A curious humpback whale – A very good day!
Weather conditions were simply perfect on this last day of August. The sea was flat like a mirror and visibility excellent – best circumstances for a wonderful whale watching day. Similar to the previous days we had to sail pretty far in northwesterly direction to find some marine mammals. But in contrast to yesterday we had no difficulties in finding an animal – simply because there were so many of them! We ecnountered at least four or five different humpback whales! They surfcaed all around us and it was hard to decide where to head first.
In the afternoon a very large group of white beaked dolphins gathered for hunting fish in the northern part of Skjálfandi Bay. Although this species usually occurs in small groups of 5 – 20 individuals, they sometimes form so called superpods with up to 100 or even more individuals, especially in areas which are rich in food. We spent some time with these gorgeous dolphins, before we searched for the humpback whales again. They were still in the same area. But we were already about to leave when we saw the highlight of this day: Suddenly one ofthe humpback whales turned around and approached our boat. He turned on his back, showing us his fluke and then he started circling around the boat, always turning on the side to have a closer look at us. Through the clear water surface we could see the whole animal. It is hard to describe such a fantastic encounter – but I think all of us got goosebumps during these unforgettable moments!
Luisa, guide
