Whale Diary

09:00 - We quickly got dressed and hopped on our boat. We sailed out under clear skies and quite calm seas. Our first stop was Engey island that is home for thousands of puffins. We had the chance to admire them next to there borrows and at the surface of the water. After this lovely stop we started to search for something bigger. To our surprise we saw some blows few hundred meters away from the puffin island. We where speechless when we understood that we had found three humpback whales at the first half an hour meters away from the shore under the amazing view of mountain Esjan. We passed from all each and every one and spent lot of time with them being amazed by there size. We came back to port with big smiles and lots of nice memories.

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Lefteris

10:00 - We started our tour with a visit to the puffins on Lundey, the small island named after the Atlantic puffin. Lots of the little guy were to be see on and around the island and even a curious grey seal got close to our boat to get a good look at us. As we made our way through a thick flock of puffins, we spotted the blows of 2 humpback whales close to shore to the north. We got closer and had a great look at the animals feeding. After we spend some time with them, we went further out onto the bay to see if we could find other species. We found a great flock of Northern gannets, the largest seabirds in the northern Atlantic. After an nice cruise we returned to Reykjavik. 

Crew: Captain Emily & Guide Knut

The skies were a little cloudier on our second tour, but the wildlife soon made the trip very special. Our first exciting sighting was a minke whale moving smoothly through the water. We watched it surface several times before continuing our search.Not long afterwards, we found two magnificent humpback whales. Their powerful blows revealed their location, and we enjoyed watching them rise to the surface before showing us their beautiful tails as they dived. We also stoped on Lundey island and enjoyed thousand of puffins before they all go to spent there winter to the cold north Atlantic. Despite the lack of sunshine, the whales made this a fantastic adventure, and everyone returned to port delighted.

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Lefteris

13:00 -With another group of ocean lovers, we went back to the sea, hoping to find more animals and enjoy another adventure. First we stopped at Lundey, to sea our beloved puffins. They were everywhere, at the sea just resting and some of them flying around. We continued sailing but surprisingly the whales were extremely close to the coast. In an area with only 14 m depth we spotted two humpback whales. They were very calm, searching for food. They were changing directions under the water. One of the whale show us its pectoral fin, when it was doing a huge pectoral slapping at the surface. And also we could saw several times how the whale was doing bubble nets around the area. A very common technique when they are trying to catch some fish.  What a privilege moment! With a boat full of happy passengers we came back to the harbor. 

Crew: Captain Emily & Guide Knut, Captain Pedro & Guide María

15:00 - We started our tour with a stop in lundey island to have a look at the Atlantic puffins before they leave there breading islands and go to the open waters to spend there winter. After this lovely stop we sailed into the bay with high hopes and kept a careful watch across the sea. Our patience was soon rewarded when we encountered two humpback whales travelling through the area. We stayed with them for a while, watching their impressive blows and powerful backs break the surface. At times, they came close enough for us to appreciate their incredible size. It was a peaceful and memorable encounter with these gentle giants, bringing another wonderful tour to a perfect end.

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Lefteris

16:00 - Visiting the puffins on Lundey was a great start to the tour. Close to the island we spotted the blows of a humpback whale that was very busy feeding not far away from the island. It was amazing to see this massive animal surface mere meters away from our boat and showing its fluke as it went for deeper dives. After a while we went to see another humpback whale that was near by. Some graceful fluke dives later we went on further out onto the bay and were rewarded with a third humpback whale! With three humpback whales sighted, this was a amazing tour. 

Crew: Captain Emily & Guide Knut, Captain Pedro & Guide María

19:00 - In our last tour of the day, the whales remained still very closed to land. So we went straight to the same area, to not lose the opportunity to see them again. This time they were more spread out. So we encountered only with only one humpback whale. It made a lot of surfaces moment and was changing directions, trying to find more food. After a while with this individual we continued sailing east reaching our puffin colony in Lundey. We stopped for a bit, observing the beautiful puffins. With the amazing lights of the sunshine observing the big flocks arriving to the colonies was simple magical. We left the puffin island and we headed a little bit to the north, when another blow appeared at the surface. Another individual of humpback whale. This time this individual was performing a peduncle throw at the surface, swinging its tail sideways and flinging water all over. An amazing behavior ! Later we decided to explorer a further distance into the Faxafloi bay, so we went North. When we turn out to East, we spotted another blow at the distance, far far away. When we arrived, another third humpback whale was in the area. This time a bigger individual, breathing very close to our boat. 1, 2 ,3 humpback whales in one tour! What a privilege! With a fantastic sunset we headed back to the harbor. Another successful day!

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide María