Tuesday, 13 August 2024

Good day, nature lovers!

Today we sailed on a perfectly sunny summer day from Akureyri, accompanied by a mirror like sea.

Sighting wise the morning was equally good. We encountered 1 Humpback Whale by Svalbarðseyri, and it was so nice to enjoy this gentle giant, hearing its breath. After a while, we resumed our sailing. When we were by Hauganes we saw a massive flock of Northern Fulmars flying and the reason was another Humpback Whale surfacing under them. And it was breathtaking just to enjoy the calmness of the sea the whale’s breathing and simply seeing how majestic it is. But our mood only increased on our way back home, by Hjalteyri, when we encountered what we strongly believe to be a juvenile Sei Whale. Since Sei Whales look almost the same as Minke Whales this is a tricky thing to confirm if we don’t see the pectoral fin of the animal. However, since it looked like an abnormally large Minke whale and had a strongly falcated dorsal fin, we strongly believe it could be a juvenile Sei Whale.

Although the wind picked up for the afternoon tours, we were still delighted with our sightings. We again found the Humpback by Svalbarðseyri, but further north… Surprise! Between Hauganes and Grenivík, jumping White-beaked Dolphins, and up to 5 Humpback Whales!

Text and Images: Cheyenne, Jacob & Gisela

Departures for the day: Classic - 0900, 1300 & 1700 o’clock. Express - 1000, 1030, 1330 & 1400 o’clock.