Saturday, 18 May 2024

The conditions today were difficult for many reasons - we had strong northern win; patches of rain; and moderate crashing waves.

In the morning, we were lucky enough to find the 2 Humpback Whales Fjörulalli & Magnea. Magnea was sleeping to the East of Hjalteyri while the other was a couple of kilometers further North than this, feeding near to the surface. At one point, Fjörulalli performed a single tail throw, however, the reasons for this were unclear. Perhaps a component of feeding on food close to the surface to corral the fish into tighter shoals, or a typical agonistic response. In the afternoon, strangely, we were unable to find either of these 2 whales. But, we were able to find a different Humpback individual around Hjalteyri, this time much closer to the shore, MUCH closer. The behaviour of this individual was very strange; moving around great distances between each surfacing sequence and appearing at distances within a few meters from the beach. It really was incredible how close the whale was swimming to the beach and the crowd of people it attracted would mostly probably agree.

Text & Photos: Mac

Departures: Classic - 0900 & 1300 O’Clock.

Friday, 17 May 2024

Another beautiful sunny day in Eyjafjörður. Some clouds were blocking the sun at times, but it wasn’t bad. We didn’t need to travel long, since we met our first humpback whale the East of Hjalteyri. It was swimming around us, coming up quite frequently which was nice. We stayed with it for a while in search of something else.

We were succesfull! On the North of Hjalteyri we found a second humpback whale. It was surface feeding so we got to see it’s head a few times coming up to the surface. It even came close to us to get to know us better several times. It continued the surface feeding the whole time we stayed with it.

Humpback whale wasn’t the only cetacean we met to day. There was also three Minke whales around Green buoy. One of them gave us a great surprise by surface feeding! It is not every day we get to see them eating close to the surface.

Text and pictures: Jonna

Departures of the day: Classic 0900 o’clock & 1400 o’clock. Express 1000 o’clock & 1400 o’clock

Thursday, 16 May 2024

Today’s tours started with cloudy skies and small waves. At the beginning of the tour there were a few harbour porpoises that came to say hello. North of Hjalteyri we met the first humpback whale of the day. It was coming up quite frequently as it was sleeping. We bid it farewell and went to see another humpback whale that we saw from the distance, closer to the shore. It was coming up often, which was super nice. Even came close to the boat! As we were heading back to the harbour there was a surprise encounter with a minke whale! It was a nice finish to a good tour.

In the afternoon we got to sail further, near Grenivik where we found a humpback whale called Camel. It was feeding all around us, even giving a little spook by suddenly coming up right next to the boat. You could really see the humpback in all of it’s glory, pectoral fins shining underneath the water.

Text and pictures: Jonna &Gisela

Departures of the day: Classic tour 0900 & 1700 o’clock. Express tours 1000 & 1400 o’clock.

Wednesday, 15 May 2024

Whale hello there!

On our morning tour, we departed from a completely sunny and flat Eyjafjörður.

Our first sighting was a very sneaky Minke whale just by Svalbarðseyri. Followed by our celebrity Humpback Whale, Magnea. Who was actively feeding around the Green buoy. But further up the fjörð we also encountered Camel the Humpback whale feeding as well, just S Hjalteyri. And on the way back we also encountered a small pod of Harbour Porpoises.

Our evening tour was indeed memorable! Because we had Magnea the Humpback Whale Surface feeding around the Green buoy.

AMAZING!

Text & Photos: Gisela & Lenca

Departures: Classic 1300 O’Clock - Express - 1000 & 1400 O’Clock

Tuesday, 14 May 2024

For the first time in a while we had clear blue skies and a boiling 9 degrees. The wind was only a light breeze coming from the North leaving us with an almost completely flat sea surface.

in total today we saw 4 different Humpback Whales: Magnea; Camel; a new large individual; and another new non-fluking whale. Magnea was seen in the morning swimming alone near the green buoy, however, on a fast heading South. Just a little North of this were the two new individuals diving just a couple hundred meters from each other. In the afternoon, the non-fluker was not seen, but Magnea and the new large whale were this time together swimming slowly South from Strýtan. A while north, up around Rauðavik, was Camel once again surface feeding like in previous days. Two Minkes were also seen throughout the day, one on the East coast, very close to the shore, by Strýtan and the second by Dagvarðseyri.

Text & Photos: Mac

Departures: Classic: 0900 & 1300 O’Clock. Express: 1000 & 1400 O’Clock.

