Whale Diary

10:00 - The weather looked really good for the first time in a few days so everyone was feeling excited to go on a whale watching tour. We sailed out and after a while we found a pod of about 5-7 white beaked dolphins that were really playful and curious about the boats. They were bow-riding and they even jumped a few times. After a few minutes with them we decided it was time to try to look for something else and eventually we found a Minke Whale that was quite elusive and after seeing it for a couple of times we unfortunately lost sight of it. We kept going and a few moments later we found another really friendly pod of 6-8 white beaked dolphins that approached or boat several times, swimming directly beneath it. However our time was running out so we had to sail back to the harbor, but on the way back we had time to stop by Engey to see some puffins, northern fulmars and Eider ducks. All in all it was an amazing tour, especially after so many cancelled days!

Crew: Captain Eggert & Guide Mariana

12:00 - This afternoon we sailed out with sun shinning strong and minimum wind. The summer finally arrived in Iceland. We headed toward the area where some boats spotted whales in the morning, hoping to find them again. Our first sighting was a pod of white-beaked dolphins. Lucky for us the animals were curious about the boats and came very close, swimming under the boat and alongside multiple times and even jumping a few times. After spending some time with the dolphins we continued our trip searching other areas.That was a good choice because soon after we found a Minke Whale. It surfaced a few times between short dives so we could see it well. At the end as we were about to head back the whale came up right at our bow, just a few meters away. That was a perfect moment for us to head back home with a quick stop at the puffin island.

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Rodrigo, Captain Bohdan & Guide Aleks

14:00 - After sucessful morning tours we headed straight to the most productive area in the bay. As we reached the spot we noticed multipe whale-watching boats around so we were very hopeful for a good sighting. However, there was just one Minke Whale in the area and multiple boats so we decided to continue the search instead of crowding the whale even more. Soon after we spotted a blow, it was another Minke Whale. We had the whale all to ourselves and could see it surface a few times before it disappeared. As we sailed around the area we spotted two more minke whales but the animals were traveling fast and we could not have a good look. Because of the difficulty trying to see the whales we offered all our passengers complementary tickets so they can join our classic whale watching tour for free and try their luck again.

Crew: Captain Eggert & Guide Mariana, Captain Bohdan & Guide Aleks

16:00 - this afternoon continued to be a nice Icelandic summer day, sun still shinning and low wind. We headed to the few productive area where we knew whales been spotted today. However, although we sailed through all of them we did not see any animals. Next we visited spots that are known of their productivity and where we often see whales but once again no luck. On the way back we spotted a pod of white-beaked dolphins and had a good look at them although very short one as the animals disappeared quickly. Because of that we offered all our passengers complementary tickets so they can join our classic whale watching tour for free and try their luck again.

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Rodrigo, Captain Bohdan & Guide Aleks

20:00 - Although we departed in the evening the sun was still high above us, midnight sun almost at it's peak. Just as we were leaving the Reykjavik area behind we spotted a Minke Whale that came up less than 100 meters away from us. We stopped the boat right away and got to see the whale a few more times, just as close as the first time. Even though the whale was slowly swimming away we still got to see it surface a few times. We continued our journey and the next sighting was a pod of white-beaked dolphins. The animals were quite curious and swam close to the boat. In similar area we noticed a big group of arcitc terns actively fishing, good indication that there is a lot of food in the area. Indeed, we saw another Minke Whale surface in that spot, however, we only saw it once. Soon after a pod of white-beaked dolphins started feeding at the spot and we could observe the collaboration between dolphins and arctic terns. On the way back we stopped at Engey, one of the islands with puffin colonies to have a look at the birds.

Crew: Captain Gunni & Guide Rodrigo, Captain Eggert & Guide Aleks