Sunday, 23 July 2017

An impeccable day with blue sky, warm temperatures and enough wind to cool you off when needed has come to an end. The whales were a bit further out than we were used to at the moment, but every time we found them the way was so worth it. Groups together of up to six whales made sure each tour was a success. Tattoo, Cascade, Sting, Arnar and about 4-5 other whales were mainly busy feeding. Therefore they surfaced all around the boat and ensured everybody on board a close up and personal encounter with one of nature’s finest, cetaceans. A thoroughly enjoyable day in Eyjafjördur.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Saturday, 22 July 2017

Busy weekend, blue sky and beautiful whales seems to sum up this weekend so far. Many cruise ships are currently docking in Akureyri and their passengers are out and about to of course take a look at the humpbacks of Eyjafjördur. Luckily as every day since the beginning of May we were able to find them. Sometimes they came so close to the boat that we could have touched them if we would have wanted. But seeing, smelling and hearing the humpback whales is already so impressive that it is not necessary (and of course it is not appropriate) to physically touch the whales. Whale watching on the whales terms is our theme here at Elding and we are happy to be able to share our passion with all the people who are joining us on our tours. Summer please continue like this, we love it.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Friday, 21 July 2017

The day started overcast, but the sea was perfectly smooth. In the morning tour, we had some humpback whales, but they were all alone. In the afternoon trip, our first sight was also a humpback whale, but we didn't spend so much time with this animal as it was diving for an extended period. Therefore we had chosen sailing north for more whales. We searched the location near Hjalteyri for some time, and we were fortunate to spot a group of four humpbacks together, and another whale alone. Suddenly, the five animals got together, and we could join a wonderful group of five whales - five flukes in a queue! In the night tour, we had a pleasant surprise of a minke whale as our first sight, followed by groups of two and three humpback whales. Furthermore, we also could see my favourite humpback "Jackson" swimming alone. Everyone was smiling as we headed back to Akureyri.

Photographs and text by Manu Bassoi.

Thursday, 20 July 2017

We sailed out with amazing weather, during the morning tour no overalls were necessary due to the sunshine and the warmth. After about half an hour of sailing we saw the first blows of humpback whales in the distance. We started out with a group of three which was joined by two other humpback whales so we managed to see the group of 5 animals coming up several times close to the water. Due to the smooth water conditions we could follow the animals very well under the water as well. In the beginning the animals were travelling and moving quite quickly, maybe moving towards another feeding area. The animals we encountered later were more calm taking a short break from their feeding activities and allowing us very close views. A good day with many whale groups coming up very close to the boat.

Text Anouk de Plaa and pictures Babsi Neubarth

Wednesday, 19 July 2017

Something special was blowing through the fjord today. Warm (!) wind from the South resulted in an unusual mild day with calm seas in the morning and a bit rougher sea in the evening. From early morning till late evening we always saw at least 7 humpback whales on each tour including Dark Night, Paintball, Arnar, Fontana, Cascade and Jackson to only name a few. The whale of the day like Jackson yesterday, was Fjall with many tail slaps and lobs. For almost half an hour we got to enjoy the show in a front row seat on our boat Holmasol. A lovely day with heartwarming whales and temperatures.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

Another splendid day has almost passed in the Eyjafjördur with a little wind in the morning, the sun and some rain. We went out from early morning till late at night and could meet at least 10 to 12 humpback whales on every tour. Sometimes the whales were alone, in pairs and groups of four and even five humpbacks together. However, the great moment of the tour was the night one, when the humpback "Jackson" just gave us a private show with many breachings, tail and head lobbing, and finally flipper slapping. We just could not believe such performance! Thanks a lot "Jackson" for the grand finale. 

Pictures and text by Manu Bassoi.

Monday 17 July 2017

We sailed out with very nice conditions just a little wind and even some sunshine. To our big surprise we spotted our first humpback whale only 5 minutes out of the harbour and we managed to get some nice views of this individual. After leaving this whale we did not have to travel far before we spotted the next individuals, there were at least three pairs of humpback whales and several animals by themselves. We just turned of the engines of the boat and waited and the whales started coming towards us, popping up right next to the boat. Everybody was able to get good views of the whales because they were all around and coming so close. On one of our rib tours we got a wonderful finale, a whale approached us and started tail lobbing very near the boat. Causing quite some excitement among the passengers and the crew.  

