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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

Saturday, 6 April 2024

The weather this morning turned out to be quite tricky for spotting because of the water colour despite the very flat water surface, minimal wind and patchy blue skies. The weather in the afternoon did worsen into the afternoon as a strong Eastern wind started to increase as the storm we are set to encounter tomorrow rolls in.

On our morning tour we sailed to Grenivik where we encountered the new Humpback Whale first seen yesterday. This whale was showing mixed high fluke and low flukes dives and on several occasions we saw the whale close to our boat. On our return journey we encountered 2 more Humpbacks, the recent residents we have been seeing. Slightly strange as we sailed very slowly past Hjalteyri on the way out in the hope to see them here.

On our afternoon tour we sailed to Hjalteyri and here we were able to encounter Magnea, a Humpback Whale we had seen on our return earlier. The whale surfaced several times around us and, despite the very difficult spotting conditions from a few hundred meter visibility, we were able to see many times. Unusually for this whale we witnessed many very high fluking dives, by far the highest I have ever seen this whale lift its caudal fin.

Text & Pictures: Mac

Departures: 0900 & 1300 O’Clock Classic

Friday, 5 April 2024

The weather in the fjord today was very favorable for spotting, there was a very minor Southern wind but with clear skies and a glass like water surface.

We sailed to East of Hjalteyri on both tours finding 3 Humpback Whales. Our 2 regular individuals and the new whale first spotted yesterday. The whales here were diving for less than 5 minutes each and on our afternoon tour spend much time around our boat. We were fortunate enough to have the whales surface several times right next to the boat giving us views of the whale swimming below the water surface as we watched from above. This is not something I’ve experienced in a whale as the water has been so dark recently and it was really nice to witness once again.

Text & Pictures: Mac

Departures: 0900 & 1300 O’Clock Classic

Thursday, 4 April 2024

The weather today was idyllic, glassy seas in places with a minor South Easterly wind.

On our morning tour 2 Humpback Whales were found just West of Grenivik. One of which was our current resident black and white fluke ‘Camel’, while the second was a NEW whale! The first new Humpback in 2 months.

In our afternoon tour we struggled to find these whales, sailing to North of Hrisey. However, we were unable to see anything and it wasn’t until our return journey South that we had our first sighting. We found that same Humpback Whale from the morning tour once again by Grenivik, however, behaving in a manor which made it very difficult to spot. The whale first dove for approximately 20 minutes and surfaced some kilometer away from where we last saw it. This behaviour explained why we were unable to initially find it but we did still manage to see the whale several times before.

Text & Photos: Mac & Cheyenne

Departures: 0900 & 1300 O’Clock Classic

Wednesday, 3 April 2024

Wow! Fantastic weather conditions in Eyjafjörður today! No wind, sunshine and mirrorlike water!
On our tours, we encountered two different Humpback Whales, plenty of Harbor Porpoises and one Minke Whale!
We saw the whales surface often, even around our boat! Hearing their breaths on a calm day like today, having close encounters in these great weather conditions is simply spectacular. The cetaceans were spotted south of Hjalteyri, all relatively close to each other in a similar area. Additionally, we spotted many birds, like Long-tailed Ducks or Northern Fulmars.
We are more than excited to sail out again tomorrow!

Text & Pictures: Cheyenne
Departures of the day: Classic Tours 09:00 & 13:00 o’clock.

Tuesday, 2 April 2024

The weather today was beautiful… in spells. We had a strong Eastern wind and northern swell that varied throughout the day providing a mixture of glassy and choppy seas. It was overcast for the whole morning, however, in the afternoon the entire sky open up to reveal all of the mountains with sunny skies.

In our morning tour we sailed to in line with Grenivik where we encountered our recent resident Humpback Whale. The whale was diving for around 5 minutes at the beginning with very high flukes, however, this did change later on and we left the whale exhibiting no fluke surface swimming. Here in the first picture, you can see a new piece of jewelry our loving Humpback has acquired. This fishing line appears to be tangled around the barnacles on its fluke, seemingly not posing a serious threat, however highlights clearly the dangers that discarded fishing gear can have on cetaceans. We will look to monitor this ‘bling’, so long as we continue to see this whale, and hope it does not start to pose a problem.

