Tuesday, 11 July 2023

Today we will be operating on Þruma RIB for our 10:00, 12:00,14:00 and 20:00 Premium Whale tour and on our lovely vessel Eldey and Elding  for the 09:00, 10:00, 13:00, 14:00, 17:00 and 20:30 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 | 09:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 10:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 10:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 12:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 14:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 14:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 16:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 17:00
• PREMIUM WHALE TOUR | 20:00
• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 20:30

Report from Eldey: We sailed out in a calm sea with low swell and nearly no wind. When we sailed out we got a really good look at the spectacular smoke column that rises just where the volcanic eruption happened the day before. On our way out we encountered a very elusive harbor porpoise. After sailing out for about 40 minutes we saw many different bird species that seemed to be feeding. Feeding birds are a really good bioindicator for cetaceans so we decided to approach and check out that area. We found 2 feeding humpback whales and about 6 elusive minke whales all around us. Especially one of the humpback whales came very close to our boat and we all got a really good look at that individual. On our way back we also encountered a pod of white beaked dolphins that seemed to be feeding as well as they kept jumping and changing directions a lot. We sailed back and the shining sun kept us all happy.

-Lasse Roggenkamp

Report from Hafsula: We sailed of from Reykjavik harbour in clear conditions. The wind was a bit stronger today, but the sun warmed us trough out the tour. It was a special day as we could see the volcanic eruption in the distance as went further out into faxafloi bay. We didn't need to sail far before we saw Eldey along with several other boats in an area with a lot of activity. on our way there a minke whale popped up right next to us. We saw many more later on and I could count 8 individuals. Then 2 pods of white beaked dolphins had their fun and surfed at the bow of the boat. Seabirds were everywhere and they helped us as we went on looking for humpbacks. Soon enough we got close to our first humpback whale of the tour. We stayed in that area and later on we saw 2 more feeding humpbacks. A really good tour with lots of sightings.

- Ludvig Hultgren Svensson

Report from Eldey: The weather was amazing, sunshine a slight breeze and a volcano erupting in the background. What else can you ask for? We sailed out into the bay admiring the landscape and the smoky volcano. And quite shortly after an eagle eyed passenger spotted a humpback whales blow. But it was not just one humpback but two! And the suddenly one of them started to b reach, repeatedly and lunge feed and skim the surface, never going for deep dives. The other was just hanging around under the surface occasionally surfacing. Then we also noticed that the breaching one was about half the size of the other one. Could it be that this was a mother with her juvenile, that was just having fun practicing breaching and lunge feeding? It definitely looked like fun! After observing these two having a whale of a time together we decided to move on and leave them in peace and promptly found a third humpback whale. This one was busy feeding and lunge feed around our boat and even slapped its tail on the surface once. Before heading home we also had a good look at lots and lots of minke whales, of which 3 came very close but there must have been about 5-10 of them. What a tour!

- Cindy Schwenk

Report from Hàfsula: Today our tour started with a clear sunny sky and a stunning view of the new eruption of Litli-Hrútur started yesterday night. With a light Northern wind we sailed across the bay to spot for some wild life. After a pleasant but long journey we finally saw our first blow of 1 humpback whale, quite far. Once we got closer, we could admire this animal few times, even a couple of fluke dives in front of the bow. Then we saw 3 minke whales, very elusive and busy swimming fast around many bird flocks. Suddenly, another minke whale just popped up feeding in the middle of all the birds and it has been a very interesting sighting. Time was close to the end but we wanted to see more and with some more patience we managed to see the humpback whale again feeding this time. For sure the sea is plenty of fish today! On our way back we met again a couple of minke whales crossing our route. Very nice day!

- Marta Filippini

Arctic tern, Northern gannet, Northern fulmar, Atlantic puffin, common and black guillemot, Arctic skua, herring gull, black backed gull, black legged kittiwake, eider duck, black-headed gull.

Report from Eldey: We sailed out in calm and sunny conditions which made it easy for us top spot the blow of cetaceans. It took us a while but we were succesfull and found a humpback whale. It was really calm and we could stay with that individual for some time. Besides the humpback whale we did not encounter any other cetaceans but we still enjoyed the way home in the beautiful sun.

-Lasse Roggenkamp

Report from Eldey: It was quite windy this evening, but the sun was shining bright trough out the tour, warming us up a bit. There was a lot of smaller waves in the bay making it a bit tricky to spot activity from cetaceans. A bit further out into the bay we saw big splashes in the glare of the sun. It was a solitary humpback whale that was breaching in the distance. We also saw a couple of other blows further out in another direction, but the individual in front of us was far more interesting. Once we got close it was very relaxed, but suddenly it breached right in front of us, with some tail slapping and some beautiful fluke dives. The bay was quite calm and maybe a bit tired after a long day in the sun. Luckily we had one happy humpback around us during this sunset tour. 

- Ludvig Hultgren Svensson