THURSDAY, 9 JUNE 2016

Tour at 17:00

Report from Eldey 17:00:

Let’s go for the last tour for the day! The weather was getting colder outside while we were going into the evening but that didn’t stop us to go out and take the best of the day. A group of harbour porpoises came into the boat while we were sailing out surprising us with the first encounter of the last tour. Some minutes later 3 White beaked dolphins showed up at the right side of the boat giving us the chance to take some pictures of their white beak. Later on, 2 minke whales showed up at the surface for several minutes before they went for a deeper dive. On our way back we could spot some white beaked dolphins and more porpoises before to arrive to the port to finish our day.

- Tena

Tour at 14:00 

Report from Elding: The wind had picked up a little since the morning but it was still great conditions for cetacean spotting. We had not even been going a half hour when we crossed the path of several harbour porpoises! As soon as we saw 3 come up approximately 200 m in front of the boat we also saw a minke whale in the same direction around 500 m out. Although the porpoises were not shying away from the boat we decided to follow up on the minke, which was a great choice as this led to at least 5 more being spotted in the same area. These were behaving quite elusively so we approached the area where other boats were and came across a pod of 3 white-beaked dolphins, including one juvenile which at one point jumped and rotated to land belly up next to an adult. As we were following this pod a humpback whale came up within 100 m of the boat, taking us all by surprise! This humpback was only coming up for 3 breaths at almost 10 minute intervals, so after a half hour we headed towards the direction of a big blow a km out, where we came across another humpback. This individual was surfacing often and resting visibly below the surface to the delight of the photographers on board. After 20 minutes with this individual we were just about to head back when it raised it´s huge white pectoral fins and did a massive tail lob within 100 m of the boat! We took that as a big wave goodbye and headed back to port with a smile on our face.

-Ophelie Humphrey

Tour at 13:00

Report from Eldey: We set out on a cloudy but warm afternoon, the sea was magnificently flat so the sailing and spotting conditions were perfect! Just minutes out of the harbour our first species was spotted a pod of 3-4 harbour porpoises were spotted only 60 meters away. Further out into the bay more harbour porpoises were spotted and we stopped to have a closer look as these animals were being incredibly inquisitive. They came right up to the boat and criss crossed right underneath us and playfully porpoised only meters away! It was a beautifully close encounter and a very special one at that! One even had a calf which leaped out of the water alongside its mother. Just minutes later our second species of the tour was spotted, a minke whale surface about three hundred meters in the distance, once closer we were able to observe this animal as it surfaced multiple times only 40 meters away. In addition to the minkes more porpoises came to join us and milled around the boat while we continued to watch the minkes. A further three minke whales surfaced around the boat within 500 meters and another three individuals showed themselves 600-800 meters away. After watching the closer individuals for some time we headed out further into the bay and found a further two minke whales to observe. After watching these animals for a time we decided to search for some other animals. After a short search some dorsal fins were spotted a mile in the distance and on closer inspection we found to our delight a small pod of 3 white-beaked dolphins, one of which was a small calf. These animals came wonderfully close, you could even see them swimming under the waters surface and leaping out of the water. After watching these individuals for a while it was time to head home but of course the sightings did not end there a large blow was spotted in the distance. As we neared the area, the animal was identified as a humpback whale, it surfaced a few times producing its mighty blow before sinking below the waters surface for a longer dive. It then resurfaced just 30 meters away, so close for an animal so large, after another surfacing sequence it arched it back and went for a deep dive. At this point it was time to head for home once again. Even so we were further delighted with another 5 minke whales and another 7 pods of harbour porpoises. Todays tour was fantastically abundant and we had a very happy sail back to the harbour. 

Tour at 10:00 

Report from Elding: Conditions were absolutely fabulous, as there was barely a breath of wind and the cloud cover provided a perfect grey reflection across the water, if there were cetaceans out here, we weren't´t going to miss them. The tour got off to a fantastic start as not long after leaving the harbour we were surrounded by harbour porpoises! Despite not stopping for them it took at least 15 minutes before we stopped seeing this dispersed pod, leading me to believe there must have been >50 in the area. Only 10 minutes after that we bumped into our first minke whale under a flock of feeding birds, a great indicator of food. Although there were likely at least 4 in a 2 km radius we decided to continue to where the other boats were, and on approach we saw a humpback whale breach 4 times in the distance! Just one minute after heading towards this individual did another one pop up 200 m from the boat. This small individual dived after a few surface breaths so we decided to head after the more active individual, although as we neared it it begun to surface more gently. Still fantastic to see the animal breach from a distance! After 20 minutes with this animal we headed back and on our way crossed a solitary white-beaked dolphin - how unusual to see one on it´s on, but still a fantastic way to end the tour with all 4 species seen.

-Ophelie Humphrey

Tour at 9:00

Report from Eldey: We started with a cloudy morning and a flat sea, the wind was missing today so we could all be outside in the upper deck since the beginning of the tour. Half an hour later we left the harbour we spotted our first minke whale of the day. While we were waiting for that individual to come back at the surface to breath again another minke whale showed up 50 meters far away from the boat, closer enough to take some pictures of it. Further away was another minke which just some good spotting eyes could see. We went further offshore to look for something else and as soon as we turned around we came into one single white beaked dolphin surfacing 3 times. Further away we spotted 2 big flocks of birds feeding at the same place where 2 minkes were feeding too. While we were busy searching for the minkes to come back at the surface a blow of a humpback whale appeared at the surface far in the distance. Out of the blue, the humpback breached for a couple of times, which it was amazing. Later on the animal was flipper slapping against the water and we could see below the surface rolling and breathing for a while. Then it breached again for few times before to go for a deeper dive. On our way back we could see a group of feeding harbour porpoises before to be back at Reykjavik port.

- Tena 

Birds seen on today´s tours include; atlantic puffin, razorbill, common guillemot, arctic tern, black-backed gull, black-legged kittiwake, eider duck, manx shearwater, Pomeranian skua, arctic skua, northern fulmar & northern gannet.