maí
Tour at 16:55 added for the summer!
The summer schedule has started! From today on we will offer three daily tours on our beautiful ship Andrea: 08:55, 12:55 and 16:55. Now you can go whale watching at (almost) every time of the day :)
maí
Lots of Puffins today!
Today was our first puffin tour, the season has officially started :) And they have arrived! Plenty of them!
apr
THE FIRST PUFFINS ! ! !
Have a closer look at our whale diary of the tour this morning:
mar
Easter Egg Hunt & Whale Watching
This Easter we are having some extra fun on our Whale Watching Tours - we have hidden Easter eggs around our boat ANDREA and our passengers will get to search for them, as well as enjoy them on our tours over this Easter Weekend - We have had some lucky passengers on our tours - and the kids always enjoy a bit of chocolate - HAPPY EASTER!!:)
mar
Killer Whales - Close to shore!
Today‘s first rocking news from sea ~ right now we are with a big family gang of Orcas ( killer whales ) They hang out pretty close to shore, we didn't had to sail far when we spotted there large fins above the surface. The group of Orcas spread far and there are about 30 animals, some individuals incredible close to our boat which is giving us the change to see there white colored patches, light gray saddle colors and the snout.. We also looking at a mother and calf swimming alongside our boat ~ distance less then 20 meter away, so cute! One of the whales rolled around and we saw its belly and the underside of its tail fluke and another leaped out about free quarters of its body out the water leaving big splashes behind, freaking cool! The time is 14:35 and we are going to sail further ~ we think direction south, maybe we find the Humpbacks from last days again ... we sailed into a much calmer weather front, approaching sunshine and less clouds, the sea looked beautiful and further of the beaten track we spotted more Orcas from the same pack, they split to circulate as though this is normal for bigger groups. We had a fantastic moment, a small group of about 10 animals were traveling incredibly close to our boat, the animals swam side by side quite slow, underneath the sunshine gave a beautiful picture and some more of them swam behind and the other side of our boat, it was amassing and unfortunately we run out of time and had to start our sail away to anger back home ;)
mar
Are the whales musical?
Yes indeed - the Humpback Whales sing to each other, or at least the male ones do during the breeding season, as well as when they migrate, late summer and at the feeding grounds. There are several ideas and hypothesis on why they sing, and our favorite has to be that they are singing for the females to attract them - very romantic!:)
mar
Ásbjörn Björgvinsson ráðinn rekstrarstjóri hjá „Special tours“ Sérferðum í Reykjavík.
Ásbjörn Björgvinsson hefur verið ráðinn rekstrarstjóri hjá Special Tours í Reykjavík. Ásbjörn hefur víðtæka reynslu úr ferðaþjónustunni bæði sem framkvæmdastjóri Markaðsstofu Norðurlands um árabil og þar áður sem framkvæmdastjóri Hvalasafnsins á Húsavík.
mar
Faxaflói Bay - Full of wildlife!
Another fabulous day with couple of Humpback Whales rolling around in the pod of 100´s of White-Beaked Dolphins!
feb
DAILY 15% Winter Discount
Dear Friends, We will sail daily all march at 12:55 so you can make use of our 15% WINTER DISCOUNT in the old harbor of Reykjavik throughout the month! Of course we will keep our word and provide a free Hot dirnk on board for the rest of the winter aswell!
feb
15% Winter Discount
Its warming up outside and the sun is starting to shine more these days - therefore we decided to offer our customers 15% Winter Discount!!!
jan
Dolphin rescued by diver
Life of Whales is happy to see how well humans and marine wildlife can interact! Here in our bay Faxaflói off the coast of Reykjavik we do our best to protect the marine wildlife. We are proud beholders of the "BLUE FLAG" eco label and of course we love to be visited by "our" white beaked dolphins all year round. Now here is the link to an article by the Mother Nature Network: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/hawaii-dolphin-rescue-caught-on-video Of course Life of Whales does not claim any rights on the article or Pictures. We say it is worthy to see this, Your Life of Whales TEAM
jan
Big humpback arrived in the bay! -Juppieh-
Great whale watching start into 2013!!! The big whale is found ~ yes finally , we cant really believe it ;) When we started our tour we was really happy about the weather conditions, which were calm sea, no waves and most vital of all, none of the cold ice winds blowing of front into our face, no it was perfect to sail out. We past a district of hazy area mixed with rain, were we saw many birds gathering above the silent surface, like kittiwakes, razorbills and a bunch of shags, but no really signs of cetaceans, by then the captain of the other whale boat brought us news that there crew spotted withe beaked dolphins and so we took course towards another direction which were the best thing happen to us, cause just by sailing towards the dolphins we've spotted a huge blow, ohh we knew there was something huge out there, soon after a big black back and the stuppy dorsal fin ~ another blow and then a fluke tail, a huge Humpback ~ from our experience we can tell that this is a really big Humpi , we had wonderful moments watching our laddie fairly close to the boat, the closest were 5 meters , gosh it was thrilling, this big whale kinda was almost the same length of our boat, so close and we never really had to look for it were to surface next, we just listen to its incredibly lutes while it was breathing, its flukes emerged all times and also trougth the surface we spotted the white colored tail fins ~ the angel of the ocean ;) Wonderful tour, can*t wait to tomorrow to see the Humpback again, hopefully ~
des
"Sail on, Santa" It's Christmas time
One beautiful Christmas sail ;) We didn't really know if we were to sail into a new adventure to day, cause everyone seamed occupied on shopping then to come out to find the big whale ~ but then all suddenly everyone seamed to have changed there mind and our fine whale yacht was surprisingly packed by only a few seconds, well yes ~ so we boiled fresh captains cafe, get on moving, raising our whale flag for the last sailing day before we open our presents at home tomorrow ;) Our tourists brought a fantastic atmosphere, well temper is the better expression to say and so all of them joyed the upper deck from the very start our tour ~ and an attentive audience makes a quick find, some of our sharp bulging eyes hunters spotted something out there ~ once we "tiptoe" closer we detected a medium sized group of withe beaked dolphins. They gave us the pleasure to behold there beautiful colors at a distance less then 2 meters, just like yesterdays tour. We were lucky to hang out a bit with them and then decided to sail further to find a big ocean beast ~ perhaps , but since there wasn't the big whale out there we spurted back towards the group of withe beaked dolphins and had a real good time. Our sail back was into the evening mood, warm colors of the sunset all over the snowy mountains surrounding our bay and of course free hot chocolate for everyone ~ Merry Christmas and many hugs to all of you (())
des
Such a beautiful winter sail
