Saturday, 3 June 2017

Today in the morning was a fantastic day in Eyjafjördur. The sun was shining, and the sea was completely flat.  As soon as we left Akureyri, we found a minke whale. This individual seemed just to take a ramble around the harbour. Not far from this whale we had another minke whale: a very nice starter for the tour. We left the minkes towards north to search for humpback whales, and there they were! Just southern off Hjalteyri we stopped for the first humpback. What a surprise when the animal just started breaching in front of us - it was incredible. We got an excellent picture of the fluke from this "jumping whale", and looking at our catalogue of flukes we could find that this individual is a well know humpback called "Jackson". There were more two humpback whales in the area, which we could also appreciate. In the afternoon minke and the humpback whales were near the same region that we found them in the morning. A very enjoyable day with the Eyjafjördur humpbacks and minkes, again!

Pictures and text by Manu Bassoi.

Friday, 2 June 2017

Today the weather was pretty rainy and gloomy, but the Eyjafjordur humpbacks made sure to make up for it! Although they were further away than recently, and also spending long time going for dives so less cooperative for the whale watching, we had the pleasure of noticing new faces. We resighted few of our regulars such as Fridolin, Rogue or Lumière, but we did not recognized few of the tail flukes today so that will require further investigation. Exciting times! But not as exciting as the behaviours displayed by our humpies today. This morning we had the chance to see three individuals feeding close to the sea surface, and using bubbles to herd the fish together. We could see them coming at the sea surface with the mouth full of water and the throat skin dramatically expanded! And in the afternoon, we hit the jackpot and witnessed a double breaching! Two humpbacks swimming together successively jumped out of the water... What a sight! We recommend our readers to check out our facebook page to check out the video from one of our passenger. The evening tour was much calmer but we still go to see them fluking, which is always captivating. Today was wet but incredibly lucky day!

Pictures and text by Guillaume Calcagni 

Thursday, 1 June 2017

The weather forecast for whole Iceland was not too promising today, but luckily the surrounding mountains around the fjord offered us enough shelter from the wind so that we could go out on two tours. On each tour it rained here and there, but never really strong and we could enjoy 4 to 5 humpback whales in the morning and in the afternoon. Compared to yesterday the whales had move further out and we had to sail almost till Hauganes to find our first blows. A few individuals were busy feeding and we had a really good time watching them coming up frequently very close to the boat. The whole day Jackson, Sai and Karo, three of our regulars at the moment, seemed to collaborate in order to herd fish together. A very interesting and equally entertaining thing to observe. We returned to the harbour a bit wet, but happy.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Wednesday, 31 May 2017

Overcast and raining in the morning, but no wind today in Eyjafjördur. The flat seas were superb for sailing. We sailed towards Hjalteyri again and spotted two groups of humpbacks, one of three whales and the second group of two animals. They were in the same area since yesterday, but today the whales were more active and we could whiteness many pretty flukes. However, the best moment in the morning was when we were heading back to Akureyri, and just close to the city we could see two minke whales. One minke was breaching, and the second whale was slowly swimming as we passed by the harbour.  In the afternoon we had an extraordinary moment with harbour porpoises coming close to the vessel's bow, the front part of the boat, when it was stopped (engines off) while we were watching and admiring a humpback whale nearby. The porpoises also went close to the whale. We sure were happy to see it! Again a very fun day with the Eyjafjördur humpbacks, minkes, and harbour porpoises.

Text and pictures by Manu Bassoi.

Tuesday, 30 May 2017

A strong northern wind and overcast during all day in the Eyjafjördur. Despite the unfortunate weather conditions, we could encounter two species of cetaceans today, a minke whale and five humpbacks. Luckily whales do not seem to be impressed by the rough winds, and just leaving Akureyri we could see the minke whale and many arctic terns around feeding near the surface. Afterwards, we searched the location near Hjalteyri for some time, and two humpbacks were then spotted. In the beginning, we saw two animals in different areas. The whales were going down for a long time; therefore we had to be more patient today. We could see more three animals at a distance, but we decided to stay with the whales close to Hjalteyri due to weather conditions. Furthermore, fascinating seabirds were in the Eyjafjördur as weel, such as eider ducks, kittiwakes, northern fulmars, and skuas.

