THURSDAY, 30 JUNE 2016

Tour at 20:00

Report from Eldey: The afternoons downpour had cleared and we sailed out in the glorious evening sunset on the horizon. After only 30 minutes we spotted our first marine mammal - the minke whale. It surfaced about 400 m from the boat and was travelling at some speed. As we slowly got closer to this animal we were able to watch it surface and dive on numerous occasions before this "sneeky" minke disappeared from our sights. As we turned around to go further out into the bay we barely travelled 2 minutes before we spotted another individual...and then another 300 m behind it! With two minke whales in the area we tried to keep an eye out on both of these individuals but we managed to focus our attention on one of these minkes to watch it surface and dive at least 3 times and within 100 m of the boat. The midnight sunset cast a spectacular sun-ray over both Mount Esja and the city of Reykjavik providing the perfect backdrop for photographs of the magnificent sickle-shaped dorsal fin of the minke. As we headed out again further into the bay we were able to spot another minke whale surface but unfortunately it only allowed us to see a flash of it´s dark back before unfortunately disappearing from our sights again. The harbour porpoises definitely kept us entertained however where they playfully jumped clear of the waves within 10 m of the boat and dashed all around us. Despite the slight chill on the top-deck the passengers made full use of our overalls and were able to make the most of the sightings throughout this tour.

- Darcy Philpott

Tour at 17:00

Report from Eldey: Though the tour started off with light rain coming down from the sky, almost all passengers got suited up in the overalls and stayed out on deck ready to look for cetaceans. Already after 30 minutes we had our first encounter of a cetacean, however not a visual contact. Instead we could smell the unpleasant breath from a minke whale that smells just like rotten fish or rotten egg. Carefully we scanned the area searching for the minke but we could not find the whale, so we headed further out in the bay. After a couple of minutes we found a new minke whale about 500 m from the boat. This whale surfaced a few times but since it was a bit elusive we lost track of it and started to search for more species in other areas. Next species to encounter was a harbour porpoise, but this individual was also elusive and we could only see it surface 2 times before it disappared into the big blue. The search of cetaceans continued. Once again we spotted a minke whale and this time we could enjoy the presence of this whale for a long time. The sky was clearing up and the sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining on this curious minke whale. It was a bit bizarre to see this beautiful whale surface over and over again and at the same time moving closer to the minke whaling boat that showed up in the horizon. Unfortunately, this is reality in Flaxa bay. Whale watching companies and whaling fisheries are operating in the same areas and up to date, 23 minke whales have been hunted and killed in Icelandic waters. More minke whales will end up missing in Flaxa bay as long as whaling is still allowed in Iceland. Hopefully, we managed to inform the passengers about this current situation regaring whaling in Iceland and how they can support us on Elding in how to stop this killing of our friends out at sea. On our way back to Reykjavik we got some heavy rain showers but we at least managed to get a last glimt of a harbour porpoise that surfaced 2 times. Just before reaching harbour again the sun came out again and gave a last sun kiss to our passengers as a warm goodbye.

- Johanna Bergman

Tour at 14:00

Report from Elding: Although the weather conditions were not very pleasant for us, as it was a bit cold, windy and rainy, the sea wasn't choppy, so the conditions for spotting the cetaceans were actually quite good. As soon as we left the harbor we spotted few splashes. They were from 2-3 harbour porpoises. The animals were quite fast and elusive so we continued our journey further in the bay. Soon we spotted a minke whale. It surfaced 2-3 times before it went for a deeper dive. At that moment, we've heard from other vessels that a humpback whale has been spotted in an area a bit further out in the bay. All the crew and passengers were eager to see a humpback, so we decided to go to this area, which meant not stopping with other species along the way and coming back a bit later then planned. A minke whale has just dived on a deeper dive so we continued our way further out. The weather conditions got worse. We got some heavy rain showers! Despite the weather, we were enjoying the company of lots of different bird species all the way to the area where a humpback was. As we were approaching that area, a humpback whale surfaced just in front of us! Although still a bit far, as soon as we saw it's blow, or excitement increased! By the time we arrived to the exact area, all other whale watching boats left, so we had a privilege to stay alone with the humpback. It was an amazing encounter! We turned off the engines and just enjoying whale's company in silence. It was a kind of a meditative, intimate encounter. The animal was moving very slowly, relaxed, and so close to the boat that in one moment we could see it just below the sea surface! It was one of those encounters which leaves you even more amazed and respectful towards the nature and those majestic animals. Not to mention that in this area the rain stopped and the sun was breaking through the clouds. Perfect timing, so all the passengers were able to enjoy the encounter on the bow and the upper deck of the boat, and have a great view of the animal :)
On our way back, while we were passing through some more heavy rain showers, we encountered harbour porpoises three times. Each time it was a single individual traveling, which was a bit unusual for these sociable animals. We also saw another minke whale. It was traveling parallel with us, in opposite direction, about 200 meters away. Although it was surfacing just one time before the dive, the dives were short, so we were able to see it few times while on our way to the harbor. All that wind and rainy showers were worth the encounters we had on our afternoon tour!