When we set the our boat for todays sail ~ we were so excited to sail into the beautiful weather. Blue sky and no frosty winds which gave the snow covered mountains a magical shine all around. We sailed our common areas and soon detected a small group of withe beaked dolphins, actually a small family this time. We were so lucky to observe a little dolphin calf traveling all the time close to the other individuals, attempting to catch up speed of its friends to not stay behind, just really cute movements ~ This group stayed with us all along this tour, keeping distance and close in long time intervals, most of the time keeping only about 5 meters away from our boat, so once again we were able to behold the beautiful withe patches of there body shining trough the glass clear frosty ocean surface ~ We actually running late, at this moment the sun has set already and evening clouds are rising from the north, soon a magical dark veil of mist will set the ocean to sleep, time to now enter our home harbor ;)
nóv
Aus der Sicht der Wale:
Von Hannah und Elke, die im vergangenen Jahr an einer Walbeobachtungstour teilgenommen haben: Ship Watching Das Wetter, das ist heut' so gut da fragt die Mutter ihre Brut: "Kinder, wäre es nicht schön sich ein paar Schiffe anzusehn? Packt eure Sachen, wascht euch rein, in 10 Minuten fertig sein!" Da die Mutter mahnt zur Eile steh'n nach einer kurzen Weile alle Kinder brav am Start, nur Papa Wal ist nicht parat. Sagt, er habe was vergessen, würde lieber noch was essen, muss noch mal zum Örtchen geh'n, einmal in die Zeitung sehen, seinen Sonntagsanzug suchen, ein Theaterticket buchen, kurzum, er könne noch nicht starten, man möge bitte auf ihn warten. Unterdessen liegt am Riff schon das erste Tourischiff, nach allen Seiten Augen spähen, doch hier gibt es nichts zu sehen. Auch als weit're Schiffe kommen wird immer noch kein Wal vernommen. Vater Wal, sonst ganz der flotte, kommt heut' einfach nicht zu Potte. Als die Familie schwimmt zur Tour ist von Schiffen keine Spur. So kann's im Leben manchmal geh'n, dass Wale keine Schiffe seh'n!
nóv
A new whale species was seen the first time
Even though it is about 5 meters long it has not been discribed before. That shows just how little we know about the oceans. Here is the link to the article: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2012/11/05/worlds-rarest-whale-seen-for-first-time-spade-toothed-whale/
okt
Rocking the Humpbacks with Captain Rosin
The last day of the October and to days tour took place on Rósin, means " the rose", a luxurious boat from, our harbour neighbours from www.specialtours.is, which is in fact the fastest whaleboat in the hole world ;) Its so cool to rock the ocean on this magnificent hook. Now, since specialtours and we are a big family company, we do rock the ocean together, which is so much more fun. Always new adventure out there and today Andrea, our big boat stayed back by the Reykjavik harbour while "The Rose" speeded towards Grindavik, a beautiful fishing town on the south coast of the Reykjanes peninsula. We heard about some Humpbacks hanging out there and so Patrizia and me , Klaudia were on the road towards Grindavik catching our Rosin boat ~ being part of to days adventure, Weather conditions seamed a bit ricked out there and also the a big storm was on its way to bang the the sea and all around so we actually were in great hurry to find the Humpbacks and to our surprise the hang out just close to ashore, we only sailed about 5 minits and this two big giants just appeared out of the blue right next to our boat and just by close to the Grindavik Lighthouse (built in 1939), so beautiful area there . They stayed with us all along this tour, but most important we and our " new crew siblings " had so much fun out there.. see your self the nice pictures we've taken ;)
okt
Love is all around:
Wonderful tour ~ once again ! What an incredibly week we have, today 6 minke whales and plenty of porpoises hanging out next to our boat. Also the weather conditions, oh yes ;) Wonderful weather, sunshine mixed up with a bit of fog rising above the mountains and then we didn't sail very far when we spotted our first whales, many big whales in this tour !! We had a minke whale love coupe, surfacing next to each other close to our boat and this is most likely cause we had a very sweet couple here on Andrea today to enjoy their honeymoon here in Iceland and the wahles. We had a real good tour and all together 6 minke whales really really close to our boat ~ all the time ;)
okt
A sunny sunday in Reykjavik
We headed towards the feeding grounds, yes just like every day ;) But sometimes, some days are incredibly special, weather conditions are excellent and lots of whales out there, like to day ! The ocean looked so beautiful, like a mirror, some wind blowing from north, actually pretty cold, but thanks to the sunshine all along this tour we didn't had to froze, some happy thoughts, a hot chocolate .. and then not so long we had to sail ~ we detected a big blow, actually our captain did .. again, but soon as we arrived closer we discovered 3 more minke whales close to our boat, one individual surfaced only by 5 meters distance and one time spy hopping !! Wow !! We saw the animal heat sticking out the water and soon after that the big whale surfaced again, showing us it big open mouth which was quite spectacular to behold, together with the birds above the rising animal which were attempt to catch some of the whales nourishment. We took some nice fotos. We hang out by this area all the time and to day was a great whale watching day ~ we spotted up to 6 minke whales, some of them kept close to our boat and so we had the moments of observing there body's and movement fairly often, some more minke whales were further out, super ~ what a great tour we had to day ! And yes we saw harbour porpoises all the time next to our boat, the were so cute to day, making splashes and we saw many of them. Now the evening have arrived and we are almost home by the harbour, still out on sea ~ enjoying the nice silent weather, sail back home ~
okt
"Our" Klaudia is back in Iceland and here is the report from "her" tour:
Excellent weather conditions on this late October day. Sunshine all over the bay and the ocean looked just beautiful! We headed towards the feeding grounds, same directions as past days tours and were unbelievable lucky ~ our captain spotted the firs blow right ahead our boat, which took us some while to finally see the minke whale in full shape, but being patient .. just a little while ;) rewarded us, cause not only we saw this individual ~ all together in this tour we were lucky enough to have spotted 3 minke whales! One of them came really close and for some moment we were able to smell the beast, .. ahh yeh the bad breath of a minke, it stinks ~ what a fun to be out there to day and also saw the other 2 minke whales pretty close to our boat, about 20 meters the closest, count fantastic moments we take back home. On our way back we saw a small group of harbor porpoises and they also seamed good mooted ~ surfacing fairly close and actually remaining with us some time longer as usually for there behavior. Now we are passing our little yellow lighthouse ~ means we are back home, still the sun is shining all over, what a nice evening and we are just on time ;) Really great tour !
