Whale Diary

10:00 - Today the sea conditions allowed us to go quite far in the bay! We first went to Engey, to check what the puffins were doing. There were so many on the island and on the water that was hard to pick where to look! Then, we went into the middle of the bay, where we passed by many seabirds. We spotted a lone harbour porpoise swimming away very fast! After a while in that area looking for more, we decided to change directions. We then encountered a pod of about 20 white-beaked dolphins, all scattered. They were extremely sociable today, coming so close to us and showing off with big jumps and leaps all over! We had fun watching them going under us and popping up on the other side many times. They were also surfing with the waves created by the other boats and about 2-3 of them were mating, due to the very fast behaviours close to each other and little splashes. We then started heading back to Reykjavik, but when we were getting close to the shore, we spotted a big blow! This one was a humpback whale, that came up to the surface one more time for us! After seeing its beautiful fluke, we headed back home, happy with such a great surprise at the end!

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Milla, Captain Helgi & Guide Milan

12:00 - The sun was shinning with clear blue skies, so we put on our sunscreen and headed out into the bay. Very close to port we spotted the blow of one humpback whale! This individual was very relaxed swimming through the surface of the water, which allowed for a really nice prolonged viewing. They then showed off their fluke which is always wonderful to see. After multiple surface sequences and even more fluke dives, we set our sights to further out into the bay. Not too far away we spotted one harbor porpoise. This individual was quite elusive so after two surfaces we continued. As we were spotting, we had a pod of three white-beaked dolphins start to bow ride. One individual stuck around with us for a while to check us out which was amazing. We could watch them as they swam around us and surfaced right next to us! After a great encounter it was time to head back to port. We stopped to admire our Atlantic puffin colony on Engey and then came back to land. What a nice tour!

Crew: Captain Emily & Guide Sam

14:00 - On our afternoon tour, the sun was shining and we were off to check out the wildlife of Faxaflói! We first went to Engey island, where the puffins were taking over the place and their burrows. We then headed foward, passing by Hvalfjörður and spotting Akranes. That's when we saw a blow in the distance! There was a humpback whale in the area, travelling calmly while we watched it go for deep dives. It would only spend a couple of minutes down the surface. It was also a fast whale, popping up a bit far than expected. However, we were able to see it many times, sometimes extremely close. So close that the pectoral fins could be seen easily through the surface. The blow of the whale was glittery with the sunlight and we were just amazed! Then, we started to go to another area, with our eyes open to anything that moves. We didn't see anything else, so we headed to the harbour, already so happy with the beautiful humpback we saw!

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Milla, Captain Helgi & Guide Milan

16:00 -This afternoon the clouds rolled in creating a bit colder conditions out on the water. We ventured out into the bay and saw some Atlantic puffins, Northern gannets and Northern fulmars feeding as we went. Farther out we spotted the blow of one humpback whale. This individual was quite relaxed and had nice surfaces before showing off their fluke. It was really nice to admire and travel along with this individual as they swam. After multiple surface sequences and admiring their fluke pattern, it was time to wave our whale goodbye. We stopped by our Atlantic puffin breeding colony before making our way back to port. What a nice tour!

Crew: Captain Emily & Guide Sam

20:00 - It was a lovely calm evening with overcast skies as we headed out in to the bay. We stopped to see the Atlantic puffins at Akurey and there were plenty of birds flying around and rafting on the water. We had reports of a humpback whale quite far out in the bay so we started driving far out towards Keflavik. The seas were very calm and quiet with very few birds around. After about 35 minutes we caught sight of a dark black back and some Arctic terns flying around. We slowed down and watched the terns, which sure enough lead us to a humpback whale! The individual was diving frequently and not moving very far. We were able to get some fantastic views of the fluke as the whale repeatedly dived. Occasionally it would tail lob a little bit and slump itself in the water when diving. Often it dived without showing the fluke but still really arching its peduncle. We decided to stay with this individual as the conditions were so nice and we watched it for a long time. Our guests got fabulous views as it repeatedly dived with beautiful views of the scenery behind and such a calm evening. Soon we had to head back but a fantastic evening tour. Now it is holiday time for me and Steini, what a great final evening tour for us! 

Crew: Captain Steini Elías & Guide Rachel