Whale Diary

09:00 - We were blessed with extremely good weather today. The ocean laid like velvet and the sun was shining on us. As we were heading out into the ocean something caught our attention far away. This was a playful humpback whale that was doing pectorial fin slapping and other things. As we approached it continued to do this behavior, but all of a sudden it started breaching, and it did so repeatedly over and over again. It was right in front of the boat and it showed off its beautiful fluke too. We headed away and encountered a minke whale. However, this species tend to be a bit shy sometimes so it only showed itself twice and we decided to carry on. We got lucky and encountered a humpback whale pair. They were logging, just peacefully resting at the surface, coming very close to us and giving us gorgeous fluke dives. As we were heading back to port we drove past another humpback whale. We got to see the fluke once, but it seemed to be quite a diver, so we returned to the harbour. We had such a fantastic day out at sea today!

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Frida

10:00 - We headed out today in beautiful conditions, with calm seas and plenty of sunshine — perfect weather for whale watching. Our first sighting was a solitary humpback whale busy feeding. It was incredibly active, surfacing very frequently, and we could even see fish spilling out of its mouth as it fed. At one point, the whale came remarkably close to the boat, just a few metres away, giving us an unforgettable view. While we were watching the humpback, we also spotted two minke whales passing by in the distance. There was plenty of life around the area, with more than 20 harbour porpoises scattered throughout the waters. We then moved on and came across a pair of humpback whales resting together. After the excitement of the feeding whale, it was lovely to watch these two simply relaxing and having a nap side by side. On our way back, we made one final stop in an area where around 15 harbour porpoises were swimming around us. It was a fantastic way to finish the trip, with calm seas, sunshine, and an impressive variety of whales and porpoises throughout the day.

Crew: Captain Raggi & Guide Aleks

12:00 - This might have been the best tour I have ever had as a guide. It was truly fantastic! Sun was shining and our spirits were high. The tour started off good with a humpback whale that came close to the boat. It was gracefully moving and we could see its beautiful white pectorial fins through the water. It was also giving us beautiful fluke dives. We carried on the journey and found a pair of humpback whales. They were logging at first, but then something woke them up. A pod of about 15 white-beaked dolphins came out of nowhere and joined what seemed to be a school of fish. This is when the true show truly started and it is hard to explain how amazing it was. They all started a feeding frenzy. Humpbacks were coming up fast, loudly exhaling, turning to the sides with pectorial fins up in the air and the side of the tail flukes coming up. All around them the dolphins were jumping in all kinds of directions. They even jumped OVER one of the whales. It all felt like a rehersed show, unlike anything we have ever seen. The dolphins started to play with our boat and came riding under the boat, looking at us from underneath the surface. They surprised us in every direction right next to the boat. The whales came and poked their heads out of the water and looked at us, and it was even turning on its side to look at us with its eye. This interaction went on for so long too. This tour made me as a guide cry, it was just unbelievable. Thank you mother nature for this incredible experience!

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Frida

13:00 - On this sunny afternoon we headed out on Faxafloi bay in search for wildlife. And wildlife we found! First, we came across a young humpback whale feeding. We watched this animal go for a dive, but we decided very quickly to move on due to the amount of boats in the area. We heard rumors about something else so we headed over and on the way a pod of 6 harbour porpoises surprised us! After that, we landed right in the middle of a wild documentary. A pod of 15 white-beaked dolphins was swimming all around and over two humpback whales! This whales were rolling and turning, trumpeting at the dolphins and each other. When the whales went for a dive, the dolphins came to our boat, checking us out and playing in our wake. As soon as the whales were up again, they were all over them! Eventually the dolphins left and the whales calmed down, lodging at the surface, finally able to take a rest. After beautiful fluke dive, we said our goodbyes and left to check another area. Splashes caught our attention; another pod of white-beaked dolphins! This pod of 6 had some very young calves, surfacing right next to mom. This was already very special, but then they swam right up to the boat and we could see them clearly through the surface as they made some circles around us. An incredible ending to a amazing tour!

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide Janiek

15:00 -  I think everyone on the boat can agree that we had a very nice tour today. Iceland was showing off with beautiful weather, something we are not normally used to, and the encounters we had were insane. We had a pair of humpback whales that seemed to be peacefully logging at the surface and we got very nice looks of them. Eventually a pod of about 10 white-beaked dolphins joined in and they all started to feed together. It was incredible to see these two species interact with each other. The dolphins came right underneath our boat and we could see their full bodies so clearly through the water. They came up left and right and were really playful. The humpbacks were giving us extremely beautiful fluke dives over and over again in the glimmering sun. It was absolutely incredible to be able to get such a personal encounter with these species. Incredible day! 

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Frida

16:00 - We headed out into the sunshine, with calm seas making for a beautiful day on the water. Our first sighting was a humpback whale. It was actively lunge feeding, repeatedly surfacing close to the boat and giving us some fantastic views as it came up again and again. In the same area, we also briefly spotted a minke whale before moving on. Further along, we came across a pair of humpback whales travelling together. It was lovely to watch them moving steadily through the calm water side by side. Our final encounter was a close and memorable one — a pod of around 10 white-beaked dolphins. Among them were several very small calves, making the sighting especially special as the young dolphins travelled alongside the adults. A beautiful day on the water, with sunshine, calm seas and an amazing variety of marine life.

Crew: Captain Raggi & Guide Aleks, Captain Miquel & Guide Janiek