Dolphins All Day, Minkes and Masks in the Afternoon!

WHALE WATCHING CLASSIC

09:00

There was a strong wind blowing from the north this morning when we set out on our morning whale watching adventure, but a little wind never stopped the steadfast crew of the Andrea! We headed out into the feeding grounds of Faxaflói Bay, and slowly but surely made out way far out into the bay. We searched high and low, and for a while it seemed like the bay was silent today – until in the distance we spotted a flock of feeding seabirds. Definitely a promising sight, but could there be more to it?

We went to investigate, and at long last we encountered a pod of white-beaked dolphins! These dolphins were certainly busy today, darting around possibly in search of their next meal. They were a bit difficult to spot at times, but fortunately they came up close enough to our boat that we could see them well a few times. This morning I also spotted a puffling out in the bay, meaning that at least some puffins have already started their journey out into the North Atlantic ocean, where they will remain until next spring. Summer always goes by too quickly here in Iceland! After enjoying our sightings of the dolphins, we headed back to the harbor.

– Jonathan Rempel
Instagram: @jon.rempel

Tour Status: ON

Sightings: YES! White-beaked dolphins!

13:00

This afternoon was an interesting adventure to say the least! Today at 12pm the new national regulations relating to COVID-19 went into effect, meaning that every passenger was required to wear a mask. Fortunately, everyone followed the guidelines without issue, proving how courteous and conscientious our afternoon group was! With our unusual attire in place, we set sail into Faxaflói Bay in search of our whale friends.

We took a northerly route towards the feeding grounds, using Mount Esja to shelter us from the winds. Along the way out, we found a pod of white-beaked dolphins! We saw them only a few times before they vanished, so we moved on, and ahead of us was an area filled with hundreds if not thousands of birds, including northern gannets diving into the sea everywhere. We scanned the area carefully, until our first mate spotted a minke whale right behind us! We followed it for some time as it hunted for fish, and we moved on to another minke that showed itself much better, coming up quite close to us. We were then surprised by another pod of dolphins, this time swimming around us and another boat! When the time came to say goodbye, these dolphins decided to bow-ride us for a long time as we headed back home. What a great way to end the day!

– Jonathan Rempel
Instagram: @jon.rempel

Tour Status: ON

Sightings: YES! Minke whales and white-beaked dolphins!