Friday, 26 July 2024

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.

• 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

Report from Eldey: This morning in the harbour we had the most beautiful calm sea and were very excited to head out. As per usual the ocean had other things in mind and there was a bit more wind than expected, however the sun still kept us happy and we set sail still in a good mood. Once out, we spotted a blow and splashes in the distance! Twas a humpback whale! This whale came extremely close to us, and swam right underneath us! We could watch it through the water thanks to its gorgeous white pectoral fins. It went for a fluke dive, and then next resurfed again close to us! What an encounter. We watched it a few more times but when more boats arrived we wanted to head on. Only 10 more minutes of sailing and we found another humpback whale! This one randomly breached again directly next to us!! What a Friday morning! We stayed together a little longer, hoping for another breach but as this is quite random and rare we were still very happy with what we got! Eventually we had to start our return journey this time we were going with the wind so could enjoy the sun on our faces. 

- Aleks Lechwar 

Report from Hafsulan: The morning was beautiful, with sunshine (finally!!) and a slight northerly wind. There were a few whitecaps on the water, but we still had excellent visibility and we could spot the blow of a humpback whale from some distance. The whale was swimming calmly, surfacing regularly and not diving for a long time. He came up right next to us several times, so we had a beautiful view of his body with the white pectoral fins by his side. We circled around the area to see if anyone else was swimming around Faxafloi, but after some time of looking we needed to start heading back to harbour so we enjoyed the sunshine and the seabirds soaring around us before we got back to land. 

- Eline van Aalderink

Report from Eldey: We sailed once more into our windy Faxafloi! On the way out the puffins flew along side us and the mountains looked majestic as ever. After about an hour of sailing we spotted a blow on the horizon! It was a humpback whale once more! In that same instance we also spotted a pod of 6 white beaked dolphins directly behind it and a minke whale! It was all a lot for one corner of the sea. We concentrated on the humpback whale and the dolphins swam past us, so we could watch them from on our right. The humpback was very calm and swam behind our boat incredibly close and even had a little nap. It then woke and spy-hopped! When cetaceans have naps they let each brain half take turns so that the other half of the brain can keep them breathing - very clever! After its nap, it came up on our other side and breached!! We waited for it to show us its fluke one more time and then headed on to see if we could find those dolphins again but they had travelled to quickly and too far. Still very happy we headed home, this time with the wind so it was even warm!

- Anna Richter

Report from Eldey: Nature was very generous during this tour and we had the most unforgettable experiences. The sunshine and low wind made for excellent conditions, and we quickly found a pod of probably 30 white-beaked dolphins. The dolphins were moving fast, socialising with each other and taking an interest in our boat. Some individuals came up right next to the boat, others were riding the bow, and some were jumping high in the air. The dolphins gave out so much happy energy, but we did not have much time to process the sighting because next thing we knew we had spotted the blow of a humpback whale. The individual was surfacing calmly and coming up regularly. He allowed us to come quite close to him, and at some point he turned to us and almost touched us, very gently. He swam under the boat and came up within a few metres on the other side to give us another close-up look at his impressive body. We could see every detail, feel the drops from his blow on our faces, and experience the powerful connection between us and the whale. As we said goodbye to the humpback, we spotted more white-beaked dolphins, some of them jumping in the distance. Then it was time to head to Reykjavik - or so we thought. Faxafloi had one more surprise in store for us: a humpback whale breaching! He came up several times, and although we were quite far away from him, his body and the enormous splash were very clearly visible. After that, we finally sailed back to the harbour, accompanied by a few northern fulmars and Atlantic puffins here and there. What an incredible day! 

- Eline van Aalderink

Report from Eldey - we embarked on our whale-watching adventure just as the sun began its descent, casting a golden hue across the calm sea. Not long after, we spotted the blow of a humpback whale in the distance, but despite our efforts, it traveled at full speed, leaving us with only a fleeting glimpse. The excitement continued as a small pod of two white-beaked dolphins jumped close by, followed by a larger pod that appeared later, joyfully leaping and feeding. Near the end of our journey, we were thrilled to see two humpback whales in the same area, with one coming incredibly close, just a few meters away from our boat, providing a breathtaking and unforgettable experience.

-Aleksandra Lechwar

Report from Elding: This evening we sailed out for the last time of the day into Faxafloi. We were greeted by a low slighty orange sun and a bit of swell. On our right there was a little bit of moody skies but we were lucky that they never came close to us in the tour and just made for pretty pictures. After a bit of sailing we saw a blow in the distance and went to investigate! This mystery animal stayed hidden from us and after a bit of waiting we decided to head on. Not long after we spotted a second blow, this time we could clearly see it was a humpback whale! This whale stuck with us for quite some time, always showed the fluke and even came quite close to us multiple times. We enjoyed the sunset and humpback for as long as we could before heading back to harbour. 

- Milan Vansteelandt

Northern gannet, Northern fulmar, juvenile and adult common guillemot, Atlantic puffin, Arctic skua, manx shearwater, eider duck, razorbill, herring gull, black backed gull, glaucous gull