Monday, 13 May 2024

There was a bit of waves in the fjord today, with the wind coming from the north. Low clouds were dressing the mountains surrounding us.
In the morning, we saw a lot of bird activity. At first we saw a few Harbour Porpoises chasing fish. The birds were a great signal to spot the cetaceans.
We then saw a Humpback Whale that was feeding close to the shore in front of Ystuvíkurfjall. That was a very interesting behaviour, it is rare to see such a big animal in such shallow water. A few meters away, we saw a Minke whale skipping, meaning that it sent itself close to the surface with its mouth opened, trying to catch as much food as it could.
In the afternoon, we had the same scenario, except that the whales were now feeding in deeper water, further away from the shore, in the middle of the fjord.

Text & Photos: Yoann

Departures: Classic 0900- 1400 O’Clock. Express - 1000 & 1400 O’Clock

Sunday, 12 May 2024

Another incredible day in our fjord!
We sailed out in good weather conditions into a cloudy fjord, but with calm sea and good visibility on sea level.
On our tours, we spotted plenty of Harbor Porpoises as well as many different bird species. We encountered one Minke Whale by the green buoy as well as one feeding Humpback Whale close to Strýtan! This whale was very busy feeding all around our boats, resurfacing super frequently after short deep dives. We watched lunge feeding and had a lot of very close encounters and as we waited for the whale to come back up to the surface, it resurfaced just by our boat many times. With turned-off engines, we enjoyed watching the Humpback feed at the surface in the area around us. Additionally, we saw one tail throw. There were plenty of stunning encounters today!

Text & Pictures: Cheyenne

Departures of the day: Classic Tour 09:00 o´clock. Express tours 10:00 & 14:00 o´clock.

Saturday, 11 May 2024

This morning we departed from a very cloudy Akureyri but we didn’t mind since as soon as we left Pollurinn we were greeted by a happy pod of Harbour Porpoises! They continued showing up all around the areas where we were sailing. When we got south of Hjalteyri 2 Minke Whales were waiting for us. One of the Minke Whales was circling one of our boats which was amazing! Magnea the Humpback Whale was also lunge-feeding around the same area. But further up the fjord we also encountered Camel the Humpback Whale feeding just South of Hrísey.

On the afternoon tours Magnea put on quite a show for us! She did several breaches and a good amount of pec slapping. We had a good time enjoying Magnea in all of her glory! We were left speechless. It’s not every day you get to see this many breaches!

What a whale of a day!

Pictures and text: Gisela & Jonna

Departures of the day: Classic tours: 0900 & 1300 o’clock. Express tours: 1000 & 1400 o’clock.

Friday, 10 May 2024

Whale hello there!

A very minor-like ocean with Western wind meant we departed on a cloudy yet completely flat Eyjafjörður.

During our morning tours, we spotted our 2 celebrity Humpback Whales, Camel and Magnea. Magnea was hanging out around the Green Buoy area and Camel was actively feeding just by Hjalteyri. But that was not all, because a little bit more NE from Hjalteyri we also spotted a Minke Whale very calmly surfacing and just before it was time to end the tour we also encountered a small pod of Harbour Porpoises.

Our evening tour was indeed memorable! It all started with Magnea the Humpback Whale Surface feeding South of the Green buoy, but the action increased when she started putting on a show for us with 3 full body breaches and several tail throws and tail slapps. And thanks to that, we now also know that Magnea is a girl since we were able to take the right picture at the right time!!! But that was not all because a bit further north of Hjalteyri, we also encountered a Minke Whale surfacing extremely close to us and a small pod of Harbour Porpoises very calmly surfacing all around.

Text & Photos: Gisela & Mac & Jonna

Departures: Express - 0900, 1000, 1300 & 1400 O’Clock.

Thursday, 9 May 2024

Once again, a westerly wind was creating medium waves in the fjord, however, it decreased quickly into the afternoon, leaving little wind on our 1400 o’clock tours.

In the morning, we were able to find Magnea the Humpback Whale by Svalbarðseyri , a similar location to yesterday. We found her on both morning tours, but unfortunately, we were unable to find her in the afternoon. We also spotted a Minke Whale in the East opposite the Green Buoy and many many Harbour Porpoises throughout the whole fjord.

