everyone another shot at a whale encounter. Who knows? Maybe next time we'll catch the elusive sea giants. Until then, I’ll happily settle for seals.

Report from Eldey: Unfortunately, the cold had not suddenly disappeared this afternoon, but the wind had dropped even further and the skies were blue! A beautiful Icelandic winter day. We sailed out in search of better luck than we had in the morning and around 30 minutes in we found our first cetacean - a pod of 7 harbour porpoises! This group was not interested in us in the slightest and continued swimming fast past us. Off to find lunch no doubt! We continued on and after receiving the a tipoff from one of our captains on land, we headed towards Hafnarfjörður harbour. When we arrived there we were paid well for travelling in the cold. We found 2 humpback whales lunge feeding side-by-side right outside the harbour entrance! They were doing vertical lunges straight up to the sky and SO CLOSE to the boat! In between this active feeding, they circled around us surfacing so close in front of us that all the passengers on the bow definitely got a face full of whale breath! It was amazing to see the pair so comfortable around us and feeding so much. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and we had to start heading back into harbour, warm with adrenaline and fresh hot chocolates!

-Emily Erskine

eider duck, black guillemot, black legged gull, great cormorant, european shag, black headed gull, great black backed gull, iceland gull, glaucous gull, northern fulmar