okt
Whale Watching Iceland October 14th at 12:55
Lovely sunny weather :) ready to go out Whale Watching. We started our search for whales... which turned out to be a bit difficult today but we did not lose hope and found a Minke Whale. This animal was a bit tricky and just surfaced twice. We waited and waited for this animal to resurface before we decided to keep on sailing. That was a good idea and after some sailing time, we encountered another Minke Whale who behaved a bit like the previous one. No problem for us cos we were stubborn and convinced to find a Minke Whale who would be more active :) Good decision!!! We found one animal who surfaced quite often, giving us the chance to observe his behavior. This Minke Whale was very kind to us and when he went down for a deep dive, some Harbor Porpoises appeared :) pure joy! This little pod of Porpoises was very joyful and approached us a couple of times. Once we saw one animal swimming next to us and everyone was pointing in the water...EXCITING :) Successful and wonderful...sunny autumn trip today!
okt
Beautiful Autumn in the bay! Here have a look at the logbooks:
What a wonderful sunny day in Reykjavik...perfect to go out Whale Watching. Our guests enjoyed the sunshine on our top-deck while we were sailing out to Faxafloi Bay. It did not take long to find a large group of birds, some Gannets and Northern Fulmars and suddenly a little pod of White Beaked Dolphins showed up. They were swimming fast, changing directions constantly so we had to turn the boat quite often to keep track of them but once in a while they surfaced next to our boat...a lot of fun :) They headed further out and we decided to keep on sailing to find another species and all of a sudden a Minke Whale joined us. This animal surfaced quite often but then he went down for a deep dive and took his time to resurface therefore we kept on looking for another one and that worked perfectly. Another Minke Whale appeared and was more active...twice we saw the mouth, followed by the blow-holes and the dorsal fin. Also the spout was very visible and we were even able to smell this animal lol "The Minke Whale is famous to have a bad breath so we also call this animal Stinky Minke"...everyone was very happy about this smell of rotten fish ;) The whale surfaced twice just next to our vessel...beautiful to see that. On the way back to Reykjavik we encountered two little Harbor Porpoises :) What a successful trip...3 different Whale Species!
ágú
Breaching Minke Whale this morning - Amazing tour !
What an amazing trip :) we sailed out to Faxaflói Bay, our whale watching area where we saw a lot of Gannets flying around (largest sea bird in Iceland) we watched them hunting, throwing themselves from 30m to 40m into the water to catch their prey. All of a sudden one Harbor Porpoise showed up, surfaced twice and left us immediately. After that we found one Minke Whale who surfaced a couple of times and then stayed under water for some time. We kept on sailing in this area and encountered another Minke Whale who behaved similar to the previous one but suddenly one Minke Whale started to breach (jump) AMAZING and he did not want to stop...kept on jumping about 4 times before he was a bit exhausted. After that he surfaced quite often :) We say Thank You Very Much Minke Whale you were wonderful :)
ágú
Fantastic tour today at 12:55 - group of Long finned Pilot Whales
What a wonderful tour ~ magnificent , unforgettable , we are so happy . Long ~finned pilot whales are back and were resting really close by our boat . The " Pilots " are back here in our Bay ~ Yay !! ;) Cause just about one week ago this group were seen by the southwest Iceland and ran into difficulties , a group more then 200 Long ~finned pilot whales, and also only about two weeks ago we've spotted them by Akraness , but far from our boat , there they gathered close to shore , incredible close , so they needed help of volunteers who steered them back towards the open sea , the same happen when they were seen one week ago southwest , divers and again many volunteers had to help and support to bring them back into deeper water , hopefully now they be fine . To day we had one of the best moments with this beautiful cetaceans . We sailed very far , incredibly far out , which makes us now still sailing ... on our way back to the harbour , people are so happy and grateful to this tour here on our boat ~ there is an atmosphere of astonishment around the coffeehouse ;) Everybody exchanging there taken pictures and moments , we cant believe it ~ one of the best tours of this summer . The tour 2 weeks back were nice too ~ but to day the Long ~finned pilot whales remained only 3 meters close to our boat , a huge group , more then 100 animals , and we listen to them breathing and the sound was unbelievable magical , we kept silent to listen and close to the nature . There no words to describe this moment and no photograph can give one of this taken aspects , being present out there , able to listen how a big group of whales breathing all side by side, very close to the boat . wow ! And there were as well a group of dolphins Ive not seen before here in Faxi bay , they are around , but quit seldom . They were just in between of this big group of Long ~finned pilot whales , Striped Dolphins they are called and they are pretty small sized , they have a light stripe from behind eye up towards dorsal fin and there colours are black , black ~ blue , nice , to behold some different kinds of dolphins. The wonderful moment appeared when we divine more sounds around this group of whales and dolphins , more then the usually breathing sounds , kind of a "peep" sound, and many different pitches in the tone ~ sounds odd , but like they were communicating together . Imagine you are that close to a group of whales and listen to a sounds like that ~ unforgettable ;) And of course later we will post for you visitors some photographs .. now just quickly but just to inform you about this magical tour , please come out with us on our afternoon tour , we will sail back and tomorrow they might be still around , the long finned pilot whales ~ we are so thankful for this tour ;)))
ágú
Pilot whales ran into difficulties
A group of more than 200 pilot whales ran into difficulties in Southwest Iceland on Saturday. Many of the whales would have beached had it not been for divers and other volunteers who steered them towards the open sea. “It is naturally a species which is common in Icelandic waters at this time of year but it usually stays at greater depths. It is a deep-sea whale and belongs out in the ocean,” biologist and whale specialist Gísli Víkingsson of the Icelandic Marine Research Institute told Morgunblaðið.
