Here in Faxaflói bay we see four species regularly; minke whales, humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises. Sometimes we've though spotted other species and that was the case last week. On 25 July we were so lucky to spot a fin whale on out 17:00 tour. This was the second fin whale this season (the other was spotted 5 June at 9:00) and again we were pleasantly surprised to see this second largest animal on earth.

It was the fin whales large blow that guided us towards it. We believe it was about 15 meters long, so technically not a large one. We stayed whit this fin whale for the whole tour and it really was a great and well appreciated addition to the species we regularly have here in Faxaflói bay.

Some facts about the fin whale:

• It is the second largest animal on earth
• It is a baleen whale
• It belongs to the rorqual family of whales
• it mainly stays in deeper waters, but occasionally spotted in whale watching areas
• it can measure from 18 to 22 meter and weight from 50-90 tons
• it can get up to 90 years old

Pictures taken on the tour by Fredrik Christiansen

The fin whale's blow, rising about 5-6 meters in the air!

During the summer months we have sometimes been so lucky to see basking sharks on our tours here in Faxaflói bay. This was the case on the whale watching tour last night and we‘re sure going to keep our eyes open for basking sharks on the tours today. The basking sharks are a great supplement to the whales we see on the tour and it is really something when we see them luring right under the surface.

The basking shark is the second largest fish in the world (only the whale shark is larger) and they are 6 - 8 meters long on average but can reach a length of 12 meters. On average they weigh around 10 tonnes but can be up to 19 tonnes (!). Sharks aren't mammals like whales are, and they do not have to come up to the surface to breathe, so when they are spotted it is because they are at the surface feeding. They'll swim slowly at the surface with their mouth wide open and filter the water that is pushed through the gills. It is estimated that a basking shark will filter up to 2.000 litters of water every hour! The basking shark is a filter feeder and feeds on plankton, krill and small fish ;)

Drawing by Jón Baldur Hlíðberg

This weeks’ Tuesday walk, 19 July 2011, is a guided tour with a sign language interpreter. The guide will inform guests about Viðey‘s history and nature.

Tuesdays are longer than other days of the week in Viðey. Two extra trips are added to the schedule at 18:15 and 19:15 and Viðeyjarstofa Café is open longer. This makes it possible for guests in Viðey to enjoy a lovely dinner at the Café, have a pleasant walk around the island, and enjoy delightful refreshments afterwards in the evening sun. This guided tour is in Icelandic and Icelandic sign language and it is free of charge. It starts at 19:30 by Viðeyjarstofa and takes about an hour and a half.

Roundtrip to Viðey ISK 1000.- for adults and ISK 500.- for children 7-18 years old.

Ferry goes back to Skarfabakki around 22:00

Viðey´s history of thousand years will be revealed with rev. Þórir Stephensen former manager of Viðey island. Viðey was inhabited from soon after the settlement of Iceland around 900 AD. In 1225 a monastery was founded on the island by Þorvaldur Gissurarson, with the assistance of scholar/chieftain Snorri Sturluson. The first monastery in the southern quarter, it soon grew wealthy. At its zenith it was the second-richest monastery in Iceland, owning up to 116 estates.
In 1539 the monastery came to a dramatic end when it was raided by Danish soldiers, when the Reformation was imposed on the Icelandic church.

Skúli Magnússon was the first Icelander to be Treasurer, and for half a century he was one of the most powerful men in the country. He had Viðeyjarstofa (Viðey House) built as his official residence; it was completed in 1755. This guided tour with Þórir is a perfect opportunity to get an insight into Viðey´s history and enjoy the beautiful nature of the island.

Tuesdays are longer than other days of the week in Viðey. Two extra trips are added to the schedule at 18:15 and 19:15 and Viðeyjarstofa Café is open longer. This makes it possible for guests in Viðey to enjoy a lovely dinner at the Café, have a pleasant walk around the island, and enjoy delightful refreshments afterwards in the evening sun.

The guided tour is in Icelandic and it is free of charge. It starts at 19:30 by Viðeyjarstofa and takes about an hour and a half. Ferry goes back to Skarfabakki at 22:00
Roundtrip to Viðey ISK 1000.- for adults.

Elding offers a variety of so called Combo tours. These tours are great for travellers who want to make the most of their days here in Iceland and fit more than one tour in their schedule. You can check out the selection of combo tours at our website and see if there is something that fits your schedule.

Together with the Scout group Frumbyggjar (Settlers)  our guests of all ages will raise a little Settlers village and learn the ways of the Settlers, - how to make a shelter, how to start a fire and so on. We also hope to set a new record in kite flying in Viðey. Kite flying has become an unseperable part of our summer activities in Viðey and lots of beautiful kites have been flown on the island.

The program starts at 14:30 and stands untill 16:30. All proud kite owners will come together at Viðeyjarstofa at 15:30 and we expect an impressive sight.

Elding now offers two of the celebrated Bobby boats that have made luck in the Westfjords. These boats ares specially designed for fishing but suite well for the various adventures at sea you’ve dreamt of. Relaxing cruises, sight seeing, puffin and whale watching or just about anything you can imagine doing on a small boat like this.

In this weeks's Tuesday walk, 5 July 2011, guests will be instructed on Outdoor Yoga. The common way of practicing Yoga is indoors but Yoga instructor Ragnheiður Ýr proves that Yoga can be practised everywhere and nature is the perfect place. The walk starts by Viðeyjarstofa at 19:30 and is free of charge and open for all.

Tuesdays are longer than other days of the week in Viðey. Two extra trips are added to the schedule at 18:15 and 19:15 and Viðeyjarstofa Café is open
longer. This makes it possible for guests in Viðey to enjoy a lovely dinner at the Café, have a pleasant walk around the island, and enjoy delightful
refreshments afterwards in the evening sun. The guided tour is in icelandic and it is free of charge. It starts at 19:30 by Viðeyjarstofa and takes about an hour and a half.

Ferry goes back to Skarfabakki at 22:00

Roundtrip to Viðey ISK 1000.- for adults

What a perfect day to start our 10:00 and 14:00 departures! The sun is shining, there is almost no wind and conditions are looking good on the bay. We had minke whales and harbour porpoises on this mornings tours and we just can't wait to go out again. 

As from today we have whale watching tours scheduled at 9:00, 10:00, 13:00, 14:00, 17:00 and 20:30 in addition to sea angling at 11:00 and puffin watching at 9:30 and 15:00. It sure is going to be a fun and busy summer of the Elding team.