Whale Diary

10:00 - On this gloomy day we set out into Faxafloí in search for cetaceans! After a visit to Engey to look at everybody´s favorite bird, the Atlantic puffin, we continued our adventure. It turned out to be a very busy day with lots of life. We quickly spotted blows in the distance. Groups of humpback whales were all around! There was a group of 5 that later split up into a group of three and a pair, 2 single whales and more blows in the distance. Even a sneaky minke whale showed up! Most of these whales were feeding, showing their flukes and even rolling around! We got to see just the tip of the pectoral fin. The trio was resting, hovering just below the surface. It was amazing to see so many different behaviours and we returned to the harbour with smiles all around. 

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Orsi, Captain Miquel & Guide Janiek

12:00 - The day continued to be gloomy, but we were still in good spirits. On our way out, we stopped by Akurey and were fascinated by the Atlantic puffin colony there. The we went farther out into the choppy bay. We arrived in an area where we patiently waited for a humpback whale. It kept showing up on different sides and it was swimming very slowly. In between surface sequences of this whale we also spotted a minke whale! We got to see its fluke  that was incredibly white underneatha few times. After a bit, we carried on and found 3 very sleepy white-beaked dolphins. They were swimming very slowly with long intervals between surfacing. That was when we spotted a blow in the distance and then a big splash. We went to investigate and found 3 more humpback whales! On of them was Davy Jones II and he was swimming with a friend. There was a lot of birds feeding in the area, too. So chances were, the whales were doing the same. We started running out of time, so we had to start heading back to port. On the way, we spotted another minke whale. When we got back, everyone was delighted by how many whales we observed, despite a little bit of rain here and there.

Crew: Captain Emily & Guide Hannah

14:00 - Following a brief stop at one of the islands near the harbour that are home to the Atlantic puffins during their breeding season, we headed out into the waves, with many dark rainclouds ahead. We zipped up our overalls, put on our hoods, and tightened our goggles to brave the upcoming shower. Soon, we spotted some whales, marked by their blows at the surface. As we got closer, we saw a humpback whale just finishing a lunge, its grooved stomach extended completely. We followed this feeding whale, along with a large flock of seabirds (mainly black-legged kittiwakes), which were kind enough to point out the whale when it surfaced. We were a very busy area with lots of activity, we saw 7-8 blows around, so there were at least that many humpback whales around. We headed over to a pair of blows close to one another, and spent a lovely time with this pair as they went for fluke dives, but quickly came up for breaths again. We soon spotted a very large white shape ahead of us, one of the whales had begun pec slapping! We headed over and got to see these world record holding pectoral fins reach up into the air before slamming down on the surface with a loud thud, and big splash! We soon spotted another pectoral fin in the distance, it was clear the whales were signaling to each other, as we even saw a third individual raising their pectoral fin for some slaps. As the rain started to pick up again, we bid farewell to this very busy feeding area, the whales waving us goodbye with their beautiful fluke dives, and we made our way back through a thick curtain of rain. A bit of a wet adventure, but well worth the experience!

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Orsi, Captain Miquel & Guide Janiek

16:00 - This trip was a bit of a rain show. We checked out some puffins and then we were accompanied by a constant drizzle. In the bay, we got surprised by 4 white-beaked dolphins that found us! They came towards us and investigated the boat. They didn't want to leave either. When we slowly started to accelerate out of the encounter and they came with. They started bow-riding and kept pace, eventually leaping in our wake waves until they lost interest. This was so fun! Then we found a humpback whale. It was Chopper! We saw him fluke. Then, a minke whale appeared on our right side, but then Chopper breached on our left side! Woah! After a bit, we moved on and found another humpback. This one was really sleepy and had a very stinky breath. We started heading back and did a loop around the sun voyager and the Harpa and watched a big boat leave the harbour. It was a really cool trip!

Crew: Captain Emily & Guide Hannah

20:00 - This evening two boats set off in the midnight sun. We prepared for waves and rain. but the sea was like a mirror and the sun finally showed itself! We made a visit to our lovely puffin colonies at one of the islands outside the harbour before heading further out! We quickly started seeing blows in the distance and then a pod of 3 white-beaked dolphins found us! They were jumping around one boat and then headed over to the other boat. One of them in particular was very interested in the boat, coming close and swimming all around the boat. The other boat found a humpback whale that was tail slapping over and over again, very impressive behaviour from this huge animal! That was just the first humpback, in total we saw 5 different individuals feeding and diving all over the bay! There were some sneaky minke whales popping up in every direction. After a last fluke dive from a humpback whale, we returned to the harbour side by side, enjoying the memories and the midnight sun. 

Crew: Captain Gulli & Guide Janiek, Captain Miquel & Guide Hannah