júl
New Study: Mackerel Steals Plankton from Sandeels
The preliminary results of a new study strongly indicate that sandeels in Icelandic waters don’t fatten because of competition over their primary source of food, plankton, with mackerel, which presence in Icelandic waters has increased in the past years. The number of sandeels, on the other hand, has dropped significantly in the same period, which causes problems for seabirds, such as puffins, as they feed on sandeels, Morgunblaðið reports. “There are two theories as to why sandeels are disappearing,” said Erpur Snær Hansen, biologist and divisional manager of ecology research at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. “One concerns the competition over food, that the mackerel eats both the sandeel’s food and the sandeels themselves. Also that the large generation of haddock from 2003 ate a significant amount of sandeel roes.” “The other theory is that the quantity of plankton changes with warmer ocean temperatures, which causes the sandeels to be more meager,” Erpur explained. “Our preliminary results indicate that the sandeels aren’t gaining weight. The simple reason for that is that plankton is lacking in the ocean. Someone else is eating the plankton and the most likely culprit is mackerel,” he concluded. The arrival of mackerel is considered to have a widespread impact on the food chain. The study shows, for example, that gannet has started feeding on mackerel instead of sandeels.
júl
Great tour .... Fin Whale spotting today !!
Outstanding tour ~ 2 big Fin Whales and one little Minke Whale !! ;))) Just when we were about to start searching for the whales one beautiful Minke Whale showed up right in front of our boat showing us its back and several times we were able to watch the animal from the side . But the we sailed around the bay and spotted several more Minke Whales which only surfaced for a little while and when we were to follow another Minke Whale we spotted a huge blow further out and since we knew from yesterdays evening tour that we have a big guest cruising around the bay ~ we followed the blow with good hope . Everyone with us seamed very excited about the animal and when we finally came closer we were lucky enough to become of evidence to watch a huge Fin Whale surfacing only 20 meters close to our boat !! We saw the the body incredibly well ~ such as the dark back with its with light streaks , kinda a bit blue grey light colours ~ also the sound of the big whale when breathing . The unique cetacean , wonderful and it moved very slow which gave us more time to observe all the body , like the is pointed head , wow ;) Not far we spotted one more Fin Whale ~ but we only gotten a good luck of the one next to our boat . Everybody was really happy and joyful for this event and now we are sailing towards the same area ~ maybe we are lucky to find the our 2 big rarely guests again ~
jún
Whales More Frequent Guests in Iceland’s Fjords
Last weekend, three humpback whales were spotted in the West Fjords near the old whaling station in Suðureyri in Tálknafjörður. Moreover, large whales have been seen in the neighboring Patreksfjörður, also not a common fjord for whales to enter. “ It is relative novelty to see them here; large whales were first spotted in the fjord last year,” an employee of the Tálknafjörður aquafarm, told MBL. “There are usually five to six whales in a school. They have been spotted in Ísafjarðardjúp for many years but we haven’t heard of them in this territory until now. ” said Sverrir D. Halldórsson, an employee of the Icelandic Marine Research Institute’s whale division. “The humpback swims closest to the shore of the larger whales. The reason they are increasingly entering fjords is that there is more food there than before,” Sverrir explained. “The number of whales has gone up somewhat in the past years. We have numbers from 2007, which was when the latest count took place. The next one is scheduled for 2015,” Sverrir concluded.
jún
Humpback in the bay today ..... from our blog diary
Humpback whale back in the bay ~ Wonderful ;) Humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometres each year and feed over the summer time in polar waters , and that for quit often we are about to see them here in our bay , ones there are on there way up north ~ they stop here for several day cause of the reach feeding grounds Faxi bay got to offer . We headed strait out towards whale area and actually just were to enjoy the outside scenery ~ still far from the feeding grounds as we suddenly spotted a huge blow right ahead our vessel and when the animal surfaced we saw the famous fluke of an humpback whale , distance approx only 20 meters . Happily we were screaming for joy and waited for the animal to surface again which happened right after and pretty close to our boat . We've gotten really nice moments with this creature while it remained close to our vessel for some time , but soon the Humpback changed its behaviour and headed towards direction Reykjavik , unbelievably close to land and then again moved towards the bay ~ for some then while we weren't able to see much of the animal and waited for a long time for it to surface again , but we were really happy on the beginning of our tour when we saw the Humpback fairly close to our vessel ! We kept distance to the animal and just when we was about to leave we had one more good moment watching the Humpback surfacing by only 20 meters distance . Quit often we saw the fluke when the animal wend and disappeared for a dive ~ it always was one big event for us ;) Really lucky tour and on our way back home we visited the puffin island where we had a good time observing the little clowns of the sea close to our boat and also gathering by the island in front of there nests . Fantastic evening tour ~ we are so happy ;)
maí
From Now on - 3 Whale Watching tours every day
From June 1st we have started up our 16:55 Whale Watching tour. Now we have 3 tours every day, ie. at 8:55, 12:55 and 16:55. We are looking forward to sail with you.
maí
Whale watching Iceland May 21st - 12:55
Here are some pictures from one of our tours taken by Carlos Sour. We thank him for sharing these pictures with us.
maí
Walbeobachtung auf deutsch in Island!
