Whale Watching Daily Diary – April 1st 2026

Today’s morning tour got cancelled due to rough seas but as the afternoon looked more promising, we decided to give it a try… and it paid off!

The sea remained choppy in the afternoon; you could certainly feel that we were on a boat. But the wind was barely blowing, and visibility remained very good!

We sailed straight out into the open waters, scanning every possible nook and cranny of the bay. Unfortunately, to no avail – no birds, no whales. After over an hour of searching, we decided to turn back and change course, heading slowly towards the old harbour in Reykjavik; fortunately, we took a slightly different route. At one point, about 500 metres away, we spotted a blow and a very long, black dorsal fin – it was a male orca! He was swimming alone, very calmly. We know, however, that orcas are very social animals, so it was only a matter of time before the rest of the family appeared. After a while, three females came into view; they were scattered, surrounded by a whole flock of fulmars and northern gannets. It was hard to spot them at first, but at one point two orcas surfaced right in front of us, just 50 metres away! What an encounter. The whole pod was very active; it was clear they were feeding. In total, we encountered around six orcas – one adult male, three adult females and two juveniles swimming alongside them.

Orcas are not a common sight in Faxaloi Bay, which is why we are doubly delighted by such an encounter!

 Guides: Sverrir and Klaudia