Pictures by Megan Whittaker and Text by Mike Smith
Whale Watching Tour: 11:00
Bright but very cold morning in Akureyri with temperatures measuring at -2 celsius, with all passengers deciding to wear one of our overalls for some much needed warmth. Shortly after departing the harbour we encountered a group of 5-6 harbour porpoises feeding under diving kittiwakes. Soon after, many more porpoises appeared all around the boat at varying distances. All in all we saw at least 30 individuals scattered in small 3-5 individual pods. We kept sailing north towards the mouth of the fjord in search of some larger animals and were joined by a fulmar flying a metre or two above our heads, displaying it´s gliding ability. Birds were everywhere on the outbound journey and we were treated to a huge flock of long-tailed ducks all taking off together. We circled around Hrisey and started to make our way back. More porpoises were seen surfacing which excited the passengers, but unfortunately there were not any larger cetacean species seen on todays trip. Just before returning to port we decided to go within metres of the steaming hot waterfall, giving passengers a nice photo opportunity that was enjoyed by many. Although no whales were seen today, everyone enjoyed the sail, landscape and porpoise encounters. Everyone was offered a complimentary ticket to hopefully see the larger leviathans next time.