Wednesday, 6 November 2024

• CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 9:00, 13:00

Report from Eldey: 

The harbour looked calm and steady, waiting for us to be ready, so we went on to find some wildlife, outside the seaside! Out we went and waves we found, it really looked like we were at a surfing competition in Nazaré but we were in the good hands of our experienced captain, nothing to fear. Some people were a bit seasick but not too much. Eventually, we found a sign of life and it was in the form of a pod of 6 to 7 white-beaked dolphins that seemed to be very happy to see us! They came pretty close and even jumped, creating a big splash. Also in the distance, a big flock of birds was gathering on the same spot which normally indicates the presence of food. It means there are probably some whales around, which was the case! On the way there we spotted 3 minke whales that were too quick for some passengers. But they were not alone, 2 blows were spotted coming from the lungs of 2 humpback whales that were feeding happily. These were known to us, Davy Jones II and Neila, feeding together, something kind of rare to see around the feeding grounds. The waves kept pumping and the wind was changing direction so we headed back to Reykjavík! 

- Pedro Teixeira

Report from Eldey: This afternoon, we set sail under partly cloudy skies, with a bit more wind but less swell than this morning.  About 30 minutes into our search, we spotted a blow, so we turned toward it. As we got closer, we saw it was a humpback whale. It fluked twice before diving, but then, just beyond, we saw two more blows in the distance. We decided to investigate further, and sure enough, there they were—two more humpbacks. When they resurfaced, we immediately recognized them—David Jones II and Neila! They were calm, moving slowly and gracefully, occasionally showing their flukes as they made short dives. We drifted closer, and in a beautiful moment, they passed beneath our boat, as if to greet us. After some time with them, we knew it was time to leave them to their world. We turned back toward the harbour happy with another day out in the ocean.

Sooty shearwater, Northern fulmar, common guillemot, eider duck, black legged kittiwake, cormorant, glaucous gull, Icelandic gull, lesser black-backed gull, storm petrel