Whale Diary

09:00 - This morning, the wind was still a bit strong, and there was some swell, but the sun was shining, promising a great day out on the water. We headed out and didn't have to wait long before spotting a humpback whale. It was taking its time, with 5-10 minute dives, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats, hoping for a fluke. Just as we were about to leave, it finally gave us the show we were waiting for, fluking right in front of us! The excitement on board was contagious. Next up, we caught sight of a pretty shy minke whale. It teased us with just a couple of appearances before slipping away, leaving us wanting more. But the ocean had more in store for us—we found another humpback! This one was much more cooperative, doing shorter dives and even coming super close to our boat. Everyone was thrilled with the close encounter, making it a trip to remember.

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Mariana

10:00 - We were in for a windy couple of hours this morning, but that didn't dampen our determination to get out into the bay and see some wildlife! We headed to the area where the whales have been seen the last few days and we soon found a humpback whale! This individual was feeding as it was constantly changing directions and there were also lots of birds diving down for fish. We decided to move on from the whale after a while because there were lots of other boats around. We explored a few new areas but were unlucky in our search. We headed back to revisit our first humpback and as we were waiting for the whale to surface, we saw a big splash in the distance! It was another humpback breaching! As we sailed over, the whale jumped out of the water 2 more times and then as we arrived it started pectoral fin slapping in the water. An amazing way to end the tour!

Crew: Captain Megan & Guide Rachel, Captain Pedro & Guide Emily

12:00 - The wind had picked up a bit, but with the sun shining brightly, it was shaping up to be a beautiful day on the water. We didn’t have to wait long before we found our first humpback whale, and it didn’t disappoint! It was doing some longer dives, but every time it fluked, the excitement on board was through the roof. Everyone was thrilled to see those tail flukes rise out of the water again and again. After spending some quality time with the humpback, we decided to move on and try our luck at finding more animals. Unfortunately, they were a bit elusive today, and we couldn’t spot any more. As we headed back to harbor, we made a quick stop by Akurey to check for puffins. We managed to catch a glimpse of a couple flying by, but it’s clear that most of them have already left for the season.

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Mariana

13:00 - Conditions were still a little choppy as we headed out in to the Bay. We started off heading towards the area where we had seen humpback whales in the morning, close to the puffin islands that we usually visit. We soon saw the blows of a humpback, and were able to watch it diving a few times with some great fluke action. Then we headed over to Lundey where we were lucky to see the last few remaining Atlantic puffins of the season! There was lots of feeding going on, we saw many birds with bills full of sandeels and plenty of gannets diving in the area. As there were quite a few boats around we decided to follow the coastline to see what we could find. We caught a very brief glimpse of a minke whale and a harbour porpoise, but as we headed back in towards the harbour we had some amazing views of the volcanic eruption at Reykjanes. Then we were lucky to have a very nice sighting of two harbour porpoises feeding together. So we saw our largest regular visitors to the bay, and our smallest! We saw a few more puffins at Akurey before heading back in to the harbour. 

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Emily, Captain Megan & Guide Rachel

15:00 - It was looking like a great afternoon when we left the marina, and it did not disappoint! The whales were not far out! We drove towards Videy and Lundey, and bingo, just off those islands, we found them. It was a humpback whale. It was a large individual, as could be seen by the size of its fluke every time it went for a deeper dive. It dove repeatedly, to the delight of everybody on board. After some time with it we decided to go for a drive to see if we found other cetaceans. We sailed extensively, going first towards Akranes, then back South, and then back into the bay. But we did not find more whales so we came back for some more time with the first whale, and then we headed back home.

Crew: Captain Steini & Guide Rodrigo

16:00 - The wind had finally calmed down this afternoon, so we had a lovely sunny sail out of the harbour. We didn't have to sail for long before spotting a humpback whale. This individual was fluke diving a lot so all our passengers got to see its beautiful white tail! After seeing it a few times, we decided to try and find some other animals. Unfortunately, any other whales or dolphins that were out in the bay were too elusive for us to spot so we headed back to the area of the humpback we saw earlier. It was still feeding when we saw it again, and still doing lots of nice dives. A couple times, the whale surfaced very close to our boat so we could see the whole body through the water!

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Emily

17:00 - Spirits were high again after some successful whale watching early on. We set off and we took a different way than normal, around Videy and Lundey, to see if there were other great whales in places unchecked. We didnt find any, so we sailed towards where we had last seen a whale on the previous tour. And it was still there! A humpback whale. A large individual. Lots of diving, and showing the tail. The sun was beginning to set, so the lighting and the setting were gorgeous. We decided to stay the whole time with this whale, as we were the only boat in the place and we could get very intimate with it. There was also a harbour seal in the area, being very curious. When it was time to leave, we stopped at Engey where we hoped to see some puffins, and bingo! We found a little puffin floating on the water. The passengers were delighted. We headed home happy.

Crew: Captain Steini & Guide Rodrigo