Da ist er: Der Sommer in Island! Inzwischen scheint die Sonne zwischen 04:30 am Morgen und 22:00 am Abend. Die Mitternachtssonne am 21. Juni ist nichtmehr fern und der blaue Himmel, besonders auf See scheint grenzenlos! Die guten Bedingungen in der Bucht vor Reykjavik laden ein zu einer Walbeobachtung auf deutsch. Wale suchen und finden – Jede Tour ist anders! „Unsere“ Wale sind ganzjährig in der Bucht vor Reykjavik und wir besuchen Sie regelmaessig an ihren beliebtesten Futterplätzen. Natürlich sind nicht immer die gleichen Individuen vor Ort, sodass es immer spannend bleibt. Auch das Verhalten der Meeressäuger variiert. Oft haben Sie viel Interesse sich das Schiff ANDREA mal genauer an zu sehen. An anderen Tagen ist die Nahrungsaufnahme wichtiger und sie unternehmen längere Tauchgänge. Gut, dass die Bucht recht flach ist und die Wale innerhalb kurzer Zeit bis zum Grund tauchen können. Walbeobachtung auf Deutsch! An Bord begleitet ein Reiseleiter auf Englisch und auf Deutsch die Fahrt. Es wird erklärt wie man nach Walen Ausschau hält und mit welchen Arten zu rechnen ist. Die Hilfestellung beim Suchen und Finden lohnt sich. Sobald ein Wal in der Umgebung des Schiffes auftaucht wird seine Position angesagt und das Schiff verlangsamt. Immer wieder stellt sich die Frage: Welche Wale besuchen uns Heute? In den Sommermonaten sehen wir oft Schweinswale, Weißschnauzendelphine und Zwergwale aber auch die Buckelwale besuchen uns gern. Zu den seltenen Gästen in der Bucht gehören aber auch Schwertwale (Orcas) und große Haie. Um der Frage: Was ist ein „Harbour Porpoise“? gerecht zu werden fragen Sie einfach am Anleger nach deutscher Reiseleitung an Bord. Wir freuen uns auf Sie! Ihr Life of Whales Team
maí
No Commercial Fin Whaling in Iceland 2012 !!
No Commercial Fin Whaling in Iceland The only fin whaling company in Iceland, Hvalur hf., announced recently that the company will not hunt fin whales in Iceland this summer. The company has a quota of 150 fin whales. The main market for fin whale products is Japan, and last year the fin whaling was not practiced because of the natural disasters in Japan.
maí
May schedule - from now we sail daily at 8:55 and 12:55
From May 1st we start to sail at 8:55 as well and from now we do have departures at 8:55 and 12:55. For reservation call + 354 562 2300
apr
Next Whale Watching tour is tomorrow Sunday at 12:55
Our next tour is at 12:55. For reservation call + 354 562 2300
apr
Völkerverständigung der anderen Art - Die Toten Hosen in Island
Völkerverständigung der anderen Art - Die Toten Hosen in Island Die Idee, sich für ein Toten Hosen Wohnzimmerkonzert zu bewerben war eigentlich so verrückt, dass es sich fast wie ein Traum anhörte. Doch dann wurde der Entschluss gefasst das Projekt zu starten und es wurde ein Bewerbungsvideo gedreht. Natürlich an den attraktivsten Orten Islands: Geysir und den heißen Quellen, dem Wasserfall Gullfoss, in downtown Reykjavik und als Highlight an Bord des Walbeobachtungsschiffes ANDREA. www.lifeofwhales.is - Walbeobachtung in Island. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUkgvzq7I9w Die Wartezeit auf Antwort erschien endlos, doch es folgten bald Vorfreude und Vorbereitungszeit. Und dann waren Sie auf mal da: Die Toten Hosen! In der tanzenden Menge ließ sich wohl kaum ausmachen wer Isländer ist und wer Deutscher; Völkerverständigung par excellence! Im Anschluss an das Konzert besuchten die Toten Hosen die Drehorte des Bewerbungsvideos. An Bord der ANDREA bekamen wir Schweinswale, Zwergwale und sogar Buckelwale zu sehen. Life of Whales freut sich zu diesem erfolgreichen Projekt beigetragen zu haben und natürlich auf einen Sommer mit deutschen Guides in jeder Tour.
apr
Tomorrow we celebrate the first day of summer in Iceland!
It is called „Sumardagurinn fyrsti“ and an official holiday, marked red in every calender. Typically on this day it does not matter to the icelanders how the weather actually is: Everybody wears T- Shirts and Shorts / Skirts / Summerdresses – even if it snows! Also there is a big meet and greet in Reykjavik and all coffeehouses are crowded. It is a tradition to walk down the main shopping streets in summer clothes and meet friends in the city. And since it is a free day many people use it for activities. This year however we expect sunshine and temperatures up to +6°C. No snow. Life of Whales gives you the opportunity to sail out for a whale watching tour off the old harbour in Reykjavik and enjoy the first day of summer aboard. According to the spottings of the last days we expect a lot of life out in the Bay. For the Trip at 12:55 you do not have to adopt to icelandic dressing habits but are welcome to make use of the overalls available on board. Also we porvide seats inside for every passenger and the comfortable café lounge. We are looking forward to celebrate this day together with you!
apr
Fantastic vido from the tour today - Breaching Humpback Whale
Look at this video taken on board our boat today by Robert Robertsson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ4c8Bnd-T0
mar
The Minke Whales are back !! :)
Today we spotted our first Minke Whales this year and actually we spotted two of them. It´s always nice to see the first Minkies because then we know soon there will be more of them. Also we know that the spring is coming because the Minkies migrate to south ower the wintertime and back to Iceland ower the summer.
mar
Deutscher Sommer 2012 - Walbeobachtung in Island mit Life of Whales
Endlich ist es soweit! Unsere Webseite ist aus dem Winterschlaf erwacht und präsentiert sich Ihnen jetzt auf DEUTSCH. Hinter der deutschen Flagge (Icon) finden Sie Tourenbeschreibungen, Abfahrtszeiten und alles Wissenswerte über Ihren Ausflug mit uns. Gönnen Sie sich einen Ausblick und Stöbern Sie durch die zahlreichen Fotos. Stimmen Sie sich ein auf Wale, Wellen und bunte Vögel. Auch vor Ort begrüßen wir Sie auf Deutsch! Im Sommer 2012 werden in jeder Walbeobachtungstour deutsche Guides mit Ihnen an Bord sein. Sprechen Sie uns einfach an, wenn es im Hafen von Reykjavik heißt: Willkommen an Bord der ANDREA! Stechen Sie in See mit Life of Whales
mar
Has the Spring arrived in Reykjavik?