Text and pictures by Manu Bassoi.

Monday, 29 May 2017

Today we had a lovely time with our Eyjafjord humpbacks on two tours. In the morning we could enjoy mirror like sea on our RIB boat Solfar II and in the afternoon we were glad to have shelter from the rain on our cozy boat Skrudur. Easterly winds made sailing really pleasant today and overall we saw 5 humpback whales on the morning tour and 4 in the afternoon. Jackson, Manu, Rogue and Sai were the individuals we encountered many times. Especially Rogue really showed us what ‘it’ got. It breached right in front of the boat to our all surprise and performed a wonderful tail slap. After that excitement we loved to enjoy some ‘quite time’ with Sai and Manu which seemed to be just resting only meters away from the boat, while our engines were off. Great nature and great whales surely made it a great day here in Eyjafjördur.

Pictures and text by Babsi Neubarth

Sunday, 28 May 2017

The day started raining in the morning, but the sea was perfectly flat. We sailed towards the north, and just close to Hjalteyri two blows appeared on the horizon. They were humpback whales. We stayed a while with these two individuals and after we continued sailing north. After this encounter, close to Haugane, we spotted three humpback whales that have been seen in the fjord since last week. It was a wonderful meeting as the whales decided to come closer to the vessel while we were stopped just waiting for their next appearance. In the afternoon, the sun decided to show off.  What a great sail as we could meet two minke whales. The first appeared just fifteen minutes after leaving Akureyri and the second whale just jumped several times at high speed towards Hjalteyri. We also met two humpbacks in the same area, and more three humpback whales just close to Haugane. Harbour porpoises were also present in all tours today. A stunning day with many humpback and minke whales.

Text and pictures by Manu Bassoi.

Saturday, 27 May 2017

You would think you get used to seeing so many humpback whales, but what a crazy day today ! Once again we have seen many regulars, including this group of 3 individuals always traveling together for the past couple of days (Sai, Karo and Manu). Our dear Jackson has been spending the day in duo with Tinkerbell, who knows how long will they stay together? The afternoon tour has been marked by the presence of a relaxed minke whale right at the exit of the harbour! Although it's not rare, a minke whale is not something that you specialy expect on our tour, and even less so close from the departing point! And all of this happened in calm sea and under sun shine, with only cold wind to remind us that we are in subpolar latitudes. Overall we must have seen a dozen of individuals of humbpack whales today, including Fridolin, Winchester, and two individuals we don't know yet. How exciting to meet new faces!

Text and photographs by Guillaume Calcagni

Friday, 26 May 2017

Today Eyjafjordur has provided plenty of humpback whales again! First in the morning we got to see together 3 of our regulars together: Sai, Manu and Jackson. After few minutes with them we witnessed Jackson parting with the group and going on its own. After that we went past Hjalteyri on the opposite shore and met Euclid, this crazy humpback feeding shallow waters (less than 2m deep). In this afternoon we got to see even more individuals! Sai and Manu were still together, and surprisingly close to the harbour with that! They were swimming less than 100m away from the docks in the industrial area of the harbour. Further we found 2 news individuals and Karo and Rogue as well. The latter threw its body out of the water 3 times, displaying massive breaches! It's like a dream that is never ending, this fjord is full of humpback whales, and today we had the pleasure to resight again many of our regulars in addition of plenty of harbour porpoises.

