Whale Diary

10:00 -  Today we headed out under calm seas and a soft, steady rain — nothing that could possibly stop us! Our first stop was Puffin Island, where the cliffs were alive with seabirds — puffins flying around, their colourful beaks bright even against the misty sky. After taking in the bustling bird life, we set our sights on bigger things and headed out into deeper water in search of whales. Not long into the search, a few harbour porpoises made a quick appearance. They were shy as usual, just a few dark fins cutting the surface before slipping away — but still a treat to see. Then things really came alive. We found a group of about 30 white-beaked dolphins, and what a show they put on! They came racing over to the boat, riding our wake, leaping high out of the water again and again. They came in so close we could see their white markings clearly and hear their breathy splashes.  We carried on, and just when it felt like the day couldn’t get better — we entered an area with about 10 minke whales feeding all around us! They were surprisingly close to the boat, surfacing quietly but often, circling and diving. Then, to our amazement, we even saw a few of them lunge feeding at the surface, mouths gaping wide as they scooped up shoals of fish. A rare sight for minkes, and absolutely unforgettable to witness.

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Ricardo, Captain Óðinn & Guide Aleks

12:00 -  The sea conditions were perfect this morning even though the skies were heavy with clouds and fog at times, with a drizzle falling upon us at the start. On this tour we managed to spot all four of our main species, starting off with 2 harbour porpoises, leasurely feeding in the area. After that, we had a brief encounter with a minke whale, which after some surfaces disappeared again. Our third encounter was with a pod of 5 white-beaked dolphins, who were calmy travelling about. We did really save the best 'til last as we then ran into the mother and calf humpback whale once again! The whale calf was once again full of energy as it breached at least 10 times and even momma joined in for 2 breaches, clearly highlighting the massive size difference between the two. After that, the mother went for a long dive down and the calf used this opportunity to come and inspect our boat. It circled and surfaced at our front, sides and back multiple for over 10 minutes and after what seemed like an approval, it decided to join back with its mother in the distance, concluding our noon out at sea.

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Milan

14:00 -  This afternoon the sea was still wrapped in mist, but the rain had passed, leaving everything calm and quiet.  Once again, our first stop was Puffin Island, where the familiar chatter of seabirds greeted us.  From there, we headed farther out into deeper water. Before long, we spotted two minke whales gliding by, surfacing a few times as they passed through. Sleek and understated as ever, they didn’t linger — just a graceful reminder of the life beneath us. We pushed on, scanning the endless grey sea, and after a long, patient search our perseverance was rewarded — two humpback whales! A mother and her calf, moving and feeding together. The mother was incredible to watch — she was lunge feeding, surging up through the surface with her enormous mouth agape, and even treated us to some bubble-net feeding, a spectacular spiral of bubbles trapping fish before she burst through to feast. Every so often, the calf would join in too, mimicking its mother’s moves, learning the craft of survival. Just when we thought the day couldn’t get any better, a third humpback arrived on the scene, joining the feeding frenzy. Three giants at once, circling and surfacing, blowing great clouds of mist into the air — the sound of their breaths echoing across the still sea.

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Guillermo, Captain Óðinn & Guide Aleks

16:00 -  The seas were still flat as could be as the skies were starting to clear up. During the tour we had a few attempted encounters with white-beaked dolphins, but they all seemed in a very shy mood so we did not bother them too much. We then ran into a spot with 3 minke whales lungefeeding among a vast amount of birds. There was so much fish in the area we could see it through the surface of the water and even be launched out by the minkes´ lunges! After that we also encountered a total of 5 humpback whales. 3 of them were roughly in the same area, with one of them joined by some more dolphins. A bit further away,. we saw the mother and calf once more. They seemed fairly calm, but the calf did treat us once more to a big peduncle throw! Here we eventually ended our very successful afternoon tour and we happily sailed back to Reykjavik

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Milan

20:00 -  We sailed out on the midnight tour in search of whales. The sea was perfect—just a bit of rain. We made a stop at Akurey to see some puffins, then continued sailing for about half an hour before spotting two minke whales, likely feeding among a large group of birds. A bit further out, we saw two blows—humpbacks, a mother and calf. The baby spy-hopped and showed a pectoral fin. A pod of five white beaked dolphins was nearby, and we kept seeing more minke whales as the tour continued. Even on our way back, minkes kept appearing—probably around 7 or 8 in total! Another amazing tour!!

Crew: Captain Eggert & Guide Maria