SATURDAY, 6 JULY 2019

✔ TOURS ON SCHEDULE |  20:30

Report from Elding: With not a single cloud in the sky this tour was already due to be beautiful. Looking all around us the sea was flat and visibility great for whale watching. It was a bit of a search until our captain's eyes spotted a playful pod of 8-10 white-beaked dolphins in the distance. As we approached they began coming close to our boat and also slowed down their movements. With the pod was a little calf and also a very energetic juvenile that showed us quite a few acrobatic jumps. We watched them in their natural habitat, interacting with one another, for nearly half an hour until the dolphins decided to move further out and so also we moved on. We encountered a minke whale only a few meters after and got to see several surfaces before time ran out and we sailed back with a stunning sunset making the sky turn orange red behind us.

- Sabrina Voswinkel

✔ TOURS ON SCHEDULE |  17:00

Report from Eldey: The sun was still shining although the wind had picked up a bit. However it wasn't a strong wind, just a refreshing one that kept us awake the whole trip. We were sailing to the same area we had a really nice sighting in the previous tour. We saw a blow, but the whale never came up close to us. We continued our heading, exploring a great area of Faxafloi bay, scanning continuously the sea surface looking for the signs the cetaceans do whenever they come to the surface. We were trying and trying but it was difficult to spot any animal, even with the really nice weather conditions we had. Finally, a blow in the distance, together with a really nice minke whale that decided to surface around us again and again. Our patience was rewarded by a really nice whale under the sun. That's the reason why we always stay hopeful until the end the tour.

-Elena Gutiérrez Ruiz

✔ TOURS ON SCHEDULE |  14:00

✔ TOURS ON SCHEDULE |  13:00

Report from Eldey: The weather was really nice, sun was shining so we headed out from the harbour very optimistic. We went to our spotting area and after half an hour sailing a big flock of bird in front of us started gathering so when we got closer 2 minke whales showed up not far from the boat. We stayed at the area watching this beautifuls animals coming up to the surface time after time. This is always a challenge so we tried to find more animals and we did it. We found another minke whale who gave to our passenger a great opportunity to have good pictures of it. When we were almost on our way back to Reykjavik 3 harbour porpoises appeared and started bow riding our boat, wonderful surprised because it is really weird see them surfing the waves created by the boats.

Jose Manuel Marco

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE |  10:00

Report from Hafsúlan: A very warm morning to head out into the Faxaflói Bay, temperatures reaching 17 degrees C and very little wind. We sailed out on our catamaran Hafsúlan and enjoyed the incredible weather. One hour sailing took us to the spot, where we encountered a minke whale. Surfacing 3-4 times, aching its back and back for another deep dive. We were able to follow the minke for a while as he/she didn´t seem to be travelling very far, just milling around until the next surge of fish rose to the surface. Whilst we enjoyed the minke, harbour porpoises also joined in with the fun. At least 4-5 around us in two small pods. Later on we found 2 pods of white-beaked dolphins, 6-8 in one pod and 2-3 in the other. They were very busy feeding or chasing after their breakfast and even took time to do a bit of socialising and bow-riding in between. We bathed in the sun for the ride home, smiling about the wonderful tour.

- Megan Whittaker

✔ TOUR ON SCHEDULE|  9:00

Report from Eldey: The day couldn't start better. The sun shining, the sea extremely calm and the wind was  almost absent, just blowing gently at some specific occasions. We were sailing towards Snæfellsjökull when we saw a big flock of birds feeding actively. After a minute, a black shape popped up in the area. We had the first minke whale of the day, which would not be the last one. We stopped the boat to give the whale some time to breath again when another minke decided to surface right on our port side, very close to the ship and really slowly. It did it a couple of times before dissapearing. Another minke took over the previous one in surfacing all around us a couple of times more. Two more minkes were appearing in the distance while observing the closest ones. From my sight, at least 5 minke whales showed up during this time. After a while exploring, it was time to go back to the harbour, but two pods of 8-10 white-beaked dolphins made us stopped the boat to observe these wonderful creatures jumping out of the water and playing with the waves. It was wonderful to find these animals socializing and having fun around us! In the way back home, another pod of the same species of dolphins surprised us, just closing a perfect tour.

-Elena Gutiérrez Ruiz

Bird species identified today: atlantic puffin, lesser black-backed gull, black-legged kittiwake, arctic tern, northern gannet, northern fulmar, arctic skua, manx shearwater, common guillemot, black guillemot, blacköheaded gull. 

We are sailing from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík today. The sun is shining and the weather today is beautiful however 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.