Friday, 29 April 2022

Today we will be operating on Þruma RIB for our 14:00 Premium Whale tour and on our lovely vessel Eldey for the 13:00 Classic Whale Watching tour. Make sure to dress appropriately for the tours as it is always colder on sea than on land

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 14:00

Report from Eldey: The ocean was smooth as we sailed out into the bay in search for cetacean. The conditions provided great spotting conditions as the grey skies reflexed in the sea surface allowed us to spot easily the contrast of the black backs of the animals, and it wasn't a long wait before we encountered 7 pods of harbour porpoises of about 2 to 4 individuals each. Everywhere we looked there were harbour porpoises! That's not something that happens everyday! We continued and explored further away, trying to spot other species of cetaceans. And some tall, dark dorsal fins were shining in the golden glow of the back lit sun. There was half a dozen of white-beaked dolphins, surfacing in a tight group, swimming relaxed. They continued along their course, and so did we. Suddenly, we got confirmation from other boat about the presence of some cetaceans in other part of the bay. We went there to investigate for a while and we discovered that there was a HUMPBACK WHALE! and not anyone, it was our beloved Mariupol! It seems that it was travelling somewhere, and it continued along its course, seemingly undisturbed by our presence and then chose to come closer to the vessel, providing our passengers with great views of its massive body and its beautiful fluke. After spending quality time with Mariupol we decided to start heading back to the harbour when another humpback whale crossed its path with us. This time this individual was more active than Mariupol as it propelled its body out of the water vertically in a full breach spinning in a clockwise direction before landing, SPLASHHH!! and again, and again! and now the animal was chin slap breaching, which is similar to a human "belly flopping", what a show! It was a very exciting tour for all of us.

- Estel Sanchez Cami

Report from the Ribs: Another spectacular day in terms of conditions and wildlife in which we have really been spoiled. The mirror flat conditions provided the ideal conditions for cetacean spotting and the discovery of three separate species. Harbour porpoises were the first seen close to shore. The porpoises rolled their backs quickly, moving actively in the calm sea. The splashes they made as well as their dark bodies were easy to distinguish against the cold grey sea. A little further out, a minke whale was spotted breaking the surface snout first then arched its back high for a dive. We waited a couple of minutes for it to appear once more but unfortunately lost this individual, however, in this sea state we were hopeful of seeing more. The tour begun by heading south due to recent sightings, then we looped northwards and came across two humpback whales spread out within a small area. The first whale allowed us to watch from a reasonably close distance as it took many breaths before lifting the fluke very high for a deep dive. The whale proved a little difficult as its movements were a little unpredictable but we were able to get closer on each occasion. As time drew in we journeyed towards the city and saw the second humpback dive but kept the tail hidden. A very nice trip enjoyed by all in calm waters.

- Mike Smith

Northern fulmar, eider duck, razorbill, common guillemot, black guillemot, atlantic puffin, northern gannet, herring gull, black-headed gull, greater black-backed gull, lesser black-backed gull, black legged kittiwake. great cormorant, long-tailed duck.