Monday, 5 August 2024

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 19:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR |10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 20:00

Report from Eldey : Conditions were grey this morning when we set sail, with a very mild swell and slight wind but no rain and a good visibility. Not long after leaving the harbour, we arrived to an area full of humpback whales ! There were at least 7 of them within a one mile area, mostly diving regularly and surfacing only to take a few breaths. Two of them gave us the pleasure to surface extremely close to the boat, including an individual named Hooker that we had already identified before. Hooker even displayed a brief lunge feeding right before our boat ! We also spotted two small pods of white-beaked dolphins, the first one of about 4 individuals feeding close to one of the humpbacks and the second one of 3 individuals simply traveling at a rather high speed. In the distance, one of the humpbacks started half breaching, fluke first, and slapping its tail repeatedly for a few minutes. All those sightings continued until it was time for us to get back to Reykjavik. Just an amazing tour overall ! 

- Olivia Garcia

Report from Hafsula: This morning we sailed out under gorgeous clouds and landscape on an atmospheric Monday! There was a tiny bit of swell but nothing we couldn't handle and everyone was excited to head out. After only a short sail out we spotted multiple blows! Bigger blows normally means bigger whales aka baleen! Not long after we could confirm that these were all blows from humpback whales! We stayed with one individual for a bit but then this one headed on and was immediatly replaced by another! We had one individual that came extremely close to our boat! The 2nd humpback came so close to our port side and then tail-splapped a few times so close we could feel the splash! It then went for a deep dive and then headed onto its own journey and so did we. Again we did not have to sail long before spotting another humpback whale which even breached! They dont do this so often so it was a special treat for all of us. We thought it was only going to be one breach but then it did it again! And then in return to that another humpback appeared behind us and also breached!! We were so spoilt but it didnt end there. We left these two playful ones as we ran out of time, but then on the way home saw another pec-slapping humpback! As it was on the way home we decided to make a pit stop and then to our surprise it also breached 5x extremely close to us! Then we actually (!) ran out of time and headed back with music and good mood!

- Ricardo Almeida Mendes

Report from Eldey: We sailed out again this afternoon, hoping to reiterate the sightings of this morning. Quite quickly, we saw our firsts blows appear in the distance and were assured that this would be again a great tour: 6 humpback whales were seen throughout the tour, with 3 of them coming close to us for all to enjoy and have plenty of time to see. Numerous fluke dives and feeding behaviours entertained us for hours, as we also saw again the humpback whale Hooker, a easily recognisable whale with a hooked dorsal fin. As we were ready to start heading home, one of this humpbacks reappeared, but this time surrounded by several white beaked dolphins ! Around 4 pods of 15 dolphins roamed around as they all fed together, with several dolphins spy hoping to see who we were. We even got to notice 2 clear mother-calf pairs, with the younger individuals growing curious of our presence. Coming back to the harbour, all had seen more humpback whales action than imagined and had experience quite a unaue experience.

- Alex Paumier

Report from Hafsulan: Our 1500 tour started quite well, with calm seas that, not only made the trip more comfortable for our passengers, but also made it easier for us to search for the whales. After less than an hour of search, we saw blows and some fins poking out the water only a few hundred of meters ahead of us. As we got closer, we could then tell for sure, we were in the presence of a humpback whale as well as a pod of 7 white beaked dolphins! The dolphins were very calm and inquisitive swimming incredibly close to us as well as under us. They were so clearly visible through the waer surface, it was really a sight to behold. After enjoying these beauties we decided to carry on towards the humpback we had spotted. It too came quite close to us, and there was actually 2 more in the area! Hard to choose which one to look at. We waited a few moments with one of them, then headed onto the 2nd one and eventually the 3rd one we saw. On the way to the 3rd one, we spotted more dolphins on our right hand. They were a little bit in the distance but they were jumping incredibly high out of the water! We made our way over and then noticed that in the mix was another humpback whale. Its always hard to tell if they were annoying or playing with each other, however the pod of roughly 9 dolphins would always resurface just moments before the whale, making it quite easy to track. After an incredible encounter of dolphins playing with the whale, and the whale on occasion rolling and lifting its tail out the water - we did have to eventually start our return journey.

- Anna Richter

Report from Eldey : What a night ! We started the tour under grey sky and flat seas. We quickly arrived to the area in which we had spotted humpbacks whales in the morning and, oh my ! Three of them were still there, separated by a few hundred meters, surfacing and diving regularly. The first one we approached was displaying quite an unusual behaviour, rolling over at the surface without obviously feeding, and raising its pectoral fins out of the water. We then followed a pod of jumping white-beaked dolphins, of about 4 individuals, while another pod of 3 was feeding around one of the humpbacks just a few hundred meters away from us, surrounded by chirping arctic terns. All of a sudden, we noticed one of the whales breaching ! We carefully approached it, as it continued breaching three or four times more. After a few aggressive fluke slapping and pectoral fin slapping, the individual breached one last time much closer to us ! Saying we were hyped is an understatement. Finally, something I had personally never seen before : the three humpback whales gathered and started swimming alongside one another, and we followed them until it was time to get back home. Once so active, there were now cruising at a slow but steady pace, and the captain suggested they might have been resting together. After a while, it was time to get back to the harbour and we said goodbye. On the way back, we cruised paths with yet another traveling humpback, and it was just the perfect end to a perfect whale watching tour. 

- Olivia Garcia

Report from Elding: We set sail from Reykjavik harbor under the enchanting light of the midnight sun, filled with anticipation for our whale watching adventure. The golden light in the sky added a magical touch to the bay as we embarked on our journey. After 45 minutes of sailing, our patience was rewarded when we spotted a blow on the horizon. Excitement surged through the group as we realized it was a humpback whale! We watched in awe as it resurfaced multiple times, its majestic form gracefully breaking the surface of the water. Eager to see more, we continued our search and soon found a group of whales feeding. Among them, we witnessed a spectacular sight: one of the whales performed a lunge feed, lunging out of the water with its mouth wide open to engulf a mouthful of prey. This incredible behavior left us all speechless and thrilled.Satisfied with our unforgettable encounters, we eventually made our way back to the harbor. The experience left us in awe of these magnificent creatures and grateful for the opportunity to witness them in their natural habitat.

-Maria Ernesto

Northern fulmar, Arctic tern, Arctic skúa, Atlantic puffin, Lesser Black-back gull, black-legged kittiwake, Northern gannet