Whale Diary

09:00 - We set out with mostly clear skies and calm seas. We were amongst the first boats out in the bay so we had to be super focused to find cetaceans. After about 30 minutes we found harbour porpoises, the smallest cetacean we get in the bay, there were about 4-6 individuals. They did not hang around very long so we moved on. We headed for an area with lots of birds and embarked in a large group of about 10 white-beaked dolphins. There were old and young individuals, coming right up to the boat, passing under us, swimming along side, and even jumping out of the water several times, it was spectacular. We moved further and saw two blows in the distance, as we approached we found two humpback whales! They were swimming side by side and stayed at the surface for quite some time, they dove and surfaced repeatedly but failed to show off their beautiful flukes. We went back home full of joy and more knowledge on these incredible creatures. 

Crew: Captain Kylie & Guide Matteo

10:00 - We were very blessed with beautiful weather this morning - sunshine and rather calm sea. The tour started off with 2 white-beaked dolphins that came right next to us and we could clearly see their bodies through the water as they were swimming under us. It was very impressive to see! After a little while we left and saw a big blow in the distance. We found a humpback whale! It showed us some gorgeous fluke dives. The tour went on in search for something else. Around 4 white-beaked dolphins appeared and cruised on both sides of our boat. Something caught our attention in the far distance - a lot of big splashes. It looked like it might have been the splashes from pectorial fin slapping of a humpback whale. As we got closer we saw that this most likely came from jumping dolphins. We turned around to try to find another humpback whale that we had heard was in the area. However, as we came to check it out, it seemed like the whale was a diver and was down for very long. We went back to the first humpback whale and now this one was diving for ages. Sometimes it can be tricky with timing of their surface sequences, especially if they tend to dive for a long time. We had to start heading back to port by this time, and although we searched for quite some time in the end we did have a nice humpback and dolphins throughout the tour, alongside with gorgeous weather. 

Crew: Captain Megan & Guide Frida

12:00 - Conditions were even better on the 12:00 tour, even calmer seas and mostly sunny skies. However, it was very difficult to find cetaceans, seemed like conditions changed very rapidly and for whatever reason, the humpback whales we saw in the morning were nowhere to be found. We searched far and wide, maximized our search radius but had no luck. This being said we did start off the tour with a lovely group of about 6-8 harbour porpoises, and later caught a glimpse of a lone minke whale. The rest of the tour we scoured the sea but no sight of blows. Alas, that's nature and we cannot control it, thankfully! We returned to the harbour happy to have been out at sea, knowing we did our best to find some animals. All passengers were very understanding and received complementary tickets to try their luck on our bigger boats, the classic whale watching tours. 

Crew: Captain Kylie & Guide Matteo

13:00 - The wind and waves had calmed down even more throughout the day and by this time the ocean laid veryflat which was nice. Sun was shining on us and our spirts were high. We had to sail quite far out today to find some activity. We entered an area with a lot of bird activity. Loads of Northern gannets plunge diving which was really cool, and we even saw a baby Atlantic puffin. A big blow appeared in the midst of what seemed to be a feeding frenzy. It was a humpback whale. It came close to us and multiple times showed off its gorgeous tail fluke when it was going for dives. It was really beautiful to be out in the open ocean with such calm seas and quietly observe this whale calmly feeding. We could stay for a while and we were the only boat there. The tour carried on in search for something else. We did a big loop in the bay and eventually found a pod of around 4 harbour porpoises. Usually this species is quite elusive, but these individuals felt comfortable with us and came close to us. They were so cute! We could see another pod of around 4 of them a bit further away too. We had a lovely day out at sea today!

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Frida

15:00 - Coming soon!

Crew: Captain Kylie & Guide Matteo

16:00 - We left the harbour with impeccable conditions, super calm seas and fair skies, a little bit of drizzle as we left the marina but nothing major. Not long after our departure we embarked in a big pod of harbour porpoises, about 6-8 individuals coming quite close to the boat, a rare sighting for these elusive creatures. We kept on going and saw splashing in the distance, it was a white-beaked dolphin putting on quite a show. More individuals showed up, there were about 8-10 individuals all around us. We sailed on, further and further out, we were about 10 nautical miles from the coast and surrounded by birds, seemed like a good spot for cetaceans. After a while we finally spot a big blow in the distance, this was a humpback whale! As soon as we approach the animal goes for a dive and we are forced to wait patiently for the next surfacing. The dive lasted about 7 minutes and then back up with a thunderous blow, this time we managed to get an amazing view as it dove back down lifting the fluke out of the water. It was time to go so we headed back home. On the way we encountered another humpback whale and watched as it too went for a beautiful fluke dive. We finished the tour in style, coming back with a stupendous rainbow over Reykjavik.  

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Matteo

19:00 - Tonight, we set off for our last evening tour of this year's summer season. It was raining as we left port, but we carried on and managed to clear the rain. With the sun low, everything was cast in a beautiful orange glow that painted the clouds in vibrant colours and kept intensifying as the sun kept setting. It also made the blows that we spotted on the horizon very visible. We headed that direction and found not one but 2 humpback whales! They were swimming side by side and heading west. As they were going they showed us some beautiful fluke displays and we were listening to the sound of their powerful breaths. Nearby, we also saw a few harbour porpoises. In one instance, we even had one of the humpbacks pass by our bow while our engines were turned off. While we were with the whales, we also noticed some splashes caused by dolphins in the distance. We went to investigate. However, the wind had picked up and its Northerly direction created a funnel through the Whalefjord that led to a very choppy area. We lost the dolphins before we could get close. We turned west again to explore areas with calmer seas. We drove off into the sunset and found an area that was very busy with foraging seabirds. We got to see them diving in front of the sunset backdrop. Eventually, it was time to start heading back. This meant that we had to pass the wind funnel and the wind had been picking up even more. We braced the waves and took the splashes. It was a real adventure! We did a little loop around Reykjavik's water front to admire the city's skyline to enjoy the views. We entered the harbour at sunset. What a great trip!

Crew: Captain Pedro & Guide Hannah