Tour at 13:00
Wow what a tour. The wind had calmed down considerably to the point that the sea was almost like a mirror. Smooth sailing in Faxaflói Bay on this tour. Once again we saw many Puffins and Harbour Porpoises as we headed further offshore and it wasn't long till our first Minke Whale surfaced. It was great, surfaced many times giving the passengers a great look. After a while we headed further out to an area another whale watching vessel spotted a Humpback Whale not that long before. We got to the area and saw Gannets diving and then suddenly whoosh! the blow from a Humpback, 1 o'clock by the birds I told the passengers. Off we went to see if we could get a little bit closer. The humpback was incredible, surfacing many times and showing his/her magnificent fluke (tail) when diving. Suddenly we noticed there were Minke Whales surfacing all around the boat (at least 15-20 individuals) some far some close. We even saw Humpie the Minke Whale again from yesturday that was first sighted in 2011. Also in the area Gannets plunging, Harbour Porpoises porpoising through the water it was amazing. Just goes to show you how quickly weather and whales can change.
Tour at 9:00
Once again perfect whale watching conditions, beautiful blue skies and great visibility, the sea was a little bit rough but that calmed down a lot throughout the tour. On the way offshore we saw many Puffins and Harbour Porpoises and once in the main whale watching area about 30-40 minutes sailing we could see blows (exhaled breath) of minkes and a surface or two but not much other than that. After a lot of patience we got to see a great Minke Whale which surfaced at least 6-8 times before he/she dived down and didn't surface again. We headed further out to the area where the Humpbacks were but unfortunately time was running out and none were seen. It was fantastic to see the Puffins and Harbour Porpoises and that one Minke Whale but the rest were a little bit difficult. Lets hope the afternoon tour is a little bit better for the Minkes.