Further North we found a second Humpback Whale around Hjalteyri. Similarly to previous days, we observed the whale surface straining and single-breath fluking, frequently changing directions and seemingly feeding just below the surface.

Text & Photos: Mac

Departures: Classic - 0900 O’Clock. Express - 1000 & 1400 O’Clock.

Wednesday, 8 May 2024

The weather this morning started off with a strong westerly wind creating fairly chopping sea conditions, however, this reduced and died down throughout the day. The sky was clear in the morning and this decreased to roughly 50% cloud cover by the afternoon. By the early evening, we were left with almost completely flat sea conditions.

In the morning, we found a Humpback Whale to the far east, close to the shore, opposite Hjalteyri. This individual was Camel and it was surfacing very regularly and most likely feeding deep below us where on the fish finder we could see between a 20 to 50-meter thick layer of fish! A Minke Whale was also found a little further north in the area around Rauðavik. On our evening tour, we once again found this Humpback by Hjalteyri, but, also a second Minke Whale by the green buoy and a surprise appearance from the Humpback Whale Magnea who appeared around Svalbarðseyri despite not being seen all day.

Text & Photos: Mac

Departures: Classic - 1700 O’Clock. Express - 0900, 1000 & 1300 O’Clock

Tuesday, 7 May 2024

Today we departed from a very windy Akureyri. It was a bit choppy because of the wind, but the sun started to come up so we had a very pleasant trip in the sun.

Our first sighting of the day was our celebrity Humpback Whale Magnea. Who was by Svalbarðseyri, calmly diving and surfacing very close to the boat.

Further up the fjord, opposite Hjalteyri, by Strýtan, we found Camel. Our second Humpback whale of the day, showing us a high fluke.

But that was not all, because when Camel decided to start diving for a longer time, right next to it a big flock of birds was feeding and under them around 30 Harbour Porpoises were feeding.

Text & Images: Gisela

Departures of the day: Classic - 1300 O’Clock. Express - 0900 & 1000 O’Clock.

Monday, 6 May 2024

What a day!
We sailed in windy, but overall fine conditions with small waves in Eyjafjörður.
Today, we encountered one feeding Minke Whale by the green buoy as well as several Harbor Porpoises along the way. We spotted two different Humpback Whales on our tours. One was seen by Svalbarðseyri as the other Humpback was spotted south of Hjalteyri.
We had an absolutely fantastic day and one of the Humpbacks, which we call Magnea, showed a range of behavior at the surface during our morning tour. We watched repeated tail slapping and tail throwing! The whale was quite close to us as this happened and we were thrilled to see this Humpback’s behavior as well as to hear the sound of the tail being slapped on the water surface. Just incredible!

Pictures & Text: Cheyenne
Departures of the day: Classic Tours 09:00 & 14:00 o’clock. Express Tours 10:00 & 14:00 o’clock.

Sunday, 5 May 2024

The sea conditions today were very flat, there was a minor wind that increased into the afternoon, however, it had an inconsistent direction. The cloud cover was overcast.

Our morning Classic tour first encountered a Minke Whale by Svalbarðseyri, however, this animal was not found on the Rib tour shortly after. Many Harbour Porpoises were seen throughout the day, helped greatly by the flat water surface allowing us to see any animal coming up to breathe. A large group of at least 20 individuals was found on our Rib tour around Hjalteyri and these porpoises were feeding all around our boat. The Porpoises were seen approaching us and swimming below; with our engine off this was an amazing encounter with these animals which you can rarely see and hear in such detail. A Humpback Whale was then found a little further north from this, roughly in line with Rauðavik. This was our individual ‘Camel’ and it was actively feeding on fish shown to be around 10 meters deep. We observed frequent single-breath flukes, what I have coined the ´One and done´, and surface straining behaviours each time the whale was surfacing. This confirmed the feeding activity and gave reason for some of the movement patterns we saw from this whale.

Text & Photos: Mac

Departures: Classic - 0900 & 1400 O’Clock. Express - 1000 O’Clock

Saturday, 4 May 2024

The weather this morning was relatively flat with small wind waves coming from the North. This wind increased significantly into the afternoon creating some sizable waves on the Rib. In addition to this, the sky was mostly overcast with a strange dusty haze in the air.

We encountered both recent resident Humpback Whales on our tours today, Magnea and Camell (Fjörulalli). The first Humpback was found around the East of Hjalteyri and in the afternoon this is where both were seen within a couple hundred meters of each other. In the morning, however, Camel was slightly further North around Grenivik.

