MONDAY, 13 MARCH 2017

Tour at 13:00

Report from Eldey: We knew from the morning that our ride was going to be cold and bumpy, but we were prepared ! We put everyone in full-body suits to protect from the cold, and we proposed sea-sickness to anyone willing to be on the safe side. What we were not prepared for, though, was how incredible this tour was going to be ! We went straightforward to the area where we saw the feeding dolphins earlier in the morning, but there was no cetaceans there. Still, we caught sight of numerous splashes and when coming closer we could see hundreds of northern gannets diving in the water, hunting fishes. We stayed a little bit to enjoy from very close their aerial displays, until our first mate Otto spotted a large blow in the distance, that lead us to a humpback whale, the second of the year ! It was at first tricky to get closer since it was taking dives that lasted for what felt like an eternity and only surfacing once before diving down again. Our fish finder indicated there was fish below us close to the bottom, so we assumed this individual as busy feeding under the water. We remained patient and attentive, until we could have close encounter right in front of the boat ! After that the whale was on the move, surfacing quicker and more often. We eventually left this humpback and started to go back home because time was due. Then a miraculous even happened: as were closing in toward Reykjavik, we hit the jackpot and 5 KILLER WHALES (the firsts of 2017) surfaced next to us and followed us for more than 10 minutes ! There was 3 males with an impressively tall dorsal fin and 2 splendid manners. They were surfacing nicely and slowly, allowing the capture of breathtaking pictures. On some occasions they came less than 20 m from the boat and went under the boat, and also did a little bit of tail-slapping for our greatest joy. It was a moment of sheer excitement and pure bliss, with a hysterical crew and cheerful passengers ! The orcas disappeared as we neared the lighthouse Grota, and the trip ended with everyone head over heels.

- Guillaume Calcagni

Tour at 09:00

The tour was a little lumpy today with a metre or so swell out in the middle of the bay. Overcast sky but dry conditions meant for a cold sail into the wind. Despite the sea state, passengers were quickly rewarded with great views of white-beaked dolphins feeding under a mass gathering of black-headed gulls, kittiwakes and some fulmars. The large congregations of birds initially drew our attention and it became clear that a cetacean species was below the surface. As we sailed closer, dolphins were seen leaping and jumping clear of the waters surface and herding fish from below. They dolphins were numerous, but after watching for some time, they became more spread out. We decided to leave the dolphins in search for something larger as we thought a blow may have been spotted in the distance. After searching the area it became clear that whatever made the blow had disappeared. Our time was coming to an end and on our way back sighted the dolphins once more in much more tightly packed groups feeding on the abundance of food. Again, the dolphins were displaying their acrobatic skills, leaping from the water and quickly chasing after their prey. We left the dolphins with passengers very happy with their experience.  

- Mike Smith

Bird species seen on today's tour include: eider duck, northern gannet, blue fulmar, northern fulmar, black-legged kittiwake, black-headed gull, lesser black-backed gull, icelandic gull, glaucous gull & great cormorant

Status: RUNNING

We are sailing out from the Old Harbour in Reykjavik today. It is a calm day but a little undercurrent out on Faxabay. We do offer preventative tablets in the ticket office, free of charge, if you are sensitive to motion sickness. We are looking forward to welcoming you to our tour!