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Category: whale diaries

  • Sperm whales, cachalot, pottwal

    Sperm whales, cachalot, pottwal

    Our giants of the deep

    The big male sperm whales were out in the deep water again today and we got two very close looks at them on our one afternoon tour.

    We were pleasantly surprised with the weather out there which was not quite as bumpy as we expected it to be and we did manage to get to see two big, high flukes of the sperm whales as they descended to a feeding dive.  The sperm whales descend down to around 340 metres deep to feed once they lift their tails. 

    We saw hundreds of birds out feeding as well, gannets, arctic terns, puffins, kittiwakes and fulmars were all following the boat and in large numbers this afternoon on the fjord.

    Judith (Tour guide)

     

     

     

  • Orcas and sperm whales again!

    Orcas and sperm whales again!

    The ocean predators

    On both our tours today we got to see the charismatic species we have here in west Iceland at this time of year quite regularly, the orcas and the sperm whales. On the morning tour we got a brief look at a sperm whale as he went down, but then spent time watching a male orca. This orca was surface active, slapping his tail on the surface very close to the boat.

    In the afternoon we got to see a number of both orcas and sperm whales in the same area of our fjord. The orcas were spread out, travelling in the deep water while sperm whales popped up from their deep dives nearby. We got some really great, close looks at the sperm whales as they breathed at the surface, re-oxygenating their blood and muscles, before lifting their massive flukes out of the water to return to feeding down in the deep.

    Judith (Tour guide)

  • Orcas and sperm whales!

    Orcas and sperm whales!

    A sunny day out with the orcas as well as sperm whales in the morning

    We finally got back out on the water today after five days of bad weather and wow, what a welcome back! We had two sunny tours and really nice orca sightings on both tours. On the morning tour we also got to see some sperm whales. There were a lot of sperm whales out in the deep water in the west and we got to see a number of them close to the boat. What is great about sperm whales is when they lift their tail for a deep dive, and one whale in particular did a huge high fluke when he went down.

    On the way back in towards Olafsvik we finally found the orcas and watched as one group travelled in a tight group, lifting their heads out in the waves, while another group was not far away and seemed to be feeding under some diving gannets.

    The afternoon tour was all about the orcas and we spent almost the whole trip with them as they travelled and foraged around. We got some very close approaches by two curious juveniles and some great looks at the adults too. We were very happy to be on the water again.

    Judith (Tour guide)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Sightings of three different species

    Sightings of three different species

    WHALE WATCHING SNÆFELLSNES
    10/07/2017: We had a wonderful morning tour out of Ólafsvík today, with sightings of three different species! We started out with a quick look at a small group of white-beaked dolphins just outside the harbour. As we ventured out into the deeper waters, we got to see a Minke whale that was going for long dives surfacing a few times. Finally, we then also spotted a sperm whale that was creating a rainbow when exhaling! He also lifted the fluke out of the water as he went for a deeper dive. We are having lots of sunshine and calm waters here at the moment, and we are running two tours tomorrow at 10am and 2pm.
    Marie (Spotter)


    #lakitours #boattour #whalewatching #whales #spermwhale #cachalot#pottwal #minkewhale #zwergwal #dolphins #whitebeakeddolphins#nature #wildlife #ocean #sunshine #landscape #rainbow #July#Iceland #Westiceland

     

  • Large group of pilot whales

    Large group of pilot whales

    WHALE WATCHING SNÆFELLSNES

    09/07/2017: We had two whale watching tours out of Ólafsvík today, and started out by seeing a large group of pilot whales very close to shore on the morning tour. They appeared to be resting vertically with their heads coming out of the water. Pilot whales are known to show this kind of resting behavior in other places of the world as well. On our morning tour, we also spotted a small Minke whale, which we then re-sighted on the afternoon trip. At the end of the second tour we spotted the pilot whales porpoising high speed into the harbour in Ríf – you can find a full report on this incident on the Orca Guardians Iceland page at: https://www.facebook.com/orcaguardians/posts/1907846132779303
    We are running only one tour tomorrow morning at 10am and we still have lots of spaces available for you to join us!
    Marie (Spotter)
    #lakitours #boattour #whalewatching #whales #pilotwhales#grindwale #grindhvalur #minkewhale #zwergwal #whalefriendly#nature #wildlife #ocean #landscape #July #Iceland #Westiceland

     