Text Anouk de Plaa and pictures Babsi Neubarth

Sunday, 16 July 2017

Today we sailed out with cloudy conditions and some rain. We did not need to travel far, only 10 minutes, before we spotted our first blow. It was a single individual, but it was behaving quite elusive so we decided to continue our trip. We spotted two individuals in the distance and at the same time two other individuals, making it hard to decide which whales to watch first. One of the pairs was joined by a third animal and on several occasions these three even approached our boat giving us amazing views. In the distance we spotted many more individuals among which was another group of three. We got quite a surprise when one of the three near us started tail lobbing, throwing the back of its body out of the water creating huge splashes. The group of three was joined by another animal, a great ending of the afternoon tour when these four approached the boat and showed us their pretty flukes. On the morning tour another whale provided us with a great show by breaching just in front of our boat. An amazing day with at least 15 humpbacks not far from Akureyri and some spectacular whale behaviour.

Text by Anouk de Plaa and pictures by Manu Bassoi.

Saturday, 15 July 2017

The day started raining in the morning, but with "fair winds and following seas". We sailed towards the north, and just fifteen minutes sailing we already spotted some blows on the horizon. They were two humpback whales just to start. After this encounter, we spotted more two groups of three humpback whales each, and some whales are well known by us as "Tatoo", "Dark Night", "Cascade", "Jackson" and many others that have been seen in the fjord since last week. We finished the tour encountering more two groups of two whales each, plus more blows further that we had no more time to explore. Summing up, about fifteen to seventeen humpbacks were sighted. However our best moment of the day was the afternoon Express Tour, where we could face just in front us a triple humpback breaching - a remarkable day!

Text and pictures by Manu Bassoi.

Friday, 14 July 2017

Calm seas, some sun and many, many humpback whales made sure we had an amazing time on every single tour today. To be precise, we encountered at least 15 different humpbacks on every tour! They could be found alone, in pairs or in groups of up to 6 whales feeding together. Often they came super close and surfaced directly in front of us. All for us was left to do was turn off the engines, sit back, relax and enjoy natures wonderful show. Even our staff who go out almost every day are absolutely in awe of what is happening here at the moment. Currently whale watching in Akureyri is really something not to be missed on a vacation in Iceland.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Thursday, 13 July 2017

Conditions were just excellent today in the morning: flat seas and sunny. In the morning tour, we had many sightings of humpback whales again just south off Hjaltery. Paintball, Arnar, Dark Night, Fjall, Quasimodo, Tattoo, Graffiti and Obi Whale Kenobi were busy feeding and socializing. But these were not the only individuals we got to admire today. A few new individuals and harbour porpoises were also responsible for many unforgettable moments today including a majestic breach on the 5 o'clock tour. A great day well spent out at sea. 

Photographs by Manu Bassoi and text by Babsi Neubarth.

Wednesday, 12 July 2017

A clouded sky and a little wind was accompanying us throughout the day but it stayed dry most of the time and we could even enjoy some sun glare here and there. Humpback whales a plenty made sure we had an exciting day out. On our one o’clock tour we even counted a total of 12 humpback whales. Grenade and Fjall were two of many well-known individuals. One breach and a head slap were the definite highlights of today. We are excited to see what tomorrow holds.

Text and pictures by Babsi Neubarth

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

This day offered everything you could possibly wish for. On all our tours we encountered many humpback whales, so that it was even hard to decide in which direction to go or look as there were blows everywhere. A challenge which we gladly accepted. The whales showed their whole repertoir of behaviours today. If on the big vessel Holmasol or on the speedboat, everyone got a tour to remember. But let the pictures speak for themselves...

Pictures and text by Nicole Koestner

Monday, 10 July 2017

Another day full of humpback whales in Eyjafjördur. Today the whales were swimming a lot just southern off Hjaltery, and they were very active with some tail slapping and tail lobbing. However, not only the whales were very active but also the sea with a lot of waves. The tours on the RIB boat were full of fun and adventure. The passengers just loved so many whales and had enjoyed the wet experience! Among the new humpbacks enjoying the fjord today, we could mention "Picasso", "Cascade", and "Paintball". How could we not be happy with so many humpbacks!

Text and pictures by Manu Bassoi.

