Tuesday 24 May 2022

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

COVID-19: Keep in mind that passengers and crew are asked to ensure their own hygiene and safety at all times. Washing hands thoroughly with soap and using a hand sanitiser is advised.

Report from the Ribs: The weather and sea conditions began fine but the wind intensified whilst we were deep in Faxafloi, creating a small wave that bumpy ride towards the city of Reykjavik. We began by heading to an area of the bay where whales were seen on yesterday afternoons tour, routinely stopping nearby flocks of seabirds that were dotted along our outbound journey. On our second attempt to see cetaceans under the feeding birds, a lone white-beaked dolphin surfaced within five metres on our port side, swam under the boat and surfaced just once more on the starboard side before being lost in the waves. We made a loop and traversed the edge of the underwater lava field as animals use this area for feeding, noticing another large flock of birds which included some diving gannets. Slowly passing the group we noticed the back of a humpback whale rise from the ocean. The whale looked as though it was feeding when we first arrived but then switched to traveling in the direction of the city. On one occasion the humpback created a huge splash, slapping part of its huge frame against the surface. Soon after, another larger humpback joined and the pair moved in tandem. We followed them for some time before our time ran out and we headed home.

- Mike Smith

Report from Hafsulan: cloudy day in Faxafloi, with little wind at the beginning of our trip. The sea was quite smooth, allowing us a secure and enjoyable ride. Not many birds flying around in the morning, although we sighted two beautiful typical - but not super abundant - birds of the area, the great skua and the northern gannet. We soon saw Neila, an humpback whale which is known to us to be very playful and a lot of fun to watch. It did not disappoint, as we were able to observe it while it dived up and down the water column, showing us the fluke several times, and slapping it on the surface of the water a little. It was somewhat hard to follow its movements around the ship, but we were able to stay with it for a long while anyways. Afterwards, we moved to observe two whales which were hanging out together. We could not identify neither of them, but one had two very characteristical stripes on its dorsal fin and a very pronounced dorsal crest. We'll have to check if it has been named yet! After visiting these two relaxed whales we had to return back to Reykjavik, with a rainy and windy - but not rocky - sail home.

- Francesco "the fisheries guy" Golin

Report from Hafsúlan: The encounters of our tour in this cold but awesome afternoon started with at least 3 humpback whales at the same spot. We felt surrounded by these animals and we didn't even know where to look at, until they finally spread out but still stayed at the same area. One particular whale came really close to the boat. It started lobtailing tirelessly and performed really unpredictable surfacings, followed by a fascinating breach. It was when it dove underneath the boat and started to blow bubbles that we understood exactly what it was doing: this whale, together with a few arctic terns, was feeding. The passengers got very excited with so many surfacings and bubbles around our vessel. It was incredible to see it close to the boat performing so many different behaviours. However, our tour didn't stop there. When we were about to continue our trip, a group of 6 white-beaked dolphins joined this highly productive area. It seems like the cold and the rain didn't stop the passengers to enjoy these amazing sightings.

- Milla Brandão

Report from the Ribs: The conditions improved even more this afternoon as the light showers of the morning had dissipated and been replaced with glorious sunshine. The waters remained extremely calm with a very gentle swell being felt inside the bay. We started by journeying slightly towards the south where we had our first encounter with a sleeping humpback whale. The whale resembled a piece of driftwood floating at the surface, bobbing up and down in one place with the dorsal fin and blowholes submerged. As we motored slowly within this key area, the 'log' exhaled strongly and rolled its back gently for a small dive. When the humpback resurfaced it returned to a sleep like state, logging at the surface and taking many breaths without diving. After some time, we headed closer to the coast in the direction of Reykjavik and came across a second humpback whale. This whale was more energetic, lifting its fluke on several occasions when diving. The individual surfaced close to our vessel and traveled straight for our bow. On its last breath the humpback lifted the fluke high within 10 metres.

- Mike Smith