Minke whale found on a whale watching trip from Reykjavik.
Whale watching from Reykjavik, on a luxury yacht, why would you travel any other way?
Success! An adventurous day whale watching Reykjavik with Sea Trips, we found a beautiful minke whale that we have seen several times before – it is a delight to see it is doing so well. We also saw many sea birds, such as gannets, black-legged kittiwakes, shearwaters, cormorants and black-backed gulls.
The weather today was extremely changeable, but for the most part, we missed the rain. Still, we were delighted to be on board the superyacht Amelia Rose, all warm, dry, and cosy. The seas were a little choppy, but she cut through it effortlessly, and the skies were grey and tempestuous. Even on the days where the sun doesn’t shine there is an ethereal warmth to the light, and the jagged mountains look ever so dramatic. We totally understand why they wanted to film Game of Thrones here! What a backdrop!
We set out on time, everyone having checked in at our office beforehand, and then settled into the yacht with mugs of cocoa and cans of our own brand beer! As we left the harbour our guides gave a briefing, not just on safety but with tips on how to spot whales. However mesmerised we are by the beauty around us we always keeping an eye out for the tell-tale signs there may be cetaceans in the water.
Firstly we look for large quantities of sea birds, ideally ones that are actively feeding. They often feed on the same size fish as whales, but as they fly high they can find them even better than us!
Secondly we look for blows. Blows happen when a cetacean breaths out, their warm, wet breath makes a cloud of steam above them, which can reach as high as 10metres if they are a blue whale!
Thirdly but by no means lastly we look for fins, we love everything with a fin, from sharks to fin whales. There are a lot of other ways we find whales, why not have a look at this article for more information, or book a trip with us and our super friendly and professional guides will be happy to tell you more.
Today we headed to an area where we had been seeing minke whales for the past few days, and mother nature did not disappoint. We hadn’t been there long when we saw the elegant arch of a minke whale really close to us! We stopped moving and waited patiently for it to resurface. Normally the surface to breathe three or four times then do a dive. The diving makes their back arch and so we knew when we saw it to be patient and just wait. It kept resurfacing, and we were able to recognise it as the same one we had seen for the last few days. How delightful!
People also come here to see the bewitching northern lights, and we take people out to see them, again on our lovely super yacht Amelia Rose. If you book a whale watching Iceland tour with us you can get a Northern lights trip for 50% off!
Sea Trips Reykjavik sail everyday out from Reykjavík Harbour, Iceland. Our yacht, Amelia Rose was built as a super yacht in 2003 and as such is ever so comfortable and stable. However the seas often change here, and people are affected differently by the movement of the oceans. As such we have seasickness tablets available for free at the bar. We also have warm blankets and ponchos around the yacht for your comfort, though the inside of the ship is very warm and snug.
If you have any more questions about our ships or the trip please get in touch or read our FAQs. If you want to learn more about how to spot whales have a look at this article here!
