SATURDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2019

 TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 17:00

Report from Eldey: Winds were still blowing freshly from the north east but conditions were similar to our previous tours so of course we headed back out into Faxafloi. Less than 40 minutes into the trip we were surprised by a very close surfacing of a minke whale. It showed itself several times and we only got distracted from it when we spotted a second minke whale that even lifted it's head out of the water while catching fish! We watched these individuals for almost half an hour but then moved on to where we had seen a humpack whale on both previous tours. With our experience at sea and a bit of luck, we found it yet again! Third time today we were lucky to witness this beautiful species. Even those seeking shelter from the cold winds inside saw it through the window thanks to our great captain always doing his best to have the whale on the side of our boat so we could even see it through the windows. The setting sun painted it in wonderful evening colours and on the way back these colours were also being reflected by some of the buildings of Reykjavik. Just stunning.

- Viivi Pöyhönen

 TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 13:00

Report from Eldey: Winds had picked up a bit from this morning but that really did not matter with the sun still shining brightly onto our faces. Despite the wind and white caps on the waves, our years of experience helped us in spotting 2 distant blows as we came closer towards the city Akraness. The first one which we approached belonged to a minke whale, which we saw surfacing for 3 breaths. If we had stayed longer, surely we would have seen it again but we spotted the other blow again and recognized it as being the blow of a humpback whale. Hoping to see this species closer, we approached it carefully and always with a safety distance, stopping at a point and being surprised by it when it came up less than 5 meters away from the bow of our boat. Truly spectacular. The entire scenery just seemed surreal, with diving gannets all around, the sun shining and the humpback whale showing itself every 10 minutes with big blows and then a final lifting of it's tail before going for a deep dive. This is nature in Faxafloí.

- Sabrina Voswinkel

 TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 09:00

Report from Eldey: Good morning sunshine! That definitely applied to our tour this morning. The sky was nearly cloudless and so we had not only sunshine all throughout our tour but also the most scenic of views of our surrounding mountain ranges. Conditions for spotting were great so it didn't even take us one hour until we spotted a minke whale as it suddenly appeared next to our boat. After showing itself for 3 surfaces, however, it dove under and disappeared. Still, we continued our search with a positive mood, as there were feeding birds and diving gannets all around, which means that there is a lot of fish in the water. And that is the most important thing for the whales and dolphins. Eventhough we did not find anyhting there, on our way back we were greeted by a big blow! It's shape already gave it away as the blow of a humpback whale. This individual was obviously focusing on feeding near the sea bed, as it went for very long dives lasting for about 10 minutes each. It really tested our patience, but as we know, patience is a virtue and it payed off when the humpback lifted it's fluke gracefully and high out of the water. The perfect goodbye to us as we had to return to harbour.

- Viivi Pöyhönen

Birds seen today: northern gannet, common guillemot, kittiwake, black-headed gull, cormorant.

 

Good morning! We are sailing from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík today. If you are prone to getting sea sick, we do have sea sickness tablets available free of charge at the office and on board. Make sure to dress warmly and make use of our warm overalls as it is always colder on sea than on land. For more information contact us by email elding@elding.is or by phone +354 519 5000.