  • Sunny and calm day

    Sunny and calm day

    WHALE WATCHING SNÆFELLSNES
    07/07/2017: We had two tours going out from Ólafsvík on a very sunny and calm day. On our morning tour, we spotted a small group of orcas just a short time into the tour. They were travelling slowly parallel to our boat, occasionally changing directions. As we headed to the deeper waters, a sperm whale came up close to our boat, and after a short resting period, this whale lifted the fluke up before going for another long dive. In the afternoon, the small group of orcas had joined up with another mother-calf pair, and we could admire all of them in shimmering waters. There is only one tour scheduled for Saturday at 10 am, but we still got seats available for you to join us on this trip!
    Marie (Spotter)


    #lakitours #boattour #whalewatching #orcas #killerwhales #blackfish#orca #killerwhale #whales #spermwhale #cachalot #pottwal #Iceland#Westiceland #nature #wildlife #ocean #sunshine #landscape #glacier#July

     

  • Minke whales and sperm whales

    Minke whales and sperm whales

    WHALE WATCHING SNÆFELLSNES

    05/07/2017: We had one afternoon tour and set out towards the East first, where we spotted a Minke whale that came up a few times next to the boat. After some travel time back towards west, we then spotted a sperm whale blow several kilometers away, but this whale went on a deep dive before we could get close enough. Luckily, we spotted three more sperm whales much closer, and they lifted their flukes up into the air for us. We could also see puffins, Arctic terns, and skuas on this trip.
    Marie (Spotter)
    #lakitours #boattour #whalewatching #whales #spermwhale #cachalot#pottwal #minkewhale #zwergwal #nature #wildlife #ocean #landscape#birdlife #puffins #terns #skua #Iceland #Westiceland #July

     

  • Sperm whales!

    Sperm whales!

    WHALE WATCHING SNÆFELLSNES
    04/07/2017: Once again the sperm whales were the stars of our tours! In the morning we spent a lot of time observing at least five different individuals. Towards the end of the tour we got the closest look at one of the sperm whales that came up from a deep dive just next to the boat. We also observed a Minke whale briefly on this trip. In the afternoon, we started with a long scout towards the West, and came across a small group of harbour porpoises, and as we came back towards the East there was one sperm whale showing the fluke. We then also got really good looks at a Minke whale before returning to the harbour.
    Marie (Spotter)


    #lakitours #boattour #whalewatching #whales #spermwhale #cachalot#pottwal #minkewhale #zwergwal #porpoises #harbourporpoise #nature#wildlife #ocean #landscape #Iceland #Westiceland #July

     

  • Sperm whales and white beaked dolphins

    Sperm whales and white beaked dolphins

    WHALE WATCHING SNÆFELLSNES
    03/07/2017: Both our whale watching tours out of Ólafsvík today were very successful. On our morning tour, we did not even have to go far into the deeper waters of Breidafjörður to spot a sperm whale – we found one right at the beginning of the tour! As we continued our journey, we soon also came across a playful pod of white-beaked dolphins that were leaping out of the water and approaching the bow of the boat. After we had then travelled along the peninsula for a while, we met orcas at the peninsula tip going South, and it was wonderful to watch them travelling parallel to the boat.
    On our way home, we spotted dolphins once again! In the afternoon, we, once again, started out with the sperm whales – this time we got to see three beautiful flukes going up and down in front of our boat. This was followed by an amazing killer whale sighting with three core groups that we could observe actively hunting the herring. If you would like to try and find whales with us, you can come out on a trip tomorrow, either at 10am or 2pm!
    Marie (Spotter)
    #lakitours#boattour#whalewatching#orcas#killerwhales#blackfish#orca#killerwhale#whales#dolphins#whitebeakeddolphins#spermwhale#pottwal#cachalot#Iceland#Westiceland#nature#wildlife#ocean#landscape#July#summer
     
  • Choppy seas but an enjoyable ride

    Choppy seas but an enjoyable ride

    WHALE WATCHING SNÆFELLSNES
    02/07/2017: We had one whale watching tour this morning and made our way through Breidafjörður in search of whales. In the deeper waters, we got to see two sperm whale flukes going down. We admired the first one a bit from a distance, but got a closer look at the second individual. The sea was choppy today and our passengers enjoyed riding the waves. Weather conditions are ideal tomorrow, however, and we are running two tours at 10am and 2pm.
    Marie (Spotter)

    #lakitours #boattour #whalewatching #whales #spermwhale #cachalot#pottwal #Iceland #Westiceland #nature #wildlife #ocean #sunshine#landscape #July #summer