-Tena Sarcevic

Tour at 13:00

Report from Eldey: Even though the sea conditions were still fantastic this afternoon, we could see more and more clouds gathering above us and making at least the end of the tour pretty wet. Since we had heard from the small RIBs that there was a humpback whale out in the bay we decided to reach it on our tour as well even though we had to go quite far out. Therefore, we didn´t stop for the minke whales we encountered on our way out. We saw a total of 4 minke whales on this tour, 3 on the way out and another one on our way back to the harbour. Even though we didn´t spent much time with them, we still got a pretty good look at them as we were driving by as they came up frequently and we easy to spot in the flat sea. Once we had reached the area of the last known location of the humpback whale, we spotted a large blow in the distance and also the large back of an animal - we had found the humpback whale! It was still about 1 km away from us when first spotted but soon we got closer, approached it gently and were rewarded with a few super nice fluke-ups! This humpback whale was very friendly to us, only diving for about 3-4 minutes and always showing its beautiful fluke when going for a dive. It seemed very relaxed and always stayed within 100 m from us - what else can you ask for? After a good time we turned back to the harbour and arrived a bit late but it was definitely worth it!

- Hanna Michel 

Tour at 10:00

Report from Elding: Imagine sailing out on sea in warm weather, with no wind and the sea surface is so perfectly flat that it looks like a mirror. You can see the reflection of the clouds above you and of the birds flying around you in the water. I can promise you that you cant get better whale watching conditions. We found 2 minke whales on this tour. The first one always kept close to the surface so it was easy to follow it around. We spent a good time with that animal and everyone got good opportunities to get photos and great looks at that minke whale. soon after we left this minke whale we spotted our second minke. It seemed small and might have been a young individual. This one was more elusive and only surfaced twice before it went for dives. We could stop the boat and turn off the engines with both animals and enjoy the sound that they made when they exhaled, mixed with the sounds from various sea birds that flew past us. I could not have asked for a better way to start the day. 

-Sigurlaug Sigurðardóttir

Tour at 09:00

Report from Eldey: We could not have dreamt of better conditions to go whale watching - beautiful warm sunshine streaming through clouds, and the mirror calm water reflected the grey cloud cover making it ideal spotting conditions. After only 40 minutes we came across our first cetacean, a minke whale! Although this individual did seem to be only coming up once between dives it was no problem because there were at least 3 more within 1 km of the boat. The second individual we observed were surfacing so relaxedly it was practically posing for photographs. We continued a little further and came across a pod of 3-5 harbour porpoises. Due to our slow approach these usually shy creatures came within 100 m in front of the boat, with one simply resting and perhaps even sleeping as it was floating at the surface for 30 seconds at a time. We watched these calm animals for about 10 minutes before heading further offshore and were blessed with a further 3 minke whales! The least elusive of these whales came within 50 m of the boat, giving us an encounter for all the senses as we could smell nasty whiff of its breath and hear it breath at the surface. What an amazing tour to see so many individuals in the glorious sunshine!

- Ophelie Humphrey

Birds seen on today´s tours: northern fulmar, atlantic puffin, common guillemot, eider ducks, razorbill, herring gull, kittiwake, lesser black backed gull and black headed gull.  

Status: RUNNING

We are sailing out from the Old Harbour in Reykjavik today. There is almost no wind but a little cloudy. Hope that you can join us on this gorgeous day.