Andrea departed from Reykjavik Old Harbour for a whale watching themed cruise in the Icelandic waters of Faxafloi bay. Right after leaving the pier we started searching for the Humpback Whale that had been spotted near Viðey the day before. Luckily the animal was still there, lunge feeding amongst sea birds that were plucking the leftover food from the surface. We observed the cetacean for a while and admired its powerful lunges, as it surged repeatedly. We also saw the whale’s tail fin (fluke) a few times. Unique black, white and yellow patterns adorn the underside of the humpack’s fluke, allowing researchers to recognize every single one of them using a method called ‘photo-identification’. Eventually we waved goodbye and headed further out in the bay, hoping to encounter more whales. We swept the feeding grounds and when our time ran out we made our way back to the city, while reminiscing about our time spent with the whale.

– Etienne Menétrey