On our afternoon tour we were unable to find any cetaceans, visiting the area the whale of the day was previously sighted. Unfortunately, these things can and do happen, however, we gave our guests our customary complimentary tickets in the hope next time they join us we are able to have an encounter. Another great reminder that every experience with these whales is a 2 way exchange. It is by no means our right to see and enjoy them every day and this fact should always be respected.

Test & Pictures: Mac

Departures: Classic - 0900 & 1300 O’Clock

Saturday, 30 March 2024

The weather conditions today were challenging and unfortunately we were unable to find any whales on our tour today. We sailed to Hjalteyri, where there had been reports of Humpback Whales earlier in the day, and sailed around this area slowly trying to look for any signs of cetaceans. We did spot Harbour Porpoises to my great surprise given the very large waves, but, came up short when it came to seeing anything larger. We sailed back slowly maintaining our search, however, this also came to no avail. All of our passengers received their customary complimentary tickets.

Text: Mac

Departure: 1300 O’Clock Classic

Friday, 29 March 2024

The conditions today fluctuated drastically throughout. We had a strong eastern wind for the whole duration of the day but increasing and decreasing visibility with strong snowing restricting sighting distance down to a couple hundred meters.

Despite the conditions we located whales in both of the day’s tours. In the morning we found 2 Humpback Whales around Rauðavik, the same place as yesterday. Here we had more typical 5 and dive displays with Camel showing high flukes and Magnea giving its very typical low fluke. Upon leaving we witnessed a tail throw and singular tail slap a little to the north of us, a possible feeding behaviour as there were countless diving birds and large numbers of schooling fish. In the afternoon we only found one of these individuals sand it was Magnea, a little south of Hjalteyri. The whale was surfacing in front and behind numerously with classic 5 and dives and on one occasion surfacing out of no where, literally, 1 meters from the bow. It gave myself and our passengers quite a fright, but, and excellent opportunity to detail and discuss the whales anatomy.

Text & Pictures: Mac

Departures: 0900 & 1300 O’Clock Classic

Thursday, 28 March 2024

The weather today consisted of a moderate North Eastern wind and snowing low visibility clouds, this improved through the tour and on our return south most of the clouds had cleared revealing the mountains.

We sailed north to just north of Hjalteyri, ruðavik area where we found a Humpback Whale. This whale was our dark fluke individual, Magnea, an MVP of the winter period. The whale was diving for roughly 5 minutes at a time, but, behaving in its usual way of only slightly lifting the tail. The whale surfaced in front and behind many times and appeared to be following a large shoal of fish detected on the fish-finder below us in the area. On many occasions the whale surfaced directed towards us so we enjoyed several close encounters as the whale swam along side, allowing us to listen to its breath.

Text & Pictures: Mac

Departure: 1300 O’Clock Classic

Wednesday, 27 March 2024

We had fantastic weather conditions today. No wind, a bit of snow and mostly a mirrorlike fjord!
During our tours today, we encountered several pods of Harbor Porpoises south of Hjalteyri, the diverse birdlife of our fjord along the way, such as a Northern Gannet, and one Humpback Whale north of Akureyri!
On our morning tour, we witnessed the Humpback Whale just outside of Akureyri, by the warm waterfall. There, the whale kept poking its mouth and head out of the water surface, as if it was playing with the ice on the surface. Such an impressive and interesting encounter! We could see the Humpback resurface several times after short deep dives and on this super calm day, we even heard its breath many times!

Text & Pictures: Cheyenne
Departures of the day: Classic Tours 09:00 & 13:00 o’clock.

Tuesday, 26 March 2024

We had great sailing conditions today with hardly any wind, a flat sea as well as great visibility!
Sailing out after breaking the ice in our harbor, we spotted many different bird species, such as Northern Fulmars, and we encountered Harbor Porpoises, one Humpback Whale and one Minke Whale north of the green buoy! The Humpback even showed some feeding indicators and came up to the surface to breathe very often, after short deep dives.
What en exciting tour! We had beautiful, sunny conditions and many great encounters with these cetaceans in Eyjafjörður today!

