Whale diary

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    whale
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    We went quite far until we saw a blow. We went there and could see a humpback whale! We were observing this majestic creature when a 2nd humpback whale decided to breach 3 or 4 times! We were going to return to the harbour when the other humpback decided to give us a gentle tail slap and then a fluke dive to say goodbye. 

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    sunrise in reykjavik winter
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    There was still a bit of swell as we sailed out surrounded by snowy pink mountains and enjoyed the stunning clouds. We sailed around, scanning the horizons for any sign of cetaceans. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful in finding any and therefore handed out complimentary tickets so that everyone can come again and see the bay in its full glory.

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    Dark clouds with exclamation point.
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    • CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00

    Due to unfavourable weather conditions, we are forced to CANCEL all whale watching tours from Reykjavík today!

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    Dark clouds with exclamation point.
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    • CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00

    Due to unfavourable weather conditions, we are forced to CANCEL all whale watching tours from Reykjavík today!

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    Dark clouds with exclamation point.
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    • CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00

    Due to unfavourable weather conditions, we are forced to CANCEL all whale watching tours from Reykjavík today!

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    Dark clouds with exclamation point.
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    • CLASSIC WHALE TOUR | 13:00

    Due to unfavourable weather conditions, we are forced to CANCEL all whale watching tours from Reykjavík today!

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    hallgrimskirkja and a lighthouse
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    Today the seas were a bit choppier and the wind was blowing quite a bit. We packed ourselves with overalls and we were ready to set sail on this cloudy but still beautiful winter day. We spotted many species of seabirds, but no sign of whales or dolphins so we decided to give out complimentary tickets so the passengers can come back another time!

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    hallgrimskirkja as seen from the sea at sundown
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    We got a light rain during the tour, but nothing to worry about. About half an hour in, we spotted a small harbour porpoise, that vanished as fast as it appeared! After exploring many areas, we weren't successful in seeing anything else around, so we decided to give out complimentary tickets so the passengers have another chance of coming back!

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    grey seals
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    We decided to start around the Viðey area because of the amount of birds present. There, we spotted a feeding harbour porpoise and not far away we saw 4 grey seals together. Continuing our trip, we got amazed by the beautiful sunlight coming in between the clouds, but unfortunately no other wildlife, so we decided to give out complimentary tickets!

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    humpback whale
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    Today the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in sight! We very quickly saw a harbour porpoise that came close to the boat for a few surfaces. Soon after we found a humpback whale and saw it surface a few times, but it was difficult to keep track of as it was doing very long dives. In the end we decided to offer complimentary tickets to all our passengers.

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    humpback whale fluke canvas
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    We sailed out on this very calm sea until we spotted a pod of 8-9 white-beaked dolphins. This pod was on the hunt and even had a calf that was probably learning a lot. We continued and soon saw the blow of a humpback whale. The whale was diving and moving a lot but we could still see it's fluke a few time which allowed us to identify it as Canvas!

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    humpback whale fluke
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    This sunny and afternoon we sailed out and soon spotted a big blow, and went to investigate - it was a humpback whale! This whale was extremely active, showing us its pectoral fins as well as tail slapping and making lots of splashes! After a while we saw another blow from another humpback whale that surprised us by coming close to our boat.

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    humpback whale
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    We spotted small splashes on the water, giving out the location of 2 harbour porpoises passing by. As we continued our journey, we saw many big blows and we quickly saw that we had at 5-6 humpback whales in the same area. They were all busy feeding, taking short deep dives, coming to the surface quickly to lunge feed and take a breath!

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    humpback whale dorsal fin
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    We first checked around Viðey to see if Flak was there, but we could not find it, but in stead we saw a grey seal! We then sailed further North into the bay to explore an area where another boat had spotted some blows in the distance and that's where we found them - in all, there were about 4 different humpback whales and we got a good look at two of them! 

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    esjan winter snow
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    As we sailed out we could admire all the snow covered mountains surrounding the bay. We saw seabirds including some very cute guillemots and razorbills. A gannet also passed close above our heads at one stage which was nice. We continued our search, but no cetaceans appeared so we gave out complimentary tickets so everyone can come back again.

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    esjan in the sunrise
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    As we were about to leave the harbour, snow started falling! We saw a big flock of birds and 5 harbour porpoises swimming around and feeding. We ventured further out and eventually we found a very elusive humpback whale. Due to the difficult sighting however, we gave complimentary tickets to all our passengers.

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    hallgrimskirkja as seen from the sea
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    The weather was fantastic this afternoon, with no wind and no waves coming out of the harbour. Only 10 minutes into the tour we saw 3 harbour porpoises that quickly swam away from the boat. We continued our journey, scanning the whole bay, but we didn't have any luck so we gave out complimentary tickets!

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    keilir mountain in the sunset
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    Today was our first day with only one tour per day. This, combined with the cold winds on our faces, told us that winter is officially here! We started our journey by covering first the area next to Esja mountain, however, we didn't end up seeing any signs of cetaceans today, so we decided to give out complimentary tickets to all our passengers!

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    sunset in reykjavik
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    On this final morning tour of the year we came across many seabirds but unfortunately the whales remained elusive. The sun continued to strongly shine on our faces as we saw a fast harbour porpoise passing by in the afternoon. We covered many areas, however we didn't encounter anything worthwhile today so we decided to give out complimentary tickets!

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    sunrise in reykjavik
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    The swell was still present this morning but the sunrise was gorgeous. We only saw a pod of 4 harbour porpoises during the way back and in the afternoon we found a humpback whale, but it came up only once. In the end we handed out complimentary tickets on both tours due to the difficult encounters, in hopes to see all our passengers another time.