Wednesday, 1 July 2026
Today we sailed out under beautiful sunny skies with a fresh breeze blowing across the fjord. The conditions were lovely, and before we even reached the whales, nature treated us to an incredible birdwatching experience.
Along the way, we spotted an amazing variety of seabirds, including Arctic skuas, great skuas, kittiwakes, black-legged kittiwakes, eider ducks, and northern fulmars. It was wonderful to see so many birds filling the skies and resting on the water as we made our way through the fjord.
Then came the moment we had been waiting for. South of the Green Buoy, we spotted our first blow of the tour. It was our old friend Umbrela, a humpback whale that has been spending the last few days here in our fjord.
Umbrela was swimming peacefully, taking calm breaths at the surface before gently arching into a deep dive. She wasn't staying underwater for very long, and after about seven minutes, she would gracefully surface again, giving everyone another fantastic view. Watching her relaxed movements in the calm morning light was truly special.
What an amazing beginning to the day! With sunshine, a fantastic variety of seabirds, and a familiar humpback whale greeting us, it was the perfect way to start another unforgettable adventure on the fjord.
In the afternoon, we had to go a bit farther, just east of Hrísey, close to the mountain Kaldbakur. There, from seemingly nowhere, Umbrella, the same humpback whale we had seen in the morning, came back to the surface and, a few seconds later, started breaching and displaying head slaps. We stayed with Umbrella for quite some time, keeping a safe and respectful distance from the whale. Just as it was time for us to head back, Umbrella also started pectoral slapping.
On our 5 p.m. tour, we suddenly spotted intense bird activity. Right beneath the birds, we first found a group of harbour porpoises, followed by a feeding minke whale. We switched off the engines and enjoyed the peaceful encounter when, suddenly, another minke whale surfaced in the distance.
We look forward to seeing what the fjord has in store for us tomorrow.
Text and images: Lenka, Gisela & Gema
Tours of the day: Classic - 0900, 1300, 1700 & 2030 o’clock. Express - 1000 & 1400 o’clock.