Whale Diary

10:00 - Finally clam seas and sun! Our tour began with the most perfect conditions, not a ripple on the water and not a cloud in the sky, a rare gem for Reykjavik this summer. After a quick stop around one of the puffin colonies on the island of Engey, we set off into the bay in search of cetaceans. We headed south and soon encountered a humpback whale! We switched off the engines and drifted away to the sound of whale blows, surreal! We watched as the whale dove and surfaced with unparallel grace, all speechless, fearing to disturb the peace with our words. We then left this individual and continued with our tour. Suddenly our passengers spot a black back on the surface, we stop to check out the sighting but the animal has dove. After a few minutes we saw it come up, a minke whale! This individual was not too elusive as they tend to be, and made for a special surprise. Alas, we must keep going, on our route to another favorable spot our path crossed with two harbour porpoises. We could not believe our luck, and as the porpoises swam away we kept on going. When we thought things could not get any better, we spotted white-beaked dolphins, the 4th species of the tour! Bingo! The dolphins came quite close and one even swam right under the boat. We were really pushing it with time so we had to head back home, with the biggest smiles of course! 

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Matteo, Captain Helgi & Guide Guillermo

12:00 - We headed out again in beautiful sunshine and clear skies, with excellent conditions for a day on the water. Our first sighting of the day was a pair of humpback whales travelling together. They were moving through the area side by side, and to our delight, they came incredibly close to the boat. Having two humpback whales so close gave us some fantastic views as they surfaced and continued on their way. We moved on and continued further north, where we came across another solitary humpback whale. It was travelling on its own, giving us some lovely views as it surfaced and continued through the area. It was a great contrast to our first sighting of the day, where we had seen two humpbacks travelling together. With another humpback added to the day’s sightings, we continued on to see what else the waters might have in store for us.

Crew: Captain Pedro  & Guide Aleks

14:00 - This afternoon we enjoyed the beautiful weather while we sailed out onto the bay. The visibility was great, so we took the chance to learn about the mountains and the landscape around us. It didn't take us very long until we found the first species of the tour, a humpback whale. This whale was very focused on feeding but every time it went to the surface we could appreciate how big this individual was while we approached slowly to have a better look. Also, every time it went down for a deeper dive, it treated us with many beautiful fluke dives, which is always something very beautiful to see. After spending some time with it, we decided to look for something else. In the distance we spotted a lot of dorsal fins together, when we got closer we realized it was a pod of 6 white beaked dolphins. We spent a few minutes with them but they were not very interested on us, so we continued our search enjoying the good weather and the calm ocean. Before finishing the tour, we were surprised by a minke whale right next to the harbor. What a nice way to end the tour!

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Matteo, Captain Megan & Guide Guillermo ,Captain Helgi & Guide Eline

16:00 - We headed out in beautiful sunshine and clear skies, making for a perfect day on the water. Our first encounter was with a group of five harbour porpoises. It was a nice, but quick encounter, as they soon disappeared from view. In the same area, we spotted a minke whale and were lucky enough to get a really good look at it as it came quite close to the boat. It was a great opportunity to watch this smaller whale up close before continuing our journey. As we moved on, we came across three white-beaked dolphins. We didn’t stay with them for long, however, as we suddenly spotted the blow of a humpback whale in the distance. Naturally, we headed over to investigate! The humpback was travelling, but we were able to see it several times as it surfaced and moved through the area. Although it was on the move, we still had a few good looks at this impressive whale. On our way back, we were lucky enough to find another humpback whale. This one was much more relaxed—it appeared to be sleeping at the surface. After enjoying the peaceful sighting, we decided it was time to head back to shore. A beautiful day on the water, with harbour porpoises, a minke whale, white-beaked dolphins, and two humpback whales. What a fantastic variety of wildlife!

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Aleks

20:00 - We headed out under the beautiful midnight sun, one of the most spectacular we witnessed this year. Our first encounter was with a minke whale. Although the encounter was brief, the whale came surprisingly close to the boat, giving us a fantastic look before disappearing again. Next, we came across a single harbour porpoise moving through the area. It was constantly on the move, making it a little more challenging to follow, but it was still a lovely encounter. The grand finale came when we found a solitary humpback whale. This whale was taking some very long dives, leaving us waiting patiently for its next appearance. But every time it surfaced, it made the wait worthwhile — coming remarkably close to the boats before diving down again. With the golden light of the midnight sun surrounding us, it was a truly memorable evening on the water. Three different cetacean species and some wonderfully close encounters made this one of the highlights of the year so far.

Crew: Captain Helgi& Guide Aleks, Captain Miquel & Guide Lefteris