Text & Photos: Mac

Departures: Classic - 0900. Express - 1000 & 1400 O’Clock

Friday, 3 May 2024

Today was a cloudy day, but the sea was calm.
It was perfect for us since we were able to see one common dolphin clearly before we left Pollurinn! There was also a seal greeting us. South of Svalbarðseyri we met one Minke whale. It wasn’t doing the normal diving, but just popping up to the surface and sinking back. It also came quite close to us, even swimming towards us. North of Svalbarðseyri we encountered a Humpback whale. Between the green buoy and Hjalteryri we saw a second Humpback whale. As you can see from one of the pictures one of the Humpbacks got super close to us; it was amazing!

Text & Photos: Jonna, Cheyenne, Mac

Departures: Classic - 0900. Express - 1000 & 1400 O’Clock

Thursday, 2 May 2024

We had a beautiful day today! We went out on the sea in the morning. The sun was shining, the sea was almost flat and there was barely any wind.
We were fortunate to see a Humpback Whale close to Svalbarðseyri. We were able to see it multiple times. It was individual 17 (named Magnea) that we were able to recognize because of its fluke pattern.
After, we headed towards Hjalteyri and we saw a group of Harbour Porpoises catching fish at the surface in a feeding frenzy. The fjord is full of life!

Text & Pictures: Yoann

Departures: Classic - 09:00

Wednesday, 1 May 2024

This morning we departed from a very cloudy Akureyri, but it started clearing up as the day advanced. But unfortunately, the wind started picking up so the afternoon tours were a bit choppy on the fjord.

During the morning tours, the fjord was so flat that looked like a mirror. So, we could easily spot our friend the Short-beaked Common dolphin that is still hanging around North Akureyri. But not far from the dolphin we also spotted a very sneaky Minke Whale. So sneaky we only saw it one time. But around the area, the fjord was so calm and glassy that even a bunch of Northern Fulmars joined us around our first Humpback Whale, Magnea. Just SW of Svalbarðseyri. After being with it for a while, we sailed further north where we encountered our second Humpback Whale! Camel, always showing a high fluke.

Text & Photos: Cheyenne & Gisela

Departure: 0900 & 1300 O’Clock Classic. 1000 & 1400 O’Clock Express.

Tuesday, 30 April 2024

This morning we departed from a very cloudy Akureyri, but we found an extremely flat sea ahead of us.

In fact, in today´s tour, we saw a great deal of whales!

First of all, we encountered 2 Humpback whales, feeding together by Srtýtan (E Hjalteyri). They were calmly feeding under the water arching their backs quite high. But after feeding for a while they split up and we stayed with Camel the black & white fluke Humpback. and shockingly enough it breached right in front of us!! We stayed with Camel for quite a long time and when we started heading back we encountered a Minke whale by the green buoy (in between Hjalteyri and Svalbarðseyri) swimming pretty close to us as well. But the cherry on top was all the Harbour porpoises that surrounded us when we left the Minke!

Indeed a memorable tour!

Text & Photos: Gisela

Departure: 0900 O’Clock Classic

Monday, 29 April 2024

The weather today mirrored yesterday almost perfectly, with the addition of some increasing northern wind in the afternoon.

Today we encountered: 1 Short Beaked Common Dolphin, many Harbour Porpoises, 2 Minke Whales & 3 Humpback Whales. And, this does not even include the multitude of bird species we saw today (it was a very bird-heavy day as you can see in the pictures above). Special mention to our friends the Northern Gannets who were seen diving into the water and flying throughout the day.

The locations are as follows: 1 Minke Whale seen in the morning by Svalbarðseyri; the second Minke seen near the Green Buoy also in the morning; 1 HW camel seen close to the Green Buoy and Hjalteyri in the morning and afternoon; a second HW (Camel) closer to Strytan in the morning; the third HW seen East Hjalteyri in the afternoon (the new non-fluking individual seen yesterday).

Behaviours of note were Camel tail slapping both inverted and dorsally and a full body breach and tail throw from Magnea in the afternoon. Our third Humpback appeared to be feeding on a layer of fish some 20 meters down but did not show direct evidence of feeding apart from the rapid surfacing and directional changes.

Text & Photos: Mac & Ania

Departures: Classic - 0900 & 1400 O’Clock. Express - 1000 & 1400 O’Clock