Every winter we wait for the first Plover to show up because the plover brings tidings of spring. The weather in Reykjavik has not indicated that the winter is over until now! The first plover was seen close to Akranes ( appr. 50 km from Reykjavik ) so we believe soon all snow will disappear and the green color will take over for next months. The weather forecast do agree with the Plover because the temperature is supposed to reach 12 °C
mar
No whale watching tours Saturday and Sunday
Due to a bad sea conditions Saturday and Sunday - we have cancelled the tours over the weekend.
mar
February whale watching
On Leap Day, once again snow fell in the city and dressed the city in white. The snowfall caused delays in the traffic and came as a suprise to drivers. In Feruary we have enjoyed a mild climate, with lot of whales in the bay and we are really happy about the sighting we have had so far. We have spotted Humpbacks, Killer Whales ( Orcas ), White beaked Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises. So far we havn´t spotted any Minke Whales this year - but we beleave we will soon spot the first Minke of the year.
feb
Today is The Bun Day
The Bun Day traveled to Iceland in the 19th century, from Denmark. Children wake their parents up with excited shouts “Bolla, bolla, bolla,”and encouraging spanks with homemade paddles (to ensure a goodly number of cream puffs). Their kids have spent hours and hours decorating their Bun Day paddles at school; according to tradition, they will get one cream-filled bun on Bun Day for every time they manage to spank their parents with their paddles. In many other countries the day is known as Collop Monday and does not have anything to do with eating buns. The spanking tradition may originally be an Ash Wednesday tradition or be related to Catholic priests sprinkling their congregation with water at the beginning of Lent using special wands. The buns eaten on Bun Day are very similar to profiteroles, made from choux pastry and are rather tricky to make. The Icelandic answer to Shrove Tuesday is Sprengidagur. It means “Bursting Day” and the motto is to eat salted meat and bean stew until you burst. Then comes Öskudagur, or Ash Wednesday, when children dress up in fancy costumes and sing for candy in stores and companies across Iceland.
feb
Good news for Whale Watchers - EasyJet to Fly to Iceland All Year
The budget airline easyJet has announced that it will launch scheduled flights between Iceland and the UK following successful sale of tickets between the two destinations this spring, which is seen as an indication of increased demand in the market. Last November the airline’s representatives announced that they would begin scheduled flights to Iceland as of March 27, 2012, ruv.is reports. An easyJet spokesperson explained on RÚV’s radio station Rás 2 that Iceland is seen as a unique destination, whereas British travelers have already been to places like Paris and Barcelona. It appears there will be tough competition on the aviation market this year as four airlines will now offer direct flights between London and Keflavík all year: WOW Air, Icelandair, Iceland Express and easyJet.
feb
Frost Bites Europ, Iceland Unusually Warm and Windy !
All the snow which fell in December and January in Iceland’s capital region has vanished with rising temperatures, heavy rain and stormy weather. Meanwhile, unusually cold winter weather on the European mainland has caused more than 300 deaths. Denmark saw the coldest February night in 26 years when the temperature dropped to -23.1°C (-10°F) in Odense in the early hours of Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the British Meteorological Office issued its first weather warning before last weekend because of the relentless cold, expecting frost down to -10°C (14°F). Meteorologist Einar Sveinbjörnsson explained the great shift in weather one week ago such that cold air from Russia currently has easy access across western Europe and even as far south as the Mediterranean, which cools the mainland. “Icelanders benefit from such weather systems as southerly winds direct the mild air across the Atlantic and northwards towards us and all the way to Svalbard instead of moving directly to the east across the European mainland as was the case since early December,” Einar explained. However, Einar expects this period of cold to be over soon, except in Eastern Europe where cold winters aren’t unusual, he said. Also, in the latter part of this week, lower temperatures are forecast for Iceland. The Icelandic Meteorological Office has issued a warning for tonight because of a southwesterly and westerly rainstorm, which is predicted to hit south and east Iceland, but also other regions, with squalls of up to 40 meters per second, ruv.is reports.
feb
Whale Watchers - Reykjavik snow covered in January.
Iceland’s capital saw 24 days of complete snow cover in the past month, which is a 19-year record. Only five times has there been more snow in Reykjavík in January since regular measuring of snow depth began in 1921. In Akureyri in the north there were 21 days of complete snow cover in January, which is an average rating, ruv.is reports. In most parts of the country, January was a month of heavy precipitation and storms. The temperature was above average but fluctuated significantly. The highest temperature last month of 15.6°C (60.1°F) was recorded near Vopnafjörður in northeast Iceland, whereas the month’s record low was -22.6°C (-8.7°F) at Brú in Jökuldalur in the eastern highlands. Precipitation was above average in south and west Iceland but also in many regions in the north. In Reykjavík it measured 144.6 millimeters, which is 90 percent above average for January.
jan
Iceland’s Blue Lagoon a Wonder of the World
The Blue Lagoon in Iceland is among the world’s most remarkable places, according to National Geographic. It is included in a list of 25 locations around the globe in the magazine’s special edition on wonders of the world. According to ruv.is, the magazine is divided into three sections organizing the locations according to whether they are connected with air, land or water. Other remarkable destinations and phenomena include the Sahara desert, the Norwegian fjords, the volcanoes in Hawaii and the northern lights. The Blue Lagoon is described as a geothermal paradise where a turquoise world is surrounded by a black lava field reminiscent of the moon.
