Whale Diary

10:00 - We headed out this morning in a light rain, with the sea calm and the promise of wildlife ahead. Our first stop was Puffin Island, where we spent some time observing the busy puffins before continuing farther offshore. Not long after leaving the island, we encountered two pods of white-beaked dolphins. They were active and playful, surfacing frequently around the boat and giving everyone a great opportunity to watch them up close. After enjoying the dolphins for a while, we continued our search. It wasn't long before we spotted a minke whale. The whale surfaced several times, allowing us some brief views before it disappeared beneath the water and we moved on. The highlight of the trip came later when we found a pair of humpback whales—a mother and her calf. Watching the two whales together was a special experience, with the calf staying close to its mother as they surfaced side by side. It was a wonderful end to the excursion and a memorable sight for everyone on board.

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide María, Captain Emily & Guide Aleks

12:00 - The rain had stopped as we sailed out for our second tour of the day. First, we made a stop at Engey, one of our puffin islands and watched these silly birds go about their day. As we continued further out into the bay, we were surprised by a minke whale who had surfaced just next to us! We watched it come up for air a few times, before it disappeared into the deep. We sailed to the same area we had seen whales on the previous tour, and low and behold, there they were! Two humpback whales surfaced simultaneously beneath a flock of seabirds, and these looked to be the mother and calf pair that we have been so lucky to share the bay with for the past few weeks. We watched as they fed, the small calf likely taking its first "steps" in learning how to hunt fish on its own. Then, we spotted blows further ahead, so we said goodbye to the pair and headed towards the blows. There were three more humpback whales feeding, and as we got closer, one of them suddenly breached! Following the breach, it slapped its head on the water multiple times before diving once, and once again flying out of the water as it breached again, and again, and again! After losing count of how many breaches we had seen, the whale finally relaxed and swam towards the other feeding whales. We could just about see it join up with another before we had to make our way back to the harbour. On our way back, we briefly spotted a leaping white-beaked dolphin, who appeared to be in quite a hurry! At this point, the wind had picked up and we were just a little bit colder, but full of warmth inside after this breathtaking tour.

Crew: Captain Megan & Guide Sigrún 

14:00 - In the afternoon, the wind speed increased slightly. Even though the conditions at sea were still good enough, we set sail again in Faxaflói Bay. We returned to the same area to try to spot more marine life. After sailing for a while, we spotted our first blow in the distance, right in the middle of a huge flock of birds, including the magnificent Northern Gannet, which were diving into the water like torpedoes. A solitary humpback whale was feeding in the area. It was a unique and highly active feeding ground, and thanks to the seabirds, we were always able to locate the whale at the surface by simply following the birds' movements. At times, we were able to see the whale very close to our boat. This majestic animal showed us its tail more than once, providing spectacular views. Later, we headed to another area where we encountered two different humpback whales. This time, there was a smaller individual alongside a larger one, possibly a mother and her juvenile. On our way back to the harbor, we stopped at the puffin colony on Akurey. Our beloved puffins were resting both on land and on the surface of the water, while others flew overhead. Hundreds of them gave us excellent opportunities to observe this famous seabird species. Another fantastic day at sea!

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide María, Captain Emily & Guide Arthur

16:00 - The clouds had rolled over and rain was falling as we made our way out once again. We once again made a stop at Engey, our puffin island, to admire the iconic birds. As we headed further out, the rain had increased significantly, but that didn't stop us! It wasn't long until we spotted a blow from a humpback whale! Another ship was passing us by, and we quickly realized that this was unfortunately a whaling ship returning to port. We focused on the humpback whale as it gave us a nice fluke dive before diving far below the surface. When it surfaced again, it had almost stopped raining, and we could see a rainbow far in the distance! Then, we spotted some splashes further ahead, and upon closer look, saw that it was a humpback whale slapping its pectoral fins on the surface! We enjoyed its presence for a while until suddenly, a pod of 7-8 white-beaked dolphins appeared out of nowhere right in front of us! They immediately joined up with the humpback and were frolicking all around, the whale was rolling and the dolphins were playing around it! After some time with them, we sadly had to leave the group and head back to the harbour, ending the tour on a fantastic note.

Crew: Captain Megan & Guide Sigrún