Whale Diary

10:00 - Today the sea conditions decided to allow us to go out and find some whales! We first stopped by Engey island to check out what the puffins where doing. There were plenty of them on the surface and also on the island, guarding the burrows. Then we headed off to the middle of the bay, where it didn't take long until we spotted our first blow! There was not only one, but 3 humpback whales together! They were very very calm on the surface, slowly swimming while we admired these gentle giants. Since there were a few boats around, we decided to go further out, but we needed to come back because they started to breach and head slap! After checking these amazing behaviours, we continued our way, spotting another 2 humpback whales, separately. We spent a bit more time with one, that was bubble net feeding! We could track it by the tray of bubbles and then we were amazed by the big head of this whale coming while it lunge fed! WOW!! Then, we spotted a minke whale quickly passing by, but we could still see it a couple of times. Then, we started heading back to the harbour, but not before passing by another 2 humpbacks in the distance! And in our way back we had the privilege to spot a very active pod of 5 white beak dolphins. What a great way to start the day with these incredible cetaceans!!

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide María H, Captain Gunni  & Guide Knut, Captain Pedro  & Guide Milla

12:00 - We headed out in beautiful sunshine and calm seas, making for ideal whale watching conditions. After a stop at Puffin Island to admire the nesting seabirds, we continued offshore in search of whales. Our first encounter was a pod of around 15 white-beaked dolphins. There were plenty of calves among the group, which can sometimes make the dolphins a little more cautious, but they still approached the boat closely, giving everyone some excellent views.  Not long afterwards, we found an area where four humpback whales were actively feeding. They were moving around quite chaotically as they searched for food, surfacing in different directions and keeping us on our toes! Despite their unpredictable movements, we enjoyed some fantastic sightings. Towards the end of the encounter, three of the humpbacks came together before we continued our search. As we moved on, we spotted a fifth humpback whale resting peacefully in the distance, appearing to be asleep at the surface—a calm and fitting end to a wonderful trip on the water.

Crew: Captain Megan & Guide Aleks

14:00 - The conditions were best for this tour. Clear, sunny and just a slight wind from the north west. After a short search we spotted the blows of several humpback whales and got closer to them. They were not in the best mood to stay with the boats and so we gave them their space and went on into an area where white-beaked dolphins were spotted. We searched a little and could find a pod of around 15 white-beaked dolphins traveling fast. They surfaced a few times near our boat and the disappeared. On our way back to Reykjavik, we stopped again for a humpback whale that was lunge feeding on the surface. An impressive sight of this massive animal. After a quick stop at the puffin colony on Akurey, we returned back to the harbor. 

Crew: Captain Miquel & Guide María H, Captain Gunni  & Guide Knut

16:00 - Coming soon!

Crew: Captain Megan & Guide Aleks

20:00 - It was a beautiful evening and with the sun low on the horizon we set out in search for wildlife. After a quick stop at Engey to look at the puffins, we went out into the bay. We started seeing blows lighting up in the sun from far away, but that did not prepare us for what happened next. At least 8 humpback whales were feeding all around us! More and more the blows started appearing around us, accompanied by hundreds of seabirds that we could follow to see where the whales were going to be. The whales were in pairs and trio´s, splitting up and making new groups, sometimes even four of them together! We killed the engines and then we were floating, surrounded by whales, under the midnight sun. A truly magical moment. Two whales surfaced incredible close to the boat multiple times, leaving us speechless. Whales started breaching and lunge feeding, four of them together again. Nobody had plans after this tour so we decided to stay a little longer and we were rewarded for our patience with an incredible lunge feed by four humpback whales right in front off us! We returned to the harbour late, but full of memories of an unforgettable experience. 

Crew: Captain Gulli & Guide Janiek