jan
Icelanders among World’s Happiest Nations
Icelanders are very content with their lives compared to many other nations, as indicated in an international survey carried out by Capacent Gallup. Just over half of the world’s nations are satisfied with their lives while three out of every four Icelanders are happy. The survey concluded that 73 percent of respondents in Iceland are happy and seven percent unhappy, 19 percent are neither happy nor unhappy and one percent would not answer the question, ruv.is reports. Worldwide, 53 percent of respondents on average stated that they were content with their lives, 13 percent were discontent, 31 percent were undecided and three percent would not reveal their level of happiness. Satisfaction ranked the lowest in the Arab states where one fifth of inhabitants said they were happy with their lives and in Eastern Europe where one fourth of the populations were happy. However, in Africa and Latin America two thirds of people were content.
jan
Happy New Year from Life of Whales
Life of Whales wants to wish you all a happy new year and a great 2012 whale watching season. We look greatly forward to sail with all of you animal and nature enthusiastics in 2012 and show you birds and whales in their natural environment
des
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
Iceland is covered in snow these days. When residents in Reykjavík woke up this morning they had to dig their way out to their cars, sweep the ca 30 cm of snow from the top of their cars and finally shovel their way out to the street. Some of those who were out early, before municipal workers got their first attempt at clearing the streets, got stuck and had to be helped by the rescue team. Some of the cars which got stuck are in the way of snow plows, making it even more difficult to keep the streets clear.
des
Merry Xmas from Life of Whales
This truly was a great season and we are so humble to have had so many happy passengers on board with us this year for whale watching. We want to wish you merry Christmas and a happy new year from all the staff of Life of Whales
des
Christmas Concerts and Free Music Events in Iceland
Christmas Concerts and Free Music Events in Iceland An unconventional Christmas concert will take place at the Culture House in Reykjavík tomorrow where Muck, Sudden Weather Change and The Heavy Experience will play under the title “Kertasníkir kemur” (“Candle Beggar Comes”), referring to the last of the 13 Icelandic Yule Lads, who actually isn’t scheduled to come to town until December 24. At the Culture House the bands will play in a space different from the “poorly-lit night clubs” they’re used to, a press release describes. The concert begins at 8 pm. Pre-concert tickets are sold at the record stores Smekkleysa and 12 Tónar at ISK 1,000 (USD 8.2, EUR 6.3) and at ISK 1,500 at the door. The Culture House (Þjóðmenningarhúsið) is located on Hverfisgata 15. On Friday the record label Records Records will host a Christmas concert at NASA on Austurvöllur square in central Reykjavík starting at 10:30 pm where this year’s album releases will be presented. The bands Of Monsters and Men, Agent Fresco, Sykur, Orphic Oxtra and Lockerbie will perform and their albums will be sold at a discount price at the occasion. Pre-concert tickets are available at ISK 1,500 (USD 12.3, EUR 9.5) on midi.is.
nóv
Christmas Creatures and Lighting of Christmas Trees
Mayor of Reykjavík Jón Gnarr launched "Christmas Creatures of Reykjavík" on Thursday in the city center, a special project designed for the City of Reykjavík by Hafsteinn Júlíusson. Decorations now adorn the capital, which got its first dusting of snow this week, and the Christmas tree on Austurvöllur square, an annual gift from Oslo, will be lit tomorrow, the First Sunday in Advent, at 4 pm mbl.is reports. As for the “Christmas Creatures”, the aim of the project is to create an inspiring experience in the capital during the holiday season through promoting Icelandic folklore and connecting locals and visitors in Reykjavík through stories and conversations, as described on visitreykjavik.is. Icelandic folklore includes many Christmas creatures, among them the 13 Yule Lads, who are sons of ogre couple Grýla and Leppalúði, and the Christmas Cat. They live in the mountains but come to town during Advent and perform all sorts of mischief. Seven Christmas creatures will be located around the Reykjavík city centre and in Laugardalur valley for the next few weeks.
nóv
Great whale watching tour today, Friday November 18th
Today we had a great tour out in the bay. Sightings : Minke Whale, Killer Whales and White Beaked Dolphins. See more about the tour under whale Diary.
nóv
Monitor the movement of humpback Whale
This fall MRI has continued research for seasonal spread and movements of baleen whales in Icelandic waters. These studies, based on labeling with satellite transmitters, have already shed new light on various aspects related to the presence of whales and when they leave the cost of Iceland. Furthermore, these studies provide the first evidence of residence minke whales in winter. About noon on 4 November 2011 was marked Humpback whale north of Arnarnes Nöfum Eyjafjörður. Whale was among 10-15 humpbacks in Eyjafjörður. No signals were received from the whale until the evening of that day. The Humpback whale stayed in the region throughout the next day and the morning of 6th November whale swam very specific to the northwest and was the evening of that day put behind more than 70 nautical miles (130 km). On 7 November whale swam slowly to the northwest and about noon 8th November, he was in shallow water off the Hornstrandir. Movement for humpbacks here to resemble a whale voyages marked on 21 in October 2009.
