Wednesday, 19 September 2018

Today was a very gray day with a lot of rain. During our tours we sailed out past the island of Hrisey but there the weather was very rough and we unfortunately had to turn back. During both tours we did not manage spot any whales.
Different species of whales visit our fjord during the summer time to feed and they will be where there is food. During both tours we saw very little or no fish on our fish finder. Hopefully conditions will improve and we will get more food for our whales in the fjord soon.

Text Anouk de Plaa

Tuesday, 18 September 2018

If we want it or not, winter is coming and snow is predicted for the weekend. Hence, the weather today was chilly, wet and a bit windy. Nevertheless we set out in good spirit to look for whales from Akureyri till the end of Hrisey. On our morning tour unfortunately the only cetaceans we came across were a small pod of harbour porpoises. So we gave out complimentary tickets to our passengers to come and try again here or in Reykjavik. In the afternoon to our delight we managed to find one humpback whale around Hrisey. It wasn’t the easiest individual, still we got a good look at it’s fluke and have reason to believe it was ‘Dark Night’ an individual we know from 2016 and 2017. Hopefully it and its friends will soon return to the fjord. Golden autumn we are ready for you.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Monday, 17 September 2018

Dealing with wildlife means that some days can be surprisingly incredible and some days can be surprisingly difficult. Today it was definitely the second case. A very sneaky minke whale was the only star in the fjord, and we had quite an hard time trying to spot and follow this whale. But all the crew did its best and, keeping following a respectful code of conduct towards the whale, at last we managed to have also quite a few close sightings in both our tours. Minke whales are much more difficult and shy than humpbacks, but they have their good reasons, given that this is the main species of whale that nowadays it is still being hunted in Norway, Japan and Iceland. On the way back we also managed to spot some harbour porpoises, happily swimming very close to our boat.

Text and pictures by Annalisa Sambolino

Sunday, 16 September 2018

It was a very wet day today, during the morning tour it would not stop raining. The whales also did not seem to enjoy this weather. The humpback whale we encountered during the morning tour only surfaced very shortly far away from the boat and moved around a lot. So unfortunately passengers did not see it well and therefore we decided to give out complimentary tickets. That way passengers can come back for another tour where they will hopefully be able to see the whales better.
During the afternoon tour we encountered a whale named Guillemot, it was moving much at the start and seemed to be travelling. After a while Guillemot slowed down and started feeding and surfaced close to the boat many times.

Text Anouk de Plaa and pictures Annalisa Sambolino

Saturday, 15 September 2018

It was a chilly day today but the sun came out and we had incredible views of the fjord, especially with the fresh snow on top of the mountains. Close to Hjalteri we encountered a very relaxed Minke whale. Coming up many times before diving and moving towards the boat.
Close to Hauganes we encountered a humpback whale called number two. We have seen this whale many times during the last few days. It behaved very nicely only taking dives for 6 minutes before coming up and surfacing a few times very close to our boat.

Text Anouk de Plaa pictures Babsi Neubarth

Friday, 14 September 2018

What a wild day to be out on the fjord, it was a little cold and windy out on the fjord today, which meant our complimentary and lovely warm overalls were put to good use. Today we got to see two different species of whale, our lovely humpbacks of course and the stunning streamlined minke whale. Our express tour arrived with a splash and got to see our lovely humpie Number 2, who was surfacing every 6 minutes on the dot! Just amazing!

Text by Tess Hudson, Pictures by Annalisa Sambolino

Thursday, 13 September 2018

It was a little rainy for our morning tours but luckily it cleared up throughout the day. Fortunately, the whales don´t care about the weather, so of course they were there. We saw a lovely humpback today who was surfacing very regularly and came up many times around the boats, delighting our passengers with its rather large fluke. This whale, ‘Number 2’ was one of the first whales to be cataloged here in Eyjafjörður in 2016 and has delighted us with its presence every summer!

Text by Tess Hudson, pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Wednesday, 12 September 2018

Whale hello there! Another good day to be on the fjord, the sun was out here and there, only some wind to have running through our hair and the waves not too big. We saw some delightful humpbacks that surfaced beautifully and were only taking short 6 minute dives after raising their beautiful tail flukes. Our stars of the day included Mariner and Number 2, who have been entertaining us here in Eyjafjörður for the last few weeks.

Text by Tess Hudson and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Tuesday, 11 September

The day was quite cold and when we sailed out people were happy for the warm overalls that we provide. During both the morning and the afternoon tour we encountered two whales who we have encountered several times during the last years. Their names are Number Two and Mariner. In the morning the whales were quite far apart but during the afternoon tour they were in the same area. When one whale went for a dive the other one came to the surface so we managed to get very good views of both whales.

Text Anouk de Plaa and pictures Babsi Neubarth

Monday, 10 September 2018

Monday fog day! Akureyri woke up to a foggy bay but everything lifted rather quickly, to the point that it was all gone by 9.30am. We headed northwards to find some whale and stubbled upon Jackson just south of Hjalteyri. We spent a good amount of time with Jackson until we decided to head towards the eastern bank of the fjord to try to find other whales. Unfortunately we did not find any others. The afternoon tour was slightly more successful because we found both Jackson and Mariner feeding in the same area. Both we very busy diving and coming back up to the surface. Sometimes together, sometimes out of synch but always giving us a good show of flukes! The sun showed and the wind was very limited. All the perfect conditions for a nice day on the fjord! Come and join us soon! 

