Whale Diary

10:00 - Conditions were overcast this morning but super flat seas and great contrast for spotting wildlife. We exited the harbour and made a first stop to the island of Engey, to say hello to the wonderful puffins that nest here. As soon as we left our feathered friends, we immediately encountered harbour porpoises, roughly 5 individuals just off the island. We did not stick around too long as this species is very elusive, and kept making out way outward. On our way, we spotted a minke whale, fast and changing directions often. However, we stayed in the area a bit with our engines off and the whale came close a few times, making us appreciate its beauty and its smell! We decided to leave this individual and head towards an area where other boats had seen something. We see blows in the distance and then a tail, signaling a dive, so we reduce our speed and slowly make our way towards the spot. After about 5 minutes the whales surface again close to us, 2 humpback whales traveling and feeding together! We stick around for a few diving sequences as they show off their impressive flukes. On their last dive, as if on cue they decide to dive synchronously, lifting their majestic fluke at the same time. This seems the best way to wave goodbye so we start heading back to the harbour. Nevertheless, on our way we meet a pod of about 10 white-beaked dolphins travelling all together, one of them, more bold than the rest, comes close to check us out swimming just meters from the boat. Alas, its really time to say goodbye, we head home with immense gratitude for sharing the world with such incredible beings. 

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guides Anna & Matteo, Captain Gunni & Guide Sam

12:00 - Our tour started with a bit of drizzle but as we got further away from the harbour it didn't take long before our first sighting! a Pod of 20 white beaked dolphins came super close to us, letting us enjoy their presence for a few minutes! Then we headed out but not long after we spotted 2 minke whales swimming in synchrony! As we where with the minkes we heard some rumours of humpback whales not so far so we said goodbye to the minkes and went even further out! We then spotted 2 humpback whales! They resurfaced very close to us and we could see their pectoral fins through the water! Eventually it was time to return home so we headed to the harbour but with time for a quick stop in Engey to check out some puffins!

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Maria

14:00 - The afternoon brought slightly more wind and some white caps on the surface. After a quick hello to our wonderful puffin friends we headed out in search of the cetaceans of Faxaflói bay. There were lots of minke whales in the bay, we could see them from far away but this species is quite shy and elusive, hard to spot. However, we were in the right spot and it wasn´t long before we had a minke whale pass right next to our boat several times, we could clearly see its streamlined body and curved fin. As it came to the surface, we could see its rostrum right before the blow, a specific behavior of minke whales. Standing down wind of the blow, we could also understand why this whale is nicknamed stinky minke! We left this area and headed towards other whale watching boats that had signaled animals in the area. We saw a big blow in the distance, coming closer we realize this is a humpback whale. This individual came to the surface only a few times before diving for about 10 minutes. It looked to be avoiding us as the dives were long and it always came up in different areas. This being said we managed to see a dive pretty close, as this individual showcased its beautiful unique tail. This also put an end to our tour as we needed to had back home. Grateful and privileged for witnessing what only few people have seen, we return with high spirits!

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guides Anna & Matteo, Captain Gunni & Guide Sam

16:00 - We started our tour with high hopes so we sailed into the bay and just 15 minutes after the beginning of our trip we spotted a pod of white beaked dolphins! about 12-15 individuals jumping and swimming quite fast! After some great moments with these dolphins we decided to go further out to the area that we spotted the humpbacks in the morning, It didn't take long before we saw some splashes! A humpback whale was breaching ! We headed to the area and saw this whale pec slapping for about 20 minutes! An amazing show! we then decided to look for a different whale as we could see about 3 blows in the distance! We watched the second whale fluke for a few times but the first one decided to breach once more so we went back just in time for the last breach! Then it was time to go home so we left the whales and headed back to the harbour with some extra time to see some puffins in Engey!

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Maria

20:00 - It was drizzling ever so slightly as we sailed out of Reykjavík harbour. Our first stop of the evening was at Engey, one of our beloved puffin islands where we could see hundreds of puffins waddling along the cliffside! Then, we set course for Faxaflói bay. After about twenty minutes, we spotted multiple blows that were being illuminated by the glowing backdrop of an orange sky. When we arrived, we could see not one, not two, but five or six different humpback whales who were all feeding together in this area! They were moving quite quickly, and eventually split and formed multiple smaller groups of two or three. Suddenly, the trio we were watching began bubble netting, a unique and rare feeding technique that is learned from other whales. They continued to bubble net for a while, moving closer towards the city each time the surfaced as they chased their prey underwater. Two of them suddenly emerged a few hundred meters away, and one of them even breached three times! We moved closer to them and they returned to their bubble netting shenanigans. Another duo of humpbacks was close by, going about their day, and a different solitary humpback could also be seen in the distant background. It was a true humpback bonanza! We watched the duo closest to us perform this bubble netting technique for the rest of the tour, and they even came quite close to us whilst feeding! After some time admiring them, we sadly had to say goodbye to these beautiful whales and return to the harbour, taking with us memories of an encounter that will last us a lifetime.

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Sam, Captain Eggert & Guide Sigrún