Text and photographs by Guillaume Calcagni

Thursday, 25 May 2017

The day started overcast, but the sea was perfectly flat. We spotted our first humpback whale just after fifteen minutes sailing. We didn't spend so much time with the whale as it was diving for an extended period of time. Therefore we had chosen sailing north for more whales. We searched the location near Hjalteyri for some time, and two humpbacks were then spotted moving slowly. In the afternoon tour, we were lucky as we saw a minke whale very close to a humpback whale. The whales stayed in the same area surfacing sometimes before going down for a few minutes. We stayed motionless and spent some time watching them without moving our boat. After this moment we continued sailing north towards Hjalteyri, and three groups of humpbacks were swimming in the area. There were two groups of two animals and one whale alone, which was resting and spending a long time at the surface without moving. Everyone was happy and smiling as we headed back home. A fabulous day with a minke whale and several humpbacks.

Photographs and text by Manu Bassoi.

Wednesday, 24 May 2017

The sky was dark and overcast, threatening to rain, and the swell started to rise throughout the day. Despite the weather, there were many humpbacks whales in the Eyjafjord. Our first sights of the day were two humpbacks, but they were not together. As we continued scanning the fjord further north, caught sight of three more blows, also in different areas. We spent some time in a whale that was feeding sometimes and turning over on the surface. Quite nice behaviour to look at. In the afternoon was not different as we had one whale alone and two groups of two and three humpbacks northern of Hjateyri. Harbour porpoises were also spotted together with the group of three whales. We estimated that about eight to ten humpbacks have been seen today in Eyjafjord.  Although the cold weather, all the passengers were very happy to see so many whales.

Photographs and text by Manu Bassoi.

Tuesday, 23 May 2017

Once more we were sailing out under very good conditions from Akureyri. The sun was showing itself here and there, the seas were calm and only a little wind. Today we went out on two tours with our RIB boat Solfar and on our big boat Holmasol. Humpback whales a plenty were greeting us on both tours. In the morning we encountered seven and in the afternoon presumably nine individuals. Their behavior varied from feeding in mainly pairs of two to resting in the calm and sheltered waters of Eyjafjördur. Especially watching a humpback whale feeding is always a sight to behold! Our constant companions throughout the tour were big flocks of arctic terns which were looking for leftovers in the water and entertained us with their loud bird sounds. Seeing a humpback whale coming up to feed in a flock of excited birds surely is something special and we truly enjoyed a very fun day out in the fjord.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Monday, 22 May 2017

The week started a bit chilly than the weekend, but the sea was still very good for sailing and searching for the whales and dolphins.  As soon as we passed Akureyri harbour we could see our first blow, a humpback whale. After this encounter, further north, another solitary humpback was spotted. We continued sailing towards Hjalteyri and two blows appeared on the horizon. 
While we were stopped and waiting for these whales, many harbour porpoises came near to the boat, which was a very exciting moment for all on the boat. During the afternoon tour, we started with a nice encounter with a minke whale. As we sailed northwards, the humpbacks were in the same area close to Hjalteyri surfacing and showing their flukes several times together, really synchronised. At one point one whale just breached high out of the water just in front of us, which was met by enthusiasm from everyone on board. Wonderful moment in the Eyjafjördur before heading back to Akureyri.

Text and pictures by Manu Bassoi.

Sunday, 21 May 2017

This weekend surley is spoiling us with sublime conditions, mirror like sea, almost no wind and a bright blue sky. It just seems like the humpback whales want to add on to that and make a fantastic day just even a little bit better. We went on two tours today and on both tours we had great cetacean encounters. The humpback whales seemed to be really relaxed but also curious at the same time. A bit further out than yesterday, we got to spend time with a group of three whales that came so close to our boat Holmasol that we theoretically speaking almost could touch them. The very clear ocean topped it all by enabeling us to see the whole humpback whale underneath the water surface, its white flippers and the massive tail, a very impressive and stunning experience! We saw one more quite curious humpback in another part of the fjord who even spy hopped to check out the surroundings. What more can we say than how much we are enjoying Eyjafjördur, the weather and the fantastic wildlife at the moment.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Saturday, 20 May 2017

