Tuesday, 12 August 2014

Tour at 17:00

Report from Hafsúlan: It was really windy when we headed out and it got even windier as we went further. We sailed south along the Reykjanes peninsula with the wind from behind and managed to find a minke whale quite early. It surfaced 4 to 5 times before it disappeared but came up quite close to us and showed off well. After we left that minke, we found another shortly after. That one surfaced 3 or 4 times but again, came pretty close and we got a good look at it. After that, the wind picked up even more and we decided to start heading back to the city. The ride back home was very rough and some of our passengers got sea sick while others had lots of fun battling the waves. We would have loved to have some more sightings but the sightings that we did get were quite good. Windy and exciting day on the bay this afternoon!

-Arnór Tumi

Tour at 14:00

Report from Elding: We were very optimistic on this tour and travelled to the same area were we found the basking sharks on the previous tour. On the way, as we were travelling past Grótta, the city light house, we saw a minke whale so close to the coast. It was travelling fast but we got to see it well and many times too. The minke whales breath was very visible as it surfaced near to the suns glare. Occasionally the minke surfaced 30-40 meters from our boat but was obviously on a mission to get to somewhere else. We followed for a little while but then left it in peace. We searched the area on the basking sharks but saw no trace of them and to another area were our other whale watching boat had more minke whales a earlier but no trace of them either. there were also a couple of quick glimpses of two pods of harbour porpoises, 4-6 in total but passengers had to be quick to spot these little guys.  It is always incredible to see just how quickly nature can change. Our passengers enjoyed the minke whale, beautiful landscape, warm sunny weather, despite the wind, and plentiful birdlife. It's always nice just to be out on the water too.

- Megan Whittaker

Tour at 13:00

Report from Hafsúlan: After a rough morning tour, we decided to head south along the Reykjanes peninsula to avoid the swell that was further out on the bay. So after a while, we found the first minke whale. Then, another one popped up and it turned out to be crowded with minkes! All in all, there were around 6 of them. They were not really showing off very often but as soon as one disappeared and we left that area, another one would be waiting for us! And so we were watching minke whales the entire tour although most of them were not surfacing frequently and seemed to be busy feeding. After we ran out of time, we headed back to the city. It was a bit rougher on the way back because we were sailing into the wind but we could see a faint Snæfellsjökull glacier, a sunlit Reykjanes peninsula and had an awesome view on Reykjavík on the way back.

-Arnór Tumi

Tour at 10:00

Report from Elding: A beautiful sunny but windy day out in Faxaflói today. We sailed first west to one of our most successful areas and from what our other whale watching boat, went out an hour before, was telling us it was a good place to be. Once in the area we were quick to find a minke whale. He/she surfaced a few times but mostly only the blow (whale breath) could be seen. We were sure that there was another whale in the area too but difficult to know for sure as they were always changing direction. Then they went for a deep dive and was not seen again. We waited for a long time but after a while decided to travel to an area were sea conditions were better and were whales were seen the day before. We did see any whales in the area but we did see two basking sharks! seen in different areas. It has been amazing this summer with the amount of basking sharks observed, a clear sign of global warming and the movement of species further north. The first basking shark swam right towards us, almost touching the boat before swimming deeper. The second basking shark was bigger and older by the looks of all the scars on it's body. It's very unique to see one basking shark on a tour so to see two was extra special. A few harbour porpoises popped up at two occasions in the tour, maybe around 3-5 in total in two different pods, but only a few passengers were quick enough to spot these.

- Megan Whittaker

Tour at 09:00

Report from Hafsúlan: It was sunny and nice as we sailed out on the Faxaflói bay this morning. But soon after we left the harbour, the winds started to pick up and the seas turned out to be rougher than expected. After a while, two minke whales were spotted surfacing simultaneously, blowing and splashing vigorously as they came far out of the water. After we lost them, we headed further and found a few more. All in all, we saw around 4 to 6 minkes and they were showing off quite well although they kept a bit of a distance. It was apparent that they were feeding as they were changing their speed and direction frequently and there were some feeding birds around as well. Unfortunately, some of our passengers got sea sick. On they way back, the sailing was a bit smoother since we had the wind coming from behind. Nice day, good sightings but rough seas.

-Arnór Tumi

Birds seen on today's tours include: Fulmars, puffins, arctic terns, northern gannets, lesser black-backed gulls, kittiwakes, common guillemots, black guillemots, iceland gull, cormorants and eider ducks.