4th May 2024

Species seen today: Minke whale, white-beaked dolphins

Birds seen today: Atlantic puffin, northern gannet, kittiwake, northern fulmar, eider duck, manx shearwater, black guillemot, european shag, variety of seagulls. 

10:00- It was a sunny windy day but the sea was calm with just a bit of swell. Just outside of the harbour we spotted a minke whale that was quite friedly, appearing close to our boat multiple times. After a few minutes we sighted  another whale in the area, and the two whales were resurfacing quite frequently. We then decided to start sailing again and we made a quick stop around Engey where we were able to see a lot of Atlantic puffins! We then started to go further out searching for something different but without any luck.  As it was time to sail back we still manage to have a last look to the minkes close to the harbour.

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Maria and Trausti

11:00 - The first boat trip of the day was absolutely magical! As soon as we set sail, we were greeted by a majestic minke whale gracefully swimming alongside our boat. Its sleek body emerged from the water, leaving us in awe of its beauty. Later on, we encountered a large group of energetic white-beaked dolphins, around 20 of them. They playfully leaped out of the water, riding the waves created by our boat. Some of them even performed synchronized jumps, as if putting on a show just for us. It was a truly unforgettable experience, and I feel so grateful to have witnessed these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.

Crew: Captain Steini & Guide Rodrigo

14:00- The afternoon was quite sunny and there was almost no wind when we sailed out of the harbour. We stopped at Akurey and were able to spot a lot of puffins and a few northern fulmars before we sailed on. At this point there was practically no wind and there wasn’t much swell, so the ride was quite nice and comfortable for everyone on board. After about half an hour we were able to spot a pod of 5 white beaked dolphins that were a bit shy. After a few minutes with these dolphins, we were able to spot another pod in the distance, but we decided to keep going in search for something else. After about 10-15 minutes we were able to spot a minke whale in the distance but it unfortunately it disappeared although we tried to look for it for a few minutes. We continued our journey, and, in the end, we were able to spot another pod of white beaked dolphins that were a bit more active than the first. We then had to head back to the harbour as our time had come to an end.

Crew: Captain Miquel and Guide Mariana

15:00- The afternoon tour started beautifully with clear skies and pratically no wind, as the swell decreased the ocean seemed more promising! We stopped briefly close to Akureyri due to a request of one of the passengers and had the amazing luck of finding some Atlantic puffins resting around the island. We then sailed further out in the hope of finding some cetacean species. After about one hour we started seeing large flocks of birds diving further away and decided to investigate! We then spotted two minke whales! They were also feeding the the same area! We stayed with the minke whales for about 20 min watching them resurfacing before we decided to head back to the harbour! 

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Maria and Trausti

Today we are going out at 10:00, 14:00 and 15:00 for Whale Watching and 9:00, 13:00 & 16:00 for Puffin Watching.

For more information come see us at Ægisgarður 5D, email us at info@whalesafari.is

or call us on +354 497 0000!