Thursday, 29 July 2021

Image
KOLLAFJORDUR

Thursday, 29 July 2021

✔ CLASSIC WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 09:00 

Report from Eldey : Wonderful day with a beautiful blue sky, a great visibility on the mountains, very little wind and a pleasant sun. We started going out but we quickly had to come back near Reykjavik because there was a humpback whale so close of the harbour. We observed this whale that was feeding for a while. We were also observing further away some minke whales near small flock of birds. We decided to keep going and let this animal that showed us a few fluke dives. We found another humpback whale further away with a very strong a long blow. The animal dived and went closer to Reykjavik. We followed it and we could see many flukes dives. From far away we also saw a white beaked dolphin jumping in big splashes. It was hard to decide what we wanted to see today! We also saw 2 other minke whales, one surfacing quite close to our boat.

- Miquel Pons

✔ CLASSIC PUFFIN TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 10:00

✔ PREMIUM WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 10:00 

Report from Þruma: What a day! Beautiful conditions lasted all day long, with blue skies, calm seas and lots of wildlife to see. Our 10am tour started with a lone humpback whale surfacing very close to Reykjavik. The animal was spotted just off the coast, near one of the islands that the puffins call home for the breeding season. The whale calmly swam on our left, performed a dive and was making its way towards our boat as we could observe the pattern left on the surface from its swimming motions. The humpback resurfaced very close on our right, displaying its size and bodily features from 10 metre distance. After watching the whale for some time we headed in a southerly direction and found a small, curious minke whale. This young whale, came in for a closer look at us and swam in a clockwise fashion around the boat for 20 minutes or more. Each time, edging closer and lifting its face from the water and gently tapping it down multiple times. The whale even spyhopped, lifting its body vertically, to observe us onboard.

✔ CLASSIC WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE  13:00

Report from Eldey: The tour started in high hopes due to the great sightings in the bay this morning. Obviously, nature is one of the main factors that lead our "expeditions" on these waters so we could not be 100 percent sure we would find the same animals. It took us a bit more effort than we thought. After 40 minutes sailing we came across our first minke whale. People could barely see that one. It went away from our view range pretty quickly. We decided to leave it alone and sail further into the bay. After a while we found a pod of white beaked dolphins of about 5-6 individuals. They were pretty playful and curious. At least I saw one of the small ones jumping out of the water. We could also see a minke whale not far from the area. It was a bit easier to follow that one, no rush in general and pretty near the boat. To finish up the tour we managed to witness a humpback whale giving a few deep dives quite in front of us. Especially for the people standing on the bow that one must have been a great experience. Good tour in great weather.

- Jorge Pascual

✔ SEA ANGLING TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 13:00

✔ PREMIUM PUFFIN TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 13:00 

✔ PREMIUM WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 14:00

The afternoon trip was also very exciting. We first found a small pod of 2-3 white-beaked dolphins that were leaping from the sea and creating a huge splash. The dolphins seemed unbothered and even disinterested in our presence as they performed these acrobatics. Only on one occasions did one dolphins surf towards us in a small wave, swimming beneath the boat, before returning to their fellow pod members. After the dolphins, we sighted a minke whale. The minke was moving steadily across the bay, keeping a low profile. We saw two surface sequences before moving on to watch a humpback whale. The humpback was moving in a westerly direction, taking around three breaths before lifting its fluke. It spent a short amount of time out of sight then returned to display the same behaviour. Breathing and rolling its back to lift the tail.

- MIke Smith

✔ CLASSIC MIDNIGHT WHALE TOUR ON SCHEDULE | 20:30

Bird species observed: northern gannets, northern fulmars, puffins, common guillemot, black guillemot, great skua, arctic skua, arctic tern, black legged kittiwake, herring gull, lesser black backed gull, greater black backed gull.

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.