Sunday, 9 July 2017

I have no words for Eyjafjördur today as we clear could estimate about twenty to twenty-five humpback whales, just up to North of Hjaltery. We only have to sail to find humpback whales everywhere. They were swimming in different sites; groups of two, three, four, and seven whales, and also single ones. However, the best news as we have new humpbacks enjoying the fjord together with our known humpback whales from the last two weeks. At the end of the first tour, everybody was just amazed by the moment that seven whales went diving one after the other as a queue of seven flukes just in front of us! Furthermore, we could also spot many seabirds during all the tours (mainly arctic terns, northern fulmars, kittiwakes, and skuas). A very impressive day with the Eyjafjördur whales.

Text and pictures by Manu Bassoi.

Saturday, 8 July 2017

What a beautiful Icelandic summer day in the fjord today. It started off with a sunny morning and mirror-like sea conditions. And when we arrived in the area around Hjalteyri we were greeted by many whales. Apparently, many new humpback whales found their way deep into the fjord in the night before. We spotted at least 14 different individuals. Thus, the 7 whales we had been seeing over the last days got company from whales known from the last year, but also some which had not been spotted here before. How exiting! All day long we enjoyed watching the elegant giants. We saw them feeding at the surface, resting, surfacing and circling around the vessel and showing their gorgeous flukes. Some of us got even very lucky and saw one or the other breaching and slapping their tail or pectoral fin onto the water surface, creating massive splashes. For most of us this will be a day always to remember.

Text by Nicole Koestner

Pictures by Manu Bassoi

Friday, 7 July 2017

Glorious weather shined upon the fjord today again. The wind was here, but the sea remained flat and sun lit the way for us. With perfect conditions come easy sightings, so we were treated with numerous humpback whales! It was a tad confusing and hard to keep track of all the whales, as they were surfacing all around us but never at the same time. We're not going to complain about that, we loved it! We got a mixture of new individuals and regulars of Eyjafjordur, so it made the identification exciting. For the midnight tour we were blessed with splendid dying lights and very relaxed humpies. They were all having a nice nap, so it was easy to stay in their vicinity. Overall an enjoyable day with whales that are here to stay!

Text and pictures by Guillaume Calcagni

Thursday, 6 July 2017

The balance of power has changed in Eyjafjordur! All the action still happens around Hjalteyri, but instead of the usual 7 humpback whales that we frequently found there for the last two weeks, we saw many new faces! One of them turned out to be Picasso, an individual we used to frequently see in Faxafloi for the last 3 years! How exciting to have a visit from our friend here! Some of them where sighted on our tours for the very first time, one was promptly named Baldur, after our awesome engineer on board. We still got to see some of our favorite humpies, including Jackson, Tattoo and the Dark Knight. The day has been easy and fruitful, with many whales and excellent weather. It's just another day in paradise!

Text and pictures by Guillaume Calcagni

Wednesday, 5 July 2017

Today in the morning was a fabulous day in Eyjafjördur: the sea was completely flat. Just southern off the old fishing factory "Hjalteyri" we stopped for the first humpback whale. However, at a distance what a surprise when a second whale just started tail slapping. Therefore, our captain began slowly heading towards the humpback, and the whale repeated many times tail slapping, and also upside down! We got excellent pictures of the fluke from this "tail slapping". Furthermore, another humpback also started tail slapping and tail lobbing. In the same tour, two slapping tails humpbacks were incredible. Moreover, we had many seabirds (arctic terns, fulmars, black headed gulls, kittiwakes) feeding around the whales. A very delightful day with the Eyjafjördur humpbacks and sea birds.

Pictures and text by Manu Bassoi.

Tuesday, 4 July 2017

On this day we could enjoy the stunning view of the fjord on all our tours. Despite a fresh breeze the sea was very calm and guaranteed smooth ride all the way. In the morning we watched 5 humpback whales. They all seemed to be feeding together at the same spot, as they always surfaced together and in parallel, building an almost perfect formation. Two of them even had a little morning exercise and breached not far from our vessel. During the day we saw 7 different humpback whales. Some of them have been around for a few days now and seem to have found their favorite feeding spot not far away from the harbor of Akureyri. So, we were able to spend a lot of time with the whales this day. On some of our tours we also had some company by the cute and shy harbor porpoises when we were on our way to the beautiful giants. All together a marvelous Icelandic summer day in Eyjafjordur with amazing wildlife.

Text by Nicole Koestner
Photos by Guillaume Calcagni