Whale Diary

Today we saw wildlife as soon as we passed the harbour walls - it was our good friend Banana the humpback whale. When more boats arrived, we left it in peace in order to minimise stress. We sailed to Viðey island where we came across another humpback whale that was busy feeding. After spending a while with it, we decided to leave it in peace and return home.

We wet out with some wind and clouds covering the sun and were lucky to spot a harbour seal and a grey seal hunting. We searched all over the bay and finally spotted the blow of a humpback whale close to the entrance to the harbour, and as we got closer, we could see that it was travelling quite fast in search of food, rolling on its back and even slapping its tail.

Today was a very misty day in the bay and we only had visibility of around 150 metres. After passing by many seabirds, we spotted 2 harbour porpoises and soon after we found a lone humpback whale (identified as Banana), sleeping and logging on the surface - and we could clearly see details of its body and rostrum. We even spotted a harbour seal nearby.

Today was a wet and grey day at sea, as we sailed out on two boats. We split up to search a wider area and Eldey had quick glimpses of 3 pods of 3 harbour porpoises each. We then got word that our resident humpback whales were in the area and we headed there immediately to enjoy Banana and Radar for a bit before it was time to head back home.

It was a rather cold day but mostly still on the water, so it was easy enough to stay outside throughout the tour. We eventually we came across 2 humpback whales which happened to be our resident friends, Banana and Radar. They were always surfacing together, within meters of each other. After multiple close surfaces, we spotted 4-5 harbor porpoises.

We had quite a bit of wind and swell today which gave our passengers the true Icelandic experience! After a while, we spotted a pod of around 4-5 harbour porpoises! Soon after, we saw what we came for - a pair of humpback whales that surfaced next to us many times! In between surface sequences, we also spotted a harbour seal near the whales.

On this unusually warm Christmas Day, we sailed out of the harbour with some rain and soon found our favourite pair of humpback whales; Banana and Radar. They kept us on our toes as they followed the fish in all directions and while we were watching them, a grey seal popped its head up right next to our boat. We then also found a third humpback whale!

Merry Christmas! With a bit of a drizzle and consistent wind, we layered up and headed out into the bay. We soon got word that 2 humpback whales were in the area, so we headed over! It was the same pair that have been hanging around the islands for the last month or two. We were able to watch them for a while and they treated us to many close fluke dives!

We went out into the bay in strong winds and quite some rain. We came across a grey seal and a harbor seal the were chasing fish in the bay, and plenty of seabirds joined their feast. There were even some harbor porpoises and around 3 white-beaked dolphins further out. Sadly, no other cetacean were seen, so we issued complimentary tickets to all our guests.

We went out in typical Icelandic winter weather; strong winds from SE, heavy clouds and some rain. Not too far out however, we saw the blows of 2 humpback whales that were traveling into the bay to feed. We were able to spend some time with them. At one point they passed by us really close, mere meters away. Despite the weather, it was a great tour!

Today was winter solstice, the shortest day of the year - and we spent it whale watching! We started our search around Lundey island, but soon heard from another boat that that there was life much closer to home! We sailed back towards Engey island where we found our resident pair of humpback whales; Banana and Radar, still feeding and keeping us on our toes.

The wind was blowing, it was raining and the visibility was not the best. We eventually did come across 2 harbour seals bottling at the surface close to the boat, and then we found 2 humpback whales swimming side by side. They were diving for almost exactly 4 minutes before coming back up to the surface, rewarding us with good sightings!

We sailed out in good conditions and mild winds. As we came around the corner of the island Viðey, we spotted 2 humpback whales! We spent some time with them, as they let us admire their beautiful flukes and how majestic they move through the waters. After a while, we said our fare wells before heading back home. What a beautiful in the bay!

We sailed out into a sunny bay with calm waves this afternoon. It did not take us too long to find our oh so familiar pair of humpback whales; Banana and Radar. They were swimming very calmly, side by side close to the shore of one of the islands. We also spotted the heads of 2 harbour seals nearby, which kept us entertained while the whales were going for short dives.

As we sailed out into the bay this afternoon, we passed by Viðey island and soon found our 2 humpback whales from the past weeks; Banana and Radar! We watched them fluke diving for several times, before we made a little round in the bay. We soon ended back up with the pair and watched them go down for a fluke dive one last time before heading back home.

Soon after leaving the harbour, we spotted some blows in the distance! As we got closer, we could confirm that it was 2 humpback whales, in addition to about 3 harbour seals and a grey seal. It was a feeding party! After searching other areas, we ended back up around the islands and saw one of the humpback whales breach out of the water, followed by a 5 minute pec slap!

Today started with a low lying sun and barely any wind. Soon after leaving the harbour, we found our 2 humpback whales near Viðey island. As we got closer, they did a fluke dive and went down for about 5 minutes before resurfacing. After 30 minutes, we decided to explore other areas of the bay without luck, so we got one last look at the pair before we sailed home.

The snow today made the visibility a bit challenging, but the flat seas helped and we soon found our beloved 2 humpback whales that decided to spend their winter in Reykjavík! We then spotted a harbour seal and finally at least 30 white-beaked dolphins, including a couple of babies! Some of them were jumping around, and others were feeding.

We sailed out with nearly clear skies and calm seas. First we encountered our 2 familiar humpback whales "Banana" and "Radar". They were going back and forth in the area actively searching for food. We then went onwards to find a pod of 4 white-beaked dolphins and on our way back home, we got one last look at the humpback whales again!

We had a bit of wind left over from yesterday, but the seas had calmed down drastically. It didn't take us long before we found the pair of humpback whales from the last weeks. We also found a pod of 7-10 white-beaked dolphins with their 2 calves - they then began to get more curious and playful! It was really an incredible afternoon at sea in Faxaflói bay!