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NATURE BLOG ARCHIVE

Elding Whale Watching Akureyri has been keeping track of whale sightings in Eyjafjörður since the beginning of May 2016. Read the nature blog to follow up on past sightings.

NATURE BLOG ARCHIVE

Monday, 3 December 2018

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And we´re back on the fjord, it was still snowing which reduced visibility a fair bit. It was a beautiful day, the sun was setting casting the fjord in a glowing golden light, the sea was very calm but further out it was a bit bumpy but nothing too bad. It was very chilly being -12 degrees so our warm overalls were put to very good use. Unfortunately, no whales were seen on our tour today, so complimentary tickets were offered to our passengers. We did however, have lots of bird life including common guillemot, European shag, eider duck, Icelandic gull, common gull and kittiwake. A wonderful day to sail.

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Tuesday, 27 November 2018

As the sun set in the distance we enjoyed a wonderful tour. The fjord was flat and it wasn´t completely freezing but our overalls were put to good use in the sub zero temperatures. The light was just wonderful today and absolutely perfect for photography. Three humpback whales were out to entertain us and we managed to see plenty of flukes and fluke prints created by the whales tails as they moved though the water and went for a dive. You can never get bored of the beauty of Eyjafjörður.

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Monday, 26 November 2018

The ice was very thick coming out of the harbour but we managed and further out into the fjord we found some spectacular whales. First one humpback whale popped up and then a few others joined, eventually we had at least seven different humpback whales surfacing all around us! It was exceptionally beautiful to watch as the sun slowly descended over the mountains casting the fjord in a beautiful golden glow. Words can not describe how captivating the sight was, whales surfacing all around us and with such spectral light, just breath taking.

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Sunday, 25 November 2018

Another wonderful whale filled adventure. It was a little bit difficult getting out of the harbour due to the ice, which, has been building up the last few days. However, we managed and set sail. Not long after leaving the harbour we spotted our first cetacean in the distance. This animal surfaced a few times before going for a longer dive. As we neared we could recognize this animal as the humpback Interstellar. Who was later joined by another two humpbacks. Who gave us a wonderful show of beautiful flukes and very close surfacings.

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Saturday, 24 November 2018

It was very cold today out on the fjord, but that doesn´t bother the whales. We found our first humpback around Hauganes. This whale surfaced beautifully many times all around us, we got to see its fantastic fluke raising high into the air as it went for a deeper dive. This whale we know as Right Hook and is a very recent addition to our catalog. As we were sailing back we found four more humpback whales who were feeding in the sunset. Such a beautiful end to the tour.

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Friday, 23 November 2018

What a beautiful day! The sun was shining, the fjord, again, perfect flat and there was hardly any wind. It was rather chilly so our warm overalls were put to good use. The fjord was quite frozen in some parts which produced some very interesting behaviour from the whales. A few times we saw the whales spy hopping (stick their heads out of the water) to firstly break the ice before surfacing to take a breath. It was spectacular to see such rare behaviour! There were plenty of humpback whales surfacing all around us, three were even travelling together! Two whales, at different points during the tour, tried, and almost gave us heart attacks, by surfacing right in front of us. One of these whales was of course Jackson, the other an old favorite Mariner. Interstellar, Quest, Moonshine and Wings were also seen wonderfully today along with a few others. Another truly unforgettable day in Eyjafjörður.

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Thursday, 22 November 2018

What a wonderful day out on the fjord. It was a day of perfectly flat seas and little wind, which, made sailing a delight. It didn´t take very long for us to find the whales, our first humpback was called Wonky who delighted us with some wonderful surfacings and amazing fluking. Further out we found more humpbacks including: Interstellar, Right Hook and Harley Davfinson. Along with Athos, Gills and another whale who were travelling and surfacing together. Just beautiful!

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Wednesday, 21 November 2018

The sky was beautifully clear, the sun was shinning, the fjord was wonderfully flat but a little frozen near the harbour, which was a spectacular sight to see. A minke whale popped up to entertain us and we saw it surface many times before it went for a longer dive so we headed further out and were delighted to find many, many humpback whales. Who astounded us with some beautiful golden blows in the setting sun and some wonderful tails as they went for dives. Such a beautiful time of year to sail on Eyjafjörður.

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Tuesday, 20 November 2018

A spectacular day on the fjord! Not only was the sun shining and the fjord flat but there was a tremendous amount of whales to be seen! On the way out we spotted little harbour porpoises, which were popping up out of the slightly frozen fjord. Later on we spotted a few blows in the distance and found ourselves a bushel of whales. Whales were surfacing all around us! Near and far, or in Jackson´s case very close. Jackson popped up just meters from the boat to say hello. Along with Jackson we also recognized, Fin Diesel, Interstellar, Aretha Frankfin, Wonky and many more. Interstellar also surprised us with some very beautiful spy hopping behaviour which was super cool to see. Another exceptional day to be out on the water, even if it was slightly frozen!

Monday, 19 November 2018

Such a beautiful day out on the fjord today. The sun was shinning, there was very little wind and the fjord was almost completely flat, which is almost unheard of for this time of year! The humpbacks were undoubtedly the stars of the show today, as they rose their wonderful flukes as they went for dives in the setting sun. We were even able to turn off our engines a few times and just let the whales surface around us, it was so quiet we could even hear them breathing, which was just spectacular. Happy faces all round!

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Sunday. 18 November 2018

A slightly windy and bumpy sail out on the fjord today. We all got a bit splashed and wind slapped. However, it was such fun! The whales were out enjoying the swells and bust up out of the water for a breath or a few. We saw splashes, blows, surfacing´s and even a breach as we were on our way out! We saw some familiar friends including D'Artagnan, Aretha Frankfin and Wonky. Another spectacular day to be out on the fjord.

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Saturday, 17 November 2018

What a wonderful day to be out on the fjord. The sun was shining, and it was unseasonably warm. There was a little bit of wind and swell but nothing too bad. We were very fortunate to find not only one humpback but three, swimming together! It was awesome to see them bust through the waters surface and show us their amazing bodies and flukes when they went for a dive. Tough Pella, another whale and Pourquoi Pas were hanging out together and Interstellar was hanging out not too far away. So we manage to see many lovely whales on our tour today! None of us can wait to get back out there.

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson

Friday, 16 November 2018

And we are back with a bang! Or a blow may be a better term and many of them. The fjord was wonderfully flat, the wind was hardly existent and the whales were out to play. It really didn´t take very long for us to find our wonderful humpbacks today. We enjoyed the company of Interstellar, Tough Pella and Harley Davfinson. Harley was travelling with another whale for most of the tour (which is yet to be named), but they split off to feed by themselves. Even though we had these whales very close to us, we could see even more whales popping up in the distance. Just another magical day in Eyjafjörður.

Pictures and Text by Tess Hudson

Wednesday, 14 November 2018

Today there was the most beautiful light on the fjord, which was just fantastic for photography. Harbour porpoises surfaced all around us as we headed out onto the fjord, showing us their beautiful little back-brown bodies as they porpoised out of the water. Further out we found some lovely humpback whales, including one lovingly called Wonky due to its curved and “wonky” fluke. These humpies surfaced many times showing us their wonderful flukes as they went for dives. One even came up with its mouth wide open which was great to see!

Pictures and text by Tess Hudson