Sunday, 16 June 2024

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 17:00, 20:30
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 20:00

Today we will be operating our Classic Whale Watching on our lovely vessel Eldey at 9:00, 13:00 and our just as lovely catamaran Elding at 11:00, 15:00.

Report from Eldey - Today we set sail with a cloudy day and with a lot of swell. We are very excited about the possible sightings and after a while exploring Faxafloi Bay, we spot a group of white-beaked dolphins passing very close to the boat. They were behaving sociably and the passengers were able to watch them for a while, until another group of dolphins appeared. Shortly afterwards they disappeared into the vastness of the ocean. Thrilled with the sighting we decided to go on our way and explore a bit more of everything. However, it was worth the wait as suddenly a MINKE WHALE appeared!!! This one was eating and after a while another one appeared! We saw them 2-3 more times until they made a deep dive and we never saw them again. Not long after, near a group of black-legged kittiwake we saw minke whales again, these sightings were very close to the boat. Suddenly, the scene turned into a Discovery Max documentary, minke whales started to appear near another group of birds, this time they were Northen gannets and they were hunting with their spectacular plunge diving technique! We stayed a while longer in the area as we sighted 2 more minke again. The area was full of life but we had to say goodbye to these wonderful creatures and slowly make our way back to the harbor. We counted up to 4-5 minkes during the tour and very close of the boat. The passengers were very excited and happy with the tour! 

- Aleksandra Lechwar

Report from Elding: We set off this morning with cloudy skies and a strong breeze, but nevertheless excited about the day. When we headed out further in the bay, the swell grew a fair bit, adding quite some excitement to our trip. After searching for some time, we spotted a pod of curious white beaked dolphins. There were around 5 individuals coming quite close to the ship, and surfing the waves a bit as well! After a bit of time, we lost them in the waves and headed onwards, towards a big flock of birds diving into the water to see if there were any more exciting animals for us to find. Sadly, we did not find any more whales this morning, so before we headed back into port, we handed out complementary tickets to the passengers, so they could come back a later date to see more of the wildlife Faxaflói has to offer.

- Milan vansteelandt

Report from Eldey: We sailed out in a rough and cloudy seas but so excited to see if we spot any cetacean in the bay. After a while of exploring the bay, we saw a blow of a humpback whale and seconds later a minke whale  appeared 10 meters from the boat and we could see the white armbands on the pectoral fins. After this, the National Geographic documentary started and we was surrounded with a lot of marine wildlife. First of all, a lot of Northern gannets were plunge diving around us. Then, a pod of 5-7 white-beaked dolphins jumping and two huge blows were showed in the surface. TWO HUMPBACK WHALES FEEDING TOGETHER!!!! It was so beautiful to see whales and dolphins together and It was also amazing how the whales were rolling and showing off their pectoral fins. You could also see the belly of the whales and even predict where they were going to come out as you could see the shape from the water. We spent 30 minutes with this incredible sighting but we had no more time so we had to say goodbye, the whale also said goodbye to us one last time by surfacing and we slowly made our way back to Reykjavik. To finish this beautiful tour where all the passengers were very excited, we saw a minke whale very close to the boat as well.

- Sergi Gonzalez

Report from Elding: As soon as all the clients had come aboard, we set our ship free from the ropes and sailed into the wild and unpredictable ocean.  The strong wind and waves made their presence noticeable as soon as we left the harbour. But after an hour of searching, the efforts and patience of our crew and passengers paid off, some passengers spotted a group of white-beaked dolphins, swimming towards our direction. And what a group it was, with almost 20 dolphins, some of them 3 meters in size, and with many of them breaching next to us! Almost immediately after the dolphins left, we spotted our 2nd species, 2 minke whales surfacing between the waves. Some minutes of "empty" ocean passed by after, before we approached an area full of marine birds diving like torpedoes, into the ocean, and grabbing fish for themselves. And in the middle of this spectacle, 2 humpback whales, both longer than 13 meters, were surfacing, inspiring everyone on board with awe.

Atlantic Puffin, great skua, lesser black backed gull, northern fulmar, northern gannet, arctic tern, black legged kittiwake, herring gull, common guillemot, black guillemot