Friday, 4 July 2025

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 09:00, 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 Hafsulan: We started out this morning with a spectacular tour! In total we had about 10 minke whales (2 feeding together, the rest solitary), and 7 humpback whales (4 feeding together, and mother and calf pair). With calm seas and plenty of sunshine we set out. On our way out we had two minke whales feeding together! They gave us plenty of surface sequences which was wonderful. We then left them to feed and made our way farther out into the bay. It was a minke madness with minke whales popping up left and right; so many that we would not have made it too far out into the bay if we did not admire them on the go! In the distance we saw a bundle of powerful blows and so we went to investigate. We came across three humpback whales feeding together and a fourth humpback whale not too far away feeding alone. One of our three ´waved´ to us as we approached with many pectoral slaps. They then started to roll! Our three even approached the boat and checked us out! It was amazing to see clearly through the water their entire bodies! The fun was not over yet, as we spotted two more dorsal fins in the distance. When we came closer it appeared we had been very lucky as we had a very rare site for our feeding ground. We had come across a mother and calf pair! Usually pairs separate when they reach the feeding grounds so a very enjoyable find. They even came nice and close to the boat which was more than we could ever ask for! When we waved our mum and calf pair goodbye we came across one breaching humpback whale! What a way to end our tour. After some breaching it was time to make our way back into port. This was a fantastic way to start the morning.

-Samantha Smith

Report from Elding: As we sailed out into the bay we were first met with a lovely minke whale! This whale circled around us before we lost sight of it, and we continued on in search of something else. Soon enough, we stumbled upon a pair of humpback whales! One individual was slightly smaller, and we could tell that we were looking at a mother and her calf! The two whales were resting at the surface, barely moving, and we were able to enjoy their presence for a while. Then, we decided to let the pair rest and moved on to find three other humpback whales! We focused on one individual and watched as he lifted his tail fluke out of the water! Whilst this was happening, we could see minke whales surface far and wide around us. There must have been at least 5! On our way back to the harbour, we found a playful pod of 7-10 white-beaked dolphins who were quite the show-offs! They even decided to come bow riding with us and everyone on board got an amazing look at this acrobatic species up close. What a tour!

-Sigrún Helgu

Report from Hafsulan: With the seas still calm from the morning and the sun still shining we headed out to see what the afternoon had in store for us. As we headed out we saw 4 minke whales, but decided to not stop for those as we were still close to land. We got further out and saw 2 sleeping humpback whales! They were resting, one ahead o us and one extremely close on our right. We stayed a little also seeing a pod of 8 white beaked dolphins in the distance. The stars of the show were a mother and calf humpback whale! It is very rare to have the calf still with its mum together in a feeding ground, because they usually go their separate ways by the time they reach our waters. It was playtime! Our curious calf gave quite the show with coming nice and close to inspect the boat. It gave us some rolls and even spy hopped for us! Super exciting when they stick their face out of the water. Mum was always close by keeping watch as she let her calf come and inspect us. They kept circling the boat for a nice duration of time before they went to check out more of the bay. With such a spectacularly rare sighting we counted our lucky stars and headed back to port.

-Anna Richter

Report from Elding: Continuing the spectacular tours we have had over the past week, this afternoon treated us to some up close and personal experiences with our larger baleen whale species. As we sailed out under overcast skies and great visibility, it did not take long before we spotted the first whale of the tour, a fast swimming minke whale passing by in the direction we were heading. It surfaced a couple of times, and we continued on in the search of more encounters. Not long after, a blow of a humpback whale appeared in front of us. Excitement grew on board, but little did we know that blows of humpbacks would soon appear all around us in this active feeding area. There must have been at least 6 solitary individuals around this tour. We spent some time observing our first individual, and then moved on. Soon, we came upon a mother and calf pair that had been sighted earlier in the week. We shut off the engines, and to our delight, they came right up to the boat. The mother let out a series of loud blows, and the young one mimicked her blows, did some spy hopping, and rolling playfully at the surface. After giving them space to rest, we moved on and quickly encountered even more humpback whales this time, a group of three individuals feeding and travelling together. As they performed synchronized deep dives, they surprised us by surfacing right next to our boat, all exhaling at the same time. A magical and unexpected moment! On our way back we made a brief stop by the mother and calf again. They still seemed curious about us and stayed close as we once more shut off the engines. As we continued to the harbor, we spotted more minke whales in the disance, we spotted at least 10 far away during the tour. Everyone on board was moved by the incredible encounters we had. The bay is truly treating us to some unforgettable tours! 

– Maja Andersson

Report form Elding: What an incredible day . We sailed out under calm seas and clear skies. It din´t take a long before we had our first encounter. On our way towards the open waters, we came across a pot of 4 harbor porpoises briefly surfacing. Then, just a little while later, we noticed splashes far in the distance. As we got closer, we found ourselves surrounded by an amazing show... More than 10 humpback whales and at least 8 minke whales all gathered within a mile. It was truly breathtaking. We stayed in that earia the entire time, observing each individual, every blow, every fluke. As this wasn't enough in this area was the mother humpback with her calf. We stayed with tis family for quite a while. The baby was rolling and and playing  near the surface, while the enormous in size  mother calmly swam beside it. Before long , the scene became even more lively. A group of more than seven large white beaked dolphins arrived, dashing through the area. They were jumping, lobtailing, and even bow riding our waves an amazing performances. On our way back the dolphins followed for long .It was a day full of unforgettable encounters that left us speechless.

-Eleftherios Manioudakis

Atlantic puffin, Arctic tern, Northern fulmar, Northern gannet, eider duck, common guillemot, lesser and greater black back gull, black legged kittiwake, herring gull, Arctic skua