Whale Diary

10:00 - We went out with a breeze from the east in our back. Just after a short travel we spotted the first dark figures rolling on the surface. It were several minke whales feeding on the surface. At least 6 of them were active around us. As the feeding calmed down we went out further and searched for more. We spotted more minke whales traveling fast and so we got a good look at individuals here and there before they disappeared quickly. Along with the whales we also got to see a lot of sea birds, all after the same small fish as the whales. It was a great tour with lots of fantastic sightings.

Crew: Captain Óðinn & Guide Orsolya, Captain Megan & Guide Knut

12:00 - We sailed out onto the bay with very calm weather. We stopped in an area with a lot of birds, which was a sign that there was a lot of food underwater. Our first species was a minke whale that was feeding next to us. We followed this minke and it led us to a pair of humpback whales. These whales were a bit shy in the beginning but then they were more friendly and surfaced next to the boat several times. One of them even did some tail slapping and peduncle throws! In this area, there were also a few harbour porpoises surfacing every now and then. This species is normally very shy so we were all super happy to enjoy this encounter with these small cetaceans before heading back to the port. 

Crew: Captain Kylie & Guide Guillermo

14:00 - We set out onto the smooth, calm bay under rays of sunshine beginning to break through the cloud cover. We had to sail quite far, but spotted our first blow ahead, followed by an elegant fluke dive. While we were waiting for this whale to surface again, a pod of 4-5 harbour porpoises headed toward us, treating us to a lovely sighting of this shy and elusive species. We then spotted not one, but 2 blows ahead belonging to a pair of humpback whales. They gave us some lovely fluke dives and we even got two tail-slaps from one of them! We stayed with this lovely pair for a good while, until we spotted some large splashes in the distance. We began heading in that direction, but since the activity had ceased, we instead headed for a blow a bit closer to us, also coming across 2-3 sneaky minke whales making brief appearances nearby. We then spotted our third humpback of the tour, this time an individual who treated us to some very close-up surfaces! We then turned out attention to a flock of birds that had become increasingly active, with some Northern gannets creating splashes via their signature plunge dives. Underneath this flock we had another 2-3 minkes whales surfacing every now and then, and we were able to see one of them incredibly close, a smaller individual, most likely a curious youngster. Unfortunately, as our time was running out, we had to make our way back towards the harbour, very happy with the sightings of the tour!

Crew: Captain Óðinn & Guide Orsolya

15:00 - This afternoon we headed out towards our beautiful bay under grey skies. Luckily for us, the weather was very nice and the ocean was quite flat. The first species that we encountered was the harbour porpoise when we found a small pod oft them surfacing right next to us when we were looking for animals. We also found another group of these animals right after leaving the first pod. However, these animals are not the most friendly ones so we didn't stay with them for a very long time. Then, we found a minke whale. This whale was feeding and we could see it a couple of times surfacing and being followed by a flock of seabirds trying to take what the whale didn't eat. On the horizon, we spotted a few blows. When we got closer, it turned out to be a pair of humpback whales. They were very close to us and followed us for a while. However, we decided to leave them alone and look for something else. Before heading back to the harbour, we spotted another beautiful minke, which was the perfect way to finish the tour. 

Crew: Captain Kylie & Guide Guillermo