lakitours.com

Category: whale diaries

  • There were no orcas or other cetaceans

    There were no orcas or other cetaceans to be seen in the deeper waters of Breiðafjörður today, even though we scouted from Grundarfjörður all the way towards West. We did see a few birds picking up bits of herring, so the fish to attract the orcas is still around. We will not run any tour tomorrow due to bad weather conditions, but we are hoping to get out on sea on Sunday again.
    Marie (Tour Guide)

  • A large group of orcas

    A large group of orcas

    On our morning tour today we spotted white-beaked dolphins just about 10 minutes out of the harbour! We have not had white-beaked dolphins on our tours for a longer time, so this was quite nice to see. When we journeyed into the deeper waters of Breiðafjörður, we finally also came across a large group of orcas, with at least 15 to 20 individuals. We could observe them travelling and resting, and spotted a little baby in the group. It was a perfect sunshine cruise with many smiling faces on the way home.
    Marie (Tour Guide)

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  • We are seeing so many little orca babies at the moment.

    We are seeing so many little orca babies at the moment.

    We had yet another gorgeous morning tour with orca sightings today! In the deeper waters of Breiðafjörður we came across a group of 20 individuals, which was a meet up of two family groups. We are seeing so many little orca babies at the moment – in this group we had at least 4 smaller youngsters, and some still with coloration. To be able to observe them in the sunshine with the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in the background just added another wow factor to this amazing tour which was exciting and relaxing at the same time! 
    Marie (Tour Guide)

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  • Two tiny calves and a bigger male

    Two tiny calves and a bigger male

    We were only running one tour in the morning today, and had a bit of a bumpy ride with long scouting time – but it paid off in the end! We spotted a group of 11 orcas surfing the waves with grace, including two tiny calves and a bigger male. They were travelling towards East, and we had to hold on tight to the boat to keep up with them. We also got to see some gannets diving once the orcas stopped for a little bit of feeding. We’re having a great time here at Láki Tours, and hope to get out on the water a few more days before the season is over!
    Marie (Tour Guide)

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  • Yet another gorgeous day

    Yet another gorgeous day

    We had yet another gorgeous day with two killer whale tours! Today the sea was a bit choppy, and – while holding on tight to the boat – we could observe two different orca groups surfing the waves! There were small calves in both groups that had to make more effort than the grown ones in the surfacing, sticking their heads high out of the water. On the morning tour we even got to see a spy hop again! The forecast for the next two days tells us the choppy tours might continue, and we are planning on running at least one tour per day.
    Marie (Tour Guide) 

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  • Lots of orca groups in different areas

    Lots of orca groups in different areas

    Today’s tours, once again, were absolutely stunning! Both trips saw lots of orca groups in different areas – they are just everywhere! On our morning tour we journeyed into the deeper waters of Breiðafjörður and encountered several orca families travelling slowly in tight groups. In the afternoon we came across the orcas a lot earlier than expected, and got to see some tiny and colorful babies, a triple spy hop (!), and some rolling around on the surface. What a day, we could not have asked for more!
    Marie (Tour Guide)

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  • At least 40 orcas around the boat

    At least 40 orcas around the boat

    We just came back from an incredible orca day! Both our trips today had at least 40 orcas around the boat – they would come up in big groups, resting on the surface and recovering from longer feeding dives. We could observe males with tall dorsal fins, and juveniles with their mums close and far from the boat. They would often form resting lines and come up all together in front of the beautiful snow-capped mountains. Both tours had the orcas approaching the boat and making some close passes, and our morning tour also spotted two humpback whales on the way home. We are addicted to the black fins and want to see more of them on the next tours, so book your spots with us – we are still running winter trips until the 15th of April.
    Marie (Tour Guide)

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  • …one with, and one without orcas.

    …one with, and one without orcas.

    Today we had two whale watching tours – one with, and one without orcas. On our morning tour we did not have to go far out of the fjord to spot several groups of orcas that were feeding and slowly travelling in the area. We saw lots of Northern gannets diving, and dropped the hydrophone to listen to the orca calls. Close to the island Melrakkaey we then observed a seal and two sea eagles that were chasing a gull. Our afternoon tour had no such luck, even though wecould still see very far in the calm waters and the sunshine. In the afternoon we scouted very far towards East, West, and North, and did not spot any fins at all – this just teaches us how fast things change in the ocean and reminds us of how fast and far orcas can travel (up to 120 km per day!). We finished this tour by looking at two sea eagles on the island Melrakkaey. Weather conditions for the next days are looking unfavorable, and we will assess the situation tomorrow morning to decide if we can go out or not. We will keep you updated!
    Marie (Tour Guide) ​

  • Orcas again!

    Orcas again!

    We were running one full tour from Grundarfjörður at 2pm today, and once we had gone out of the fjord, we spotted a flock of Northern gannets dive-bombing into the water at a distance. When we came closer, we saw black fins underneath the birds, and soon were surrounded by a group of 10 orcas feeding on herring. Later on they started travelling, and we observed them in front of the snow-covered mountains of Snæfellsnes. So we had orcas on a sunny winter day in Iceland – we could not have asked for more! Please note: We are super busy here at Láki Tours, so if you would like to go out on a trip with us, make sure to reserve your spots in advance.

  • We had both orcas and sperm whales today

    We had both orcas and sperm whales today

    We had both orcas and sperm whales today – say what??!! That’s right, we never see sperm whales on our whale watching tours in the wintertime here at Snæfellsnes, but today we encountered no less than 5 sperm whales off the tip of the peninsula. We saw their blows in every direction, and the same was true for orca fins! After we had looked at quite a few sperm whale flukes going down, we headed towards several orca groups in front of the glacier. Some individuals would approach the boat and dive underneath while the boat was stationary. Especially some of the males would hang out next to the boat, slowly breathing and resting on the surface. We had a full boat and saw many happy passenger faces on our way home.
    It looks like Snæfellsnes could soon be known as one of the rare spots in the world where you can see both orcas and sperm whales on the same tour/in the same area, and both in summer and wintertime! Amazing. So much we have yet to learn about the ocean giants roaming the waters of Breiðafjörður.
    Marie (Tour Guide)