Wonderful day in Eyjafjördur today: sunny, flat seas, and air temperature reaching 20 degrees celsius in the afternoon. Not a day to be missed, as the whales. There were 5 humpback whales, two groups of 2 and 3 animals, on our morning and afternoon tours. In the morning, on the RIB boat, it took us only 5 minutes to see our first group. The whales were more active and diving deeply for a long time, but we could spot the flukes sometimes. However, the second group was slightly less active, and we could enjoy them resting on the surface and blowing strongly. So nice to hear the blow of a whale. In the afternoon the whales were still in the same area. We were in the big boat, Hólmasól, and there was a moment that two humpbacks swam and surfaced directly next to us at the bow of the boat when we were just stopped waiting for their next appearance. All the passengers were amazed as they could see the long pectoral fins of the whales, a distinct characteristic of this species. Simply an amazing day in the Eyjafjördur. 

Pictures and text by Manu Bassoi.

Friday, 19 May 2017

A weather forecast of bright blue sky, no wind and mild temperatures for the weekend!? Bring it on Eyjafjördur, we are hoping for some magnificent whale watching days and what can we say, at least today has already been one of them. Right now we only have to sail half way to Hjaltery to find our beloved humpback whales. When we were looking out on the morning tour and we saw our first blow, we would have never guessed to find a total of six humpback whales to be surfacing together. They then split up in a group of four and two and we spent some impressive time with both groups and additionally came across a seventh humpback. The afternoon tour was almost as successful with a total of six whales and one harbour seal. Hopefully the weather will stay like this and the humpbacks will stay close to Akureyri so that we can have fabulous tours this weekend. Come and join us on tomorrow or on Sunday, we sure do want to share great cetacean encounters and wonderful adventures out in the fjord.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

THURSDAY, 18 MAY 2017

NO TOURS TODAY

Wednesday, 17 May 2017

A strong northern wind was blowing in our faces and it rained from time to time when we went out in the morning. Due to the unfortunate weather conditions this would be our only tour of the day. Luckily the cetaceans did not seem to be impressed by the roughly winds and so after 25 minutes we spotted our first humpback whale of the day. We watched it surfacing quite close and could stay with it for a while. It is pretty impressive to observe how the humpbacks expertly surf the high swells to breathe. Overall we saw three different Eyjafjördur humpbacks on this tour, one of them was ‘Princess Whaila’ which we have seen now on and off for almost two weeks in the fjord. Despite the rough weather, a nice morning out.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Tuesday, 16 May 2017

In the morning there was no wind and the sun was a bit shy, but coming sometimes. The sea was flat and beautiful. Just leaving Akureyri and we found our first humpback whale, but as it was diving longer many times we decided to leave and search for other whales. We sailed up to Hrisey Island, and all onboard could appreciate the beautiful landscape of this area. After spending some time searching we finally found a humpback whale, which was showing its fluke many times for the enjoyment of all.  In the afternoon, again close to Hrisey Island, we could see a big splash caused by a tail lobbing humpback. The whale was raising its tail fluke out of the water and slapped many times (tail slap behaviour), and also slapped its peduncle several times (peduncle slap behaviour). There was another humpback close to this individual, but this one was calm and slow. Thus, we justed stayed there and enjoyed. 

Photographs and text by Manu Bassoi.

Monday, 15 May 2017

What a fantastic relaxing day we had in Eyjafjördur today. The sun was shining, the sea was calm and so were the 4 to 5 humpback whales we were fortunate enough to encounter on our morning and our afternoon tour. In the morning it took us literally less than 10 minutes to see our first humpback. This individual seemed just to take a stroll around the harbour before we could follow it further out into the fjord. A great start to a really fun tour. Most of our time we spent with two individuals which were resting deeply. They just seemed to be hanging on the water surface so that we could see them permanently and stayed with them simply to enjoy. It truly felt almost magical to share a calm siesta with these two humpbacks. In the afternoon the whales seemed to be slightly more active and so we could whiteness many beautiful flukes, including the return of one of our regulars from last year ‘Awesome Fluker’. We sure were happy to see it! Again a very fun day with the Eyjafjördur humpbacks.

Pictures and text by Babsi Neubarth