Text and photos by Liza Roger.

Sunday, 9 September 2018

Sailing out this morning was just lovely, the sun was again shining and the fjord completely flat and remained so for most of the day. On today´s tours we were delighted to see the northern bottle-nosed whales, surfacing just wonderfully all together, with the sun shining off their brown-grey bodies. Of course we also got to see our incredible humpback whales who entertained us with some lovely surfaces and beautiful tail flukes. Our stars of today´s tours included Number 2, Interstellar, Aretha Frankfin and a new individual who is yet to be named. Any Suggestions?

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Saturday, 8 September 2018

Do whales care if it is raining? No of course not! It was a little rainy in the morning but thankfully it cleared up throughout the day. Even with the rain the sea conditions were just perfect, completely flat and still. On all our tours not only did we mange to see the beautiful humpback whales, Montague, Jackson, Mariner and Jafar but we also managed to see the amazing northern bottle-nosed whales which came up beautifully in wonderful little clouds of blows. The whales weren't the only thing we got to see today, the fjord was also full of beautiful multi-coloured jelly fish. Next to that, we could also get a few glimpses of a rather shy minke whale. Another wonderful day to be out on the fjord. 

Text by Tess Hudson, pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Friday, 7 September 2018

Its hard to describe how beautiful today was out on the fjord, but I will try. It was amazingly sunny and warm and there was very little wind. The sea was mirror flat which was a delight to sail on. The whales were just wonderful and completely relaxed, surfacing many times and all round the boat. We saw some of our wonderful cataloged Humpback whales including Mariner, Jafar and Number 2. The sea was so flat we could turn off our engines and just wait for the whales to come to us in perfect stillness and silence. A perfectly peaceful day to be out on the fjord. 

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson 

Thursday, 6 September 2018

What a wonderful day! The sun was shining the sea completely flat and there was very little wind so sailing was just beautiful. Not only did we get to see the beautiful humpbacks, and our star of the day Mariner but we also got to see a delightful minke whale, which surfaced many many times and all the way around the boat. We could even see its whole body as it swam under the waters surface as the sea was beautifully clear. Another bright and beautiful day in Eyjafjörður. 

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Wednesday, 6 September 2018

What a Breach-tastic day! We often get asked if the weather affects the chances of seeing whales and today showed that whatever the weather, clear or cloudy, rain or shine, the whales are always hanging about. It was a cloudy day but with spots of sun, the wind picked up through the day but that made our tours even more fun. And the whales were definitely enjoying it. We saw numerous whales throughout the day including Jackson, Montague, Depill and Number 2. Best of all, a number of these whales decided to entertain us with some exceptional areal and unusual behaviour including, BREACHING, head slapping, body slamming, pec slapping, tail slapping and the list continues. An adrenaline fueled day!

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Tuesday, 4 September 2018

On this September Tuesday we were blessed with calm seas, no wind and a dry sky. Throughout the day we kept on seeing humpback, minke and northern bottlenose whales surfacing close and further away from our boat. Passengers on our 13:00 tour were treated with a very close encounter with our humpback whale Jackson when it surfaced right next to the boat. The boat was stopped and we could just follow it with our eyes passing by. You can relive the moment by checking out the picture above which was taken right out of the guiding box without a zoom lens. Great times we are having at the moment.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Monday, 3 September 2018

Sunshine, whales and views for days! Lovely conditions for whale watching today on Eyjafjördur, very little wind and beautiful warm sunshine. The humpback whales were in the fjord to meet us and spend the day feeding south to Hjalteyri, so just a short boat ride away! Aretha Franklin (black fluke with a white patch on the right side), Depill (black and white fluke with barnacles growing at the extremities) and Kind Louis (white and grey fluke) spent their day circling the area to enjoy our local Icelandic plankton. They couldn't get enough! Slightly more distant in the morning but coming rather close to the ship and the RIB in the afternoon. Another good day in the fjord! 

Photos and text by Liza Roger

Sunday, 2 September 2018

What a beautiful day to be out at sea! The sun was shining, the sea wonderfully flat and there was very little wind making sailing a joy. And of course our stars the whales were out and showing off! We saw many humpbacks today, including our familiars Aretha Frankfin, King Louis and Depill. The whales were busy feeding and raised their beautiful flukes many times when going for a dive down to the bottom of the fjord to feed on the yummy krill. 

Text and pictures by Tess Hudson

Saturday, 1 September 2018

It was a rather windy day here in Akureyri with the wind coming from the south. Therefore our tours were a little swelly. However, this did NOT mean that the whales could not be found of course they were there and in their plenty! Albert, Aretha and friends were out to play in the waves. One whale even breached for us many, many times it was awesome to watch!! Our express tours even got to witness some beautiful behaviors including breaching, tail lobbing and tail slapping. A windy but wild day to be out on the fjord. 

Text and pictures by Tess Hudson

Friday, 31 August 2018

What a beautiful day to be in Eyjafjörður! The conditions were perfect! Flat seas, very little wind and a cloudy sky which gave the perfect contrast to spot whales. We had fantastic tours today and were able to spot many many humpback whales. Our favorites were out to play including King Louis, Albert, Aretha Frankfin and Number 2. We even got to see some wonderful behaviors like tail lobbing. On our morning tours we also spotted the beautiful Northern bottlenose whales, one of which had a little calf swimming right alongside it. Yet another exceptional day in the best fjord in Iceland!  

Text and pictures by Tess Hudson