Text & Pictures: Cheyenne
Departures of the day: Classic Tour 13:00 o’clock.

Monday, 25 March 2024

Today, we had a fantastic tour! We sailed in cold weather, with the wind picking up as we sailed out a bit further north, but overall we had good conditions.
Just as we left the harbor of Akureyri, we spotted the first indicators of a cetacean! We encountered one feeding Humpback Whale, saw very active lunge feeding and had extremely pleasant encounters.
It was incredibly beautiful to watch this Humpback Whale resurface over and over again, while feeding at the surface!
Additionally, we saw many different bird species feeding around the whale, also picking out their food.
It was a true spectacle. And we had many close encounters. Several times, the Humpback surfaced right in front of us, meters away from our boat Hólmasól!
This was a breathtaking tour and we cannot wait to sail out again in Eyjafjörður tomorrow!

Text & Pictures: Cheyenne
Departures of the day: Classic Tour 13:00 o’clock.

Sunday, 24 March 2024

The weather today was near perfect with mostly glassy seas and minimal wind. The visibility was okay, however, did fluctuate greatly throughout the day.

On our first tour we sailed to Hjalteryri where we briefly encountered a Humpback Whale. Unfortunately after seeing this whale, ourselves and three other tour operators all failed to see this whale again. A great reminder for the unpredictable ability of the wild environment we sail in. On our second tour we encountered another Humpback Whale, likely the same individual, almost 20 miles from where we saw it on the first tour. We saw this whale by Svalbarðseyri and it was swimming at a speed of roughly 4 mph. It continued to behave like this for the whole tour, rarely fluking with large inter-breath intervals.

Text & Pictures: Mac

Departures: 0900 & 1300 O´Clock Classic

Saturday, 23 March 2024

The weather today improved throughout the tour, but the strong northern wind was making significant waves.

We sailed out to just south of the green buoy where in the distance we could see several large splashes. They were very distinct from the many wave splashes we could see. It was a Humpback Whale breaching. At the time of the breaches the whale was being passed very closely by a container ship, most likely the reason for the jumping. We got closer to the whale and watched the travelling behaviour as the whale moved up the East side and then across to the West. Despite the traveling behaviour and short inter-breath intervals we were seeing regular flukes. The whale then interestingly spent quite a bit of time in the extreme shallows to the West of the green buoy, less than 10 meters deep.

Text & Pictures: Mac

Departure: 1300 O’Clock Classic

Wednesday, 20 March 2024

The weather today was very pleasant, almost zero wind that picked up from the East on our return; clear skies and good visibility; and a medium sized northern swell.

We sailed to just South of Hjalteyri where we encountered 2 Humpback Whales. The whales were several hundred meters apart and we spent time with both of them. Our first whale, Magnea, was moving slowly South and appeared to be feeding. No fluking, but, short breath intervals and frequent changes of direction. The feeding activity was later confirmed to us with several lunge feeds and surface straining behaviours. We also witnessed some interesting behaviour as the whale seemed to roll around at the surface, at one point exposing its eye for us to see. The second whale, Camel, was diving deeper giving some more typical 5 and dive behaviours with high flukes.

Text & Pictures: Mac

Departure: 1300 Classic

Tuesday, 19 March 2024

We sailed out in southern wind, with some swell, but the sun was shining!
Today, we encountered two Humpback Whales by Hjalteyri. We had several close encounters with both Humpbacks and one of them even tail slapped several times! It was already a great tour with amazing encounters, when we sailed out further and encountered one BLUE WHALE by Hauganes!!! This is super, super rare, as they are not seen inside our fjord very often. We were absolutely thrilled. We got to see the biggest animal on earth today, as it surfaced by our boat to take a big, loud breath! It was unbelievable to see the size of this whale up close.
This is a day to remember and we are still trying to wrap our heads around everything that we got to witness today. Absolutely stunning. What a tour!

Text & Pictures: Cheyenne
Departures of the day: Classic Tour 13:00 o’clock.