Thursday, 23 February 2023

Today we will be operating on our lovely vessel Eldey for the 9:00 and 13:00 Classic Whale Watching tours. Make sure to dress appropriately for the tours as it is always colder on sea than on land.  

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 9:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00

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. 

Report from Eldey: We started the tour from Hafnarfjörður today so the tour could be more comfortable for the passengers as the swell would be hitting us harder if we had started in Reykjavik. The weather was a bit tough with light rain and a sky full of clouds. We sailed slowly towards the bay and suddenly our captain spotted a blow in the distance between all the white caps on the surface. We approached to it and it was humpback whale! We spent some time with it but it was a bit elusive and hard to spot so we decided so go after another blow that we saw closer to the harbor. As we got there we could see another humpback whale that was feeding inside the harbor. It got really close to the boat so we all could see it from a close perspective. After spending some time with her we decided to dock the boat so we could head back to Reykjavik in time. It was a very nice tour and everybody left happy!

- Nicolas Corral

Report from Eldey

As passengers arrived onboard our vessel currently docked in Hafnarfjörður, driven from Reykjavik via bus, they asked “what is the likelihood of seeing a whale today?” We don’t usually give this answer but today was an exception. 100% likely! Just look over there, whilst pointing to the other side of the ship. Yes a humpback whale was feeding on, what we believe to be, small herring.  Birds were also involved and passengers watched in awe as we waited for everyone to arrive. Soon we let go the ropes and we very slowly headed towards the feeding humpback to give the passengers a little closer look. The humpback whale was going backwards and forwards in the harbour and many onlookers from land were also enjoying the spectacle. Soon we left the harbour in the hope of finding more life, we needed to move the boat back to Reykjavik and as we sailed further and further from shore we could start to feel the effects of the strong westerly winds, the high swells. It was unfortunate that no more whales or dolphins were spotted but we did enjoy a very curious grey seal and the landscape and birdlife as we sailed back to Reykjavik. 

- Megan Whittaker

Common guillemot, razorbill, black guillemot, European shag, Great cormorant, northern fulmar, black-legged kittiwake, black-backed gull, glaucous gull, eider duck, northern gannet, red-throated diver.