Saturday, 24 July

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HOFNIN JULY 17TH 2021

Saturday 24 July 2021

✔ CLASSIC WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 09:00

Report from Elding: It was a chilly morning, with grey clouds that rained from time to time. But despite the not ideal weather, the whales and the birds made up for that. There were some bird lovers and wildlife photographers among the passengers. We were able to enjoy the close flights of the fulmars. One passenger spotted a bird somewhat different from the others and we discovered that it was a european storm petrel. We were able to spot a group of 3 harbor porpoises, but we did not stop due to its extremely elusive nature and because in the distance we sighted a giant blow. Davy Jones, a well-known humpback whale, comes into the picture and its presence delights us by showing us its body and its peculiar fluke. Later we found on a group of 5-7 white-beaked dolphins. They played around the boat, bow riding and jumping out of water. A tour to remember indeed, feels very good to be back with our dear animals.

- Estel Sànchez i Camí

✔ PREMIUM WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 10:00 

Report from Þruma: The sea was a little bumpy on the way out into Faxafloi due to a southerly wind that stirred some small waves. This didn't seem to affect our success in cetacean spotting as two species were observed. Both species were seen at the same time as a small pod of 4-5 white-beaked dolphins were interacting with a humpback whale. Upon our arrival, the dolphins were moving around the whale, then decided to to approach the boat. They begun to bow ride, moving within a couple metres distance of the RIB. We watched the dolphins for around 10 minutes, whilst the whale remained out of sight. Once the humpback resurfaced we made our approach and watched a series of surfacing sequences of the whale taking 3-5 breaths, before lifting its fluke for a deeper dive. 

- Mike Smith

✔ CLASSIC WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 13:00 

✔ PREMIUM WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 14:00 

Report from Þruma: Conditions worsened as the day progressed due to the increased wind speed. The ride was definitely more bumpy on the way out as we battled through the small, short waves. Again, the conditions did not stop us from encountering wildlife, with the tour beginning with a brief minke whale sighting. The whale surfaced twice, showing itself from a 100metre distance before slipping away. We journeyed to a similar location to our morning position and found the same two species. First we watched the white-beaked dolphins that broke into two groups moving in our direction, on both the left and right hand side of the boat. Some individuals came in for a close look and rode the bow waves for a few moments. We next found two humpback whales that were busy feeding. These whales came to the surface regularly, taking around three breaths, before diving. They did't show the fluke too many times but we managed to see it on a couple of occasions.

- Mike Smith

✔ MIDNIGHT WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 20:30 

The tour started in high hopes due to the last days sightings. After an hour of sailing into the bay a pod of 5-6 white beaked dolphins came out of the blue right in front of us. They were very playful and interactive. Also a bit further into the distance at about 100 metres there was a humpback whale feeding.  After some well spent 15 minutes with these animals we decided to head further out, and so doing so we found other 2 humpback whales that were feeding.  At least one of them displayed some rolling behaviours at the surface and left everybody in awe. We had no more time for those whales and on our way back home we tried to find more species but we unfortunately did not. Our passengers seemed to be very satisfied and happy.

- Jorge Pascual

Bird Species ID´d today: Northern Gannet, Atlantic Puffin, Common Guillemot, Arctic tern, Arctic skua, Northern Fulmar, Kittiwake, Eider Duck, great-black backed gull, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull.

Today we will be operating on Þruma RIB for our 10:00 Premium tour and our lovely vessel Elding for the 09:00 and 13:00 Classic tour. Make sure to dress appropriately for the tours as it is always colder on sea than on land. Join us by booking online or contact us directly for more information (elding@elding.is / +354 519 5000).

COVID-19: Keep in mind that passengers and crew are asked to ensure their own hygiene and safety at all times. Washing hands thoroughly with soap and using a hand sanitiser is advised. Masks are not mandatory but are recommended in areas where keeping distance from others is not possible.