Whale Diary

10:00 - This morning, we headed out into the calm, flat bay, with the clouds above painting the waves silver. Following a brief stop at one of the islands that are home to Atlantic puffins for their summer breeding season, we continued out and quickly spotted some signs of whales. It was a pair of humpback whales very busy lunge feeding at the surface. As we approached, we got to see these lunges right out the surface, getting a front row seat to the gaping mouth of these baleen whales. They even demonstrated some bubble-net feeding for us, blowing a stream of bubbles beneath the surface, which formed both straight walls and spirals around their prey, the schooling tiny sand eels. We even had a sneaky minke whale making appearances in the background, no doubt also hanging around this feeding area because of the abundance of food. After admiring these hungry whales for a good while, we continued on to see what else the bay had in store for us. We saw some signs of dolphins ahead, so we made our way over, and along the way we got to see a pod of 3 harbour porpoises, the smallest out of the 4 species we see in the bay, always a special treat! We continued on towards the pod of white-beaked dolphins ahead, and we were in for quite a show! Initially a pod of around 10, these playful dolphins began leaping, jumping, bow-riding, head-slapping, breaching and surfing along the wake of the many boats that had gathered for the show. As this impressive display continued, we saw more dolphins joining, so we had around 15-20 individuals spread out over a large area. These dolphins were not only super energetic and playful, they were also curious, giving our boat multiple close inspections and riding our bow as well! After this exciting acrobatic display, we continued on, and got to see another 2 humpback whales, but decided to end the tour by visiting the first pair of humpbacks, which were still incredibly busy feeding! What a long breakfast! We spent the rest of our time admiring these two giants filling up on the tiny sand eels, and then headed back towards the harbour. What a way to start the day!

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Orsi, Captain Óðinn & Guide Aleks

12:00 - Today on this cloudy afternoon we sailed out to check out the wildlife of Faxaflói bay! We first stopped by Engey to see what the puffins were up to, where we saw many of them in the water and on the island. Then, we headed to the ocean, but we didn't travel long: we spotted 2 humpback whales together, swimming side by side. They were travelling next to the birds, probably feeding down in the surface and heading towards a 3rd humpback that was lunge feeding! After checking these 2, we went to see that 3rd one, that was constantly blowing bubbles and then lunge feeding super close to us! The sea was calm and we could even see the tiny fish popping out of the water before the mouth of that humpback would come up right after! The birds were definitely having a feast as well, taking advantage of all that food. There was also a minke whale feeding super close to this one! After so many views of different angles of this humpie, we decided to se what else was out there. We faced the fog and light rain and found another humpback whale! It was Neila, a well known whale spending its 7th summer in a row in Iceland. Neila was very calm, and we could even spot another humpback going down for a dive not far from there. We continued our trip an found another minke, and then... a pod of about 15 white-beaked dolphins!! They were a mix of adults and juveniles and we had fun watching them coming up at the same time in a line, in sync. What a beautiful tour! We sailed back home in great sea conditions and big smiles on our faces!

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Milla

14:00 - We headed out from the harbour in persistent rain and thick fog, with the weather adding an extra sense of adventure to the trip. Our first stop was Engey, where we were treated to wonderful views of the island's puffin colony. Despite the gloomy conditions, the puffins were busy coming and going from their burrows, making for a fantastic start to the tour Leaving the island behind, we ventured further offshore in search of whales. It wasn't long before we found an incredible sight—a trio of humpback whales working together in a coordinated bubble-net feeding display. Watching the whales collaborate to herd their prey before surfacing through the centre of the bubble net was truly unforgettable and a spectacular example of their intelligence and teamwork. In the same feeding area, we were delighted to encounter a familiar face: the minke whale Midi. This well-known individual has now been identified in the bay for the 17th consecutive year, making the sighting especially rewarding for both crew and returning guests. As the feeding activity began to spread out, we moved on and soon came across a lively pod of around 10 white-beaked dolphins. The dolphins were active around the boat, surfacing together as they travelled through the area. While enjoying the dolphins, we spotted yet another humpback whale. This individual was travelling slowly towards the feeding frenzy, perhaps hoping to join the activity we had witnessed earlier. It was a wonderful way to round off an exciting tour, proving that even on a rainy, foggy day, Faxaflói Bay can deliver unforgettable wildlife encounters.

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Orsi, Captain Megan & Guide Aleks

16:00 - The sea conditions were great, although we had a mist and fog in the air, decreasing our visibility. Glad we were protected with goggles, overalls and hats! We first went out in the bay and not even 15 min we left the harbour, next to Grótta lighthouse, we encountered 3 humpback whales! They were all making bubble nets together and then coming up at the same time in a trio-fantastic lunge feed! We turned off the engines and with their (and ours too) mouths wide open, we watched them having a feast with the birds around. At some point, they were extremely close to our boat and as soon as we saw the bubbles next to us, our heart started to pound even faster! They came up so close that we could see the tiniest details on their baleen plates! What a crazy encounter! We continued to watch them from a little distance and then decided to go somewhere else to see what else Faxaflói had for us. We soon faced a light rain that last until the end of the tour, but still appreciating the birds around. In one of the flock of birds, we saw a few dorsal fins! We had a pod of 6 white-beaked dolphins and a few of them came to say hello when bow-riding. Another passed right underneath us, as we seen the grey and white pattern on the side of this dolphin. We started heading back to Reykjavik, but not before passing by Akurey island to check on the puffins! They were all around us: flying over the island, on our sides on the water, next to the burrows, on the rocks... It was beautiful. We then went to the harbour with our hearts warmed by nature being so good to us!

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Milla

20:00 - This evening we sailed under some drizzle and mist into the bay. We sailed for about 25 minutes before we spotted our first blow! a Humpback whale! As we looked around we noticed more blows in the distance, at least 5 humpbacks were in the area! They were lunge feeding followed by the birds, 2 of them were closer together bubble net feeding! An amazing show! We hooped from whale to whale watching them lunge feed and fluke multiple times until time started to run out. Eventually we started our journey back but still had some time to check some lovely puffins in Akurey.

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Maria