Whale Diary

10:00 - It was a very beautiful morning for whale watching out in faxafloi bay. We first had a stop at the puffin island to have a nice view on the cute puffins. After this we sailed faster in the bay to hopefully find something bigger. We first saw a pod of about 7 to 10 white beaked dolphins. There was at least 2 very small babies in the pod, it was amazing to see these very small calves jumping around and a very active pod. After some time we moved to another area where we had a humpback whale, this whale was super calm, surfacing very regularly and staying around the surface for a long time. It was great to get to have a long look at this one, and even saw the fluke for a deep dive once. After a long time with this individual we moved on to an area where captain Miquel saw a blow, and there was not one but 3. There we had 3 humpback whales traveling together and even some dolphins. The pod of dolphins was of about 3 to 4, and the 3 whales were traveling slowly we could observe them coming up synchronized for our last minutes before the way home. We really hit the whale jackpot for this last sighting. After this on our way home guide Melanie spotted a sneaky minke whale, that unfortunately never appeared again, but this is always the risk with minkes. What a crazy nice trip.

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Maja and Mélanie

14:00 - Our afternoon started with high hopes and good sea conditions as we sailed to Faxafloi bay searching for wildlife! We started by stopping by Engey, to check out some very lovely puffins. Then we decided to sail further out into the bay! We spotted a dorsal fin in the distance- a minke whale! We had a pretty good look at the whale before it dove down and passed under the boat! After a few minutes we heard the news of a humpback whale a bit further out! As we got closer we could see the blow and the whale coming to the surface!  Even further out we saw a few more blows! There were about 5 whales in the same area! Three humpbacks sailed together and one other was rolling around and being bothered by a pod of white beaked dolphins! Eventually it was time to head back to the harbour after this amazing tour at sea!

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Mélanie, Captain Megan & Guide Maria

16:00 -This afternoon we headed out into a little breezy Faxafloi bay, dressed in warm overalls and ready to spot some wildlife. Our first stop was at one of the nearby puffin islands, Akurey. There we admired the many seabirds as they circled around our boat. We sailed on to look for cetaceans and got notified that there might be something interesting further out into the bay. We swiftly spotted a harbor porpoise passing us. Then, all of a sudden we saw a fluke in the distance! It was the fluke of a  humpback whale! We got a beautiful view of this individual as it came up to the surface for air before going for some deep dives right next to us. Everyone got a close look as the whale arched its peduncle and showed its fluke pattern for us. When it was time to head back towards the harbor, the wind had picked up a little, but that did not bother us as we were all very happy after that wonderful encounter. 

Crew: Captain Kylie & Guide Maja and Milla

20:00 - We left the harbour in Reykjavík into a misty ocean, accompanied by rain and choppy seas. The weather was not the ideal for whale-watching, but it didn´t demoralise neither our crew or passengers, who were determined on having an adventurous safari. As we reached deeper waters, we noticed there were a lot of marine birds around, a sign that fish was likely abundant today and, therefore, whales would be nearby. Indeed, we soon found 2 minke whales feeding with the birds. As we hanged around with these minkes, we were also surprised to see a group of 5 harbour porpoises, who showed way more curiosity towards us than what is usual for this species. We eventually left these cetaceans, in search for further wildlife. It didn't take long until we found a new flock of birds, this time numbering in the hundreds, so we approached and investigated. In the middle of the birds, we found a third species, a humpback whale, which surfaced for air. We stayed with the large sized whale for a while, watching it feast. Before running out of time, we also did a stop at Akureiry, where we got to see thousands of puffins in one of their breeding colonies. As we finished the tour, we were grateful for having such an amazing experience.

Crew: Captain Emily & Guide Ricardo