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We had a very special encounter this weekend with the second largest fish in the ocean - a BASKING SHARK! They are slow moving sharks, feeding on plankton near the water surface at about 4 km/h. That's where their name comes from, them 'basking in the sun'. They are not too common on our tous so it is always a memorable experience for both crew and passengers.

On 23 July 2018, for the first time in Elding's history, we came up on a north atlantic right whale - one of the most endangered of all large whales. There have only been three different right whales identified off Iceland in the last 30 years, so this was truly a unique encounter!

Today not only marks 75 years of Iceland's independence from Denmark but also the first time in over 20 years that blue whales have been encountered in Faxaflói bay! We have seen blue whales on our tours before when we have sailed from the West and South coast of Reykjanes peninsula and also a few times from Akureyri North-Iceland, but never from Reykjavík..

A humpback whale was spotted WITHIN the harbour walls of Reykjavík in the early hours of Saturday! Rare, although not unheard of, whales sometimes venture close to shores and into marinas as a result of following food. The whale didn't seem to be hurt or in distress, just feeding among the marooned boats and ships and thankfully it found its way out of the harbour again a cou

Puffins are part of the Auk family of seabirds that also include razorbills and guillemots. They are quite small in size; only 30 cm. in length, weighing 400 gr. with a wingspan of 55 cm. They feed on sandeels, capelin and herring but seem to be decreasing in numbers over the last few years due to the lack of food in the bay caused by increasing water temperatures. They are consi

After a few days with no sightings of whales, it was refreshing to go out this morning to witness a humpback whale lunge feeding! elding.is/whale-diary/thursday-7-march-2019

"Lunge feeding could be regarded as a kind of inverted suction feeding, during which a whale takes a huge gulp of water, which is then filtered through the balee

Baleen whale filtering system Humpbacks in hunting mode usually take a good dive, by lifting their fluke and swimming down to the deep for food. Once they have found their prey, usually krill or small fish like mackerel, they increase their speed and just before they reach their prey, they open their mouth.

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are some of the most extraordinary natural phenomena on Earth. They occur when charged particles from the sun are carried by solar winds and collide with Earth’s magnetic field. These particles are drawn toward the magnetic poles, where they interact with gases in the atmosphere (mainly oxygen and nitrogen) producing light in various colours.

On July 23, for the first time in the history of Elding whale watching, we came up on a North Atlantic Right whale! one of the most endangered of all large whales It has now been identifide by The Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life as: Mogul a 10 year old male born to Slalom in 20

From our whale diary 13 July 2018: "It was a beautiful individual of basking shark, the first spotted this season. They are only coming close to the surface when is warm enough and this one delighted our trip with very close encounters so we could see his gigantic white mouth while filtrating plankton. A unique experience without any doub

Our friends at IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) are looking for volunteers this season! Are you interested or know anyone who would be willing to join the program?  They're also looking for signatures for their petition to hopefully increase the whale sanctuary..

This coming winter we are introducing new and exciting tours at sea and on Viðey island!

In the festive spirit we are now introducing a fantastic christmas combo; Whales and Christmas Walk. This cultural and gastronomic walking tour of Reykjavík a wonderful alternative to the traditional city sight seeing tour and will get you into a true Chr

Realizing that Iceland has a lot to offer we decided quite early on to offer the so called Combo Tours to guests that want to make the most of their time while in Iceland. This way guests can easily combine whale watching with some of the exciting adventures our collaborators are offering.