Thursday, 3 July 2025

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 20:30
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR |10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 20:00

Report from Hafsúlan: This morning, we headed out into a very calm Faxaflói Bay. The sun was shining, and the surface of the water was flat - perfect conditions for spotting cetaceans. As we made our way out, we suddenly spotted our first dorsal fin breaking the surface. It was a minke whale passing by! Shortly thereafter, we saw another one - and then yet another. The bay seemed to be full of minkes today, likely due to a combination of ideal weather and excellent feeding conditions. As we continued our journey, we saw our first blow of the day - it was a humpback whale doing some shallow dives. As we got closer to observe this individual, we began spotting more blows in the area: four humpback whales and even more minke whales were popping up around us. The bay was buzzing with activity today! After spending some time here watching fluke dives up close, we decided to keep going to test our luck further. Suddenly, a small pod of three harbour porpoises appeared next to our boat. We watched them when they came up for air a couple of times. We then spotted four more blows of humpback whales around us at varying distances, and minkes also continued to surround us. One humpback even breached close to the boat and slapped its large, white pectoral fins on the surface - what an incredible sight! As it was time to return, minke whales were still appearing in the area. In total we counted approximately 20-30 minke whales and 8 humpback whales around - what a lucky morning!

- Maja Andersson

Report from Eldey: This morning we sailed out with the perfect conditions for whale watching. The sun was shining, there was no wind and the ocean was very flat. With these conditions, spotting these amazing animals was not very difficult. Once we were out of the harbor and a little bit out onto the bay, we spotted our first minke whale. It was a very nice sighting because these whales tend to be a bit shy but we were able to stayed with it for a while. Then, we found a humpback whale. This whale was very focused on traveling because it did not stay on the surface that much. However, later on we found another pair of humpbacks. These ones were very nice and seemed to be resting. They were also very interested on us since they came very close to the boat. Finally, on our way back to the harbor, we were surrounded by 3 minke whales. One of them was quite friendly with us because it came close enough to the boat for us to take good pictures of its beautiful snout.

- Guillermo Monescillo Aragon

Report from Hafsulan: We set sail into very calm seas and only a few clouds overhead. We first managed to spot 2 minke whales, which we stopped for briefly, as they kept going their way rather quick. After that we spotted a pair of humpback whales, swimming side by side. We then quickly noticed a second pair of humpbacks only a few hundred meters away! they spent some time apart until one of the whales breached! It then continued to pec slap about 6 times! Quickly after, both pairs joined together and for about half an hour we could see them all swimming side by side. This spectacle lasted until both pairs split ways and one of the pairs decided to go for a nap then and there. We gave them their well deserved peace and quiet and moved onwards to find a fifth humpback that was casually feeding, but then for a moment rolled onto it´s back, belly and pectoral fis up and out of the water. The fun didn´t end there as we continued to see a big pod of about 15 white-beaked dolphins, some of which curiously approached us. To top it all off, we also saw a pod of 3 harbour porpoises and 2 more minke whales on the way back, allowing us to tick off all four main species in the bay!

Milan Vansteelandt

Report from Elding: We had a truly magic experience this afternoon. As we set sail into the sea, the water surface was extremely calm, giving the appearance that we were not sailing on the ocean, but on a giant lake. Such sea conditions facilitated our search effort and, soon enough, we saw our first species, a pod of harbour porpoises passing near our ship. They were followed by a group of minke whales which, although usually solitary animals, were feeding close to each other. These were soon followed by humpback whales and white-beaked dolphins, with both species approaching our ship and showing social behaviours. All four species were constantly sighted throughout the tour, which definitely had way more cetacean sightings than usual. In total, we must have seen around 20 humpback and minke whales, 4 to 7 harbour porpoises and what seemed to be around 50 white-beaked dolphins, distributed through various small groups.

-Ricardo

Report from Hafsúlan: Heading out into a very calm bay this evening, we had high hopes of spotting some cetaceans after all the luck we had earlier in the day. Sure enough, the lovely conditions still made for great sightings, and it did not take long before we came across our first minke whale breaking the surface. We watched it surface a few times before spotting a blow a little further away. It was a humpback whale going for some deep dives. We approached to observe, and it treated us to several beautiful fluke dives. Just a couple of hundred meters away, we suddenly noticed splashes. Heading in that direction, we saw a small pod of white beaked dolphins jumping and spinning through the air. Unfortunately, they calmed down as we arrived, but with all the cetacean activity around, we continued on to see what else we could find. It was not long before we spotted more blows in the distance - another humpback whale diving deep in the bay. We stayed with it for a while, then moved on to yet another humpback whale a bit further out. Suddenly, another blow appeared closer to us. There was so much life around! We decided to stay with this large individual for a while as it was milling on the surface, then treating us to several close fluke dives. As we began heading back to the harbor, we encountered thee more minke whales and two additional humpback whales. What an abundance of wildlife! 

- Maja Andersson

Report from Elding: We set sail into the golden glow of the midnight sun. Our first encounter was a shy minke whale, gliding past with quiet grace. Though it didn’t linger, we caught a couple of fleeting glimpses—just enough to stir our excitement. In the distance, a tall blow signaled something bigger—a humpback whale. We adjusted course and headed toward it, but before we got far, a pod of 10-15 white-beaked dolphins intercepted us. Sleek and playful, they rode the bow and surfaced in synchrony, a magical detour on our journey. Eventually, we reached the humpback. To our amazement, we witnessed it bubble net feeding—a rare and spectacular sight. It surfaced with a great rush, mouth wide, scooping up fish corralled by its own rising bubbles. At least eight more humpback whales were in the vicinity, feeding and surfacing in all directions. In the distance, about twenty minke whales could be seen moving purposefully, and as we began our journey back to port, harbour porpoises quietly passed by—small, swift shadows in the stillness.

-Aleksandra Lechwar