nóv
Winter Schedule from November 1st
From November 1st we are sailing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 12:55
okt
Reykjavik to see increase in Northern Lights activity
Reykjavik to see increase in Northern Lights activity Iceland is set to see an increase in Northern Lights activity this winter, especially in the capital region, Reykjavik. Icelandic scientists have predicted that this strong activity will continue throughout the winter months, displaying the brightest Aurora levels for 50 years. This increased Aurora activity is caused by the Solar Maximum – a period when the sun’s magnetic field on the solar equator rotates at a slightly faster pace than at the solar poles. Solar wind from the sun interacts with the Earth’s atmosphere and causes energy in the form of visible light to be emitted. Every 11 to 12 years, the Solar Maximum peaks; the previous pinnacle occurred in 2000. NASA scientists have predicted that the next one in 2012 will be the greatest since 1958
okt
King winter is coming... ! First Day of Winter October 22
First Day of Winter according to the old Icelandic calendar, this year on October 22, While cold autumnal winds have yet to finish undressing the trees of the capital region from their colorful foliage, King Winter has already cast his spell over the northern West Fjords. Residents of Ísafjördur were greeted with a biting blizzard and white winter landscape yesterday, Morgunbladid reports. Yet, according to weather forecasts, autumn is not quite prepared to let go. Although the temperature is expected to drop to -3°C (27°F) in Akureyri in the northern part of the country today and even lower in remoter areas, the capital region will remain frostless for now. A truck with a trailer blew off the road in south Iceland yesterday morning. The driver was unharmed but the trailer was completely destroyed, visir.is reports. The truck had to be left by the roadside until the storm blew over and commuters were warned about driving in the area. Some roof slates and trampolines in south Iceland became airborne in the storm but the wind is expected to calm today.
okt
Icelanders! Let’s Open our Doors
“Íslendingar! Bjódum heim” (“Icelanders! Let’s Open our Doors”),is the first part of the project Iceland – all year, which is based on the idea that locals around the country invite foreign tourists to their homes or invite them to participate in their daily routines. Already, 40 Icelanders are enlisted to participate, among them the presidential couple who will serve pancakes to guests at their residence, Bessastadir, Mayor of Reykjavík Jón Gnarr who
okt
Sunny Summer !
The summer of 2011 was the sunniest in Iceland’s capital in 82 years with 224 hours of sunshine above average. It was the 20th summer in a row where the temperature was above average. The past month was warm but wet across the country. The first snow this autumn has already fallen in north Iceland, while in Reykjavík its emblem mountain Esja was snow-capped this morning; it’s the first snow capital residents have seen since last winter came to an end.
okt
From October 1st - One tour every day at 12:55
In October we are sailing daily at 12:55. The tours are 3-3.5 hrs long appr. From November 1st we will sail every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 12:55. The Life of Whales team.
sep
Iceland Airwaves music festival - Sinéad O’Connor
Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor’s sole performance during the upcoming Iceland Airwaves music festival in Reykjavík, October 12-16, will be held in the church Fríkirkjan by the Reykjavík Pond on October 14 at 9 pm. The program of Iceland Airwaves will be posted on the festival’s website today, Morgunbladid reports. Meanwhile, Benni Hemm Hemm and Borko wi
sep
Obama to Take Action against Iceland’s Whaling
US President Barack Obama agreed yesterday to take diplomatic action to try to put an end to whaling in Iceland on the basis of the Pelly Amendment, which will reduce diplomatic relations between the two countries. However, trade sanctions will not be implemented. Representatives of the Icelandic government met with employees of the US Department of State earlier this week to discuss the situation, visir.is reports. "Iceland's actions threaten the conservation status of an endangered species and undermine multilateral efforts to ensure greater worldwide protection for whales," Obama said in a message to Congress, according to an AFP press release. "Iceland's increased commercial whaling and recent trade in whale products diminish the effectiveness of the [International Whaling Commission] conservation program," the message continued.
sep
Sheep and Horse Roundup Season Begins in Iceland
The season during which sheep and horses are herded down to the valleys from highland pastures, rounded up and sorted in special sheepfolds, which is known as réttir in Icelandic, begins on Saturday. This annual event on the calendar of Icelandic farmers is often awaited with some anticipation and afterwards celebrated with good food and drink, song and dance. It has also become a popular event among laymen who like to observe the spectacle. The first sheep roundups will take place in north Iceland, Eyjafjördur, Skagafjördur and
ágú
Iceland Airwaves will be back 12th to the 16thof October 2011
Iceland Airwaves will be back 12th to the 16thof October 2011 Remember, Airwaves is a festival that continuously sells out weeks before! More than fifty more bands for Iceland Airwaves 2011 have been announced, including Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, the latest artist to be added to the festival line-up. Other artists: The Clock Opera (UK), Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hjaltalín, Lay Low, Active Child (US), The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger (US), Esmerine (CA), Random Recipe (CA), 22
ágú
Snowy, Sunny and Dry Summer in Iceland
Iceland has seen a sunny and dry August so far, so sunny that NASA posted a satellite photo of the cloudless island from August 10 on one of its websites recently. However, the summer had a snowy start in north Iceland where the mountains have now already turned white again. Yesterday morning inhabitants in Akureyri, northeast Iceland, woke up to see that the slopes of Mt. Hlídarfjall, where the town’s ski resort is located, had turned white and it had also snowed on Mt. Tindastóll by Saudárkrókur further in the northwest, ruv.is reports.
ágú
Reykjavík Ready for Culture Night and Lighting of Harpa
The annual Reykjavík Culture Night will take place on Saturday, August 20. The highlight of this year’s festival will be when the LED lights in the glass walls of the new concert and conference center Harpa, which were designed by Ólafur Elíasson, will be turned on for the first time. The lighting of Harpa will take place shortly before the fireworks show at the harbor which concludes the Culture Night, Morgunbladid reports.
ágú
Upcoming Concerts
Benni Hemm Hemm and band will play at Faktorý in Reykjavík today. The band includes pianist Árni Heidar Karlsson, contrabassist Birgir Bragason and trumpet player Rodrigo Lopes, Morgunbladid reports. Meanwhile, the gogoyoko.com concert series Wireless is ongoing. The third concert is coming up on August 18, when the band Valdimar will play at Hvíta perlan on Austurstraeti 12a in Reykjavík at 10 pm. Benni Hemm Hemm and his band will play his first concert in Iceland this year at Faktorý in Reykjavík on August 17 at 10 pm. The musician recently moved back to his home country after a long stay in Scotland.
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Iceland in the media worldwide
Jake Gyllenhaal - Man Vs. Wild in Iceland on the Discovery Channel: "This may be the coolest place I've ever been" ABC News - Unique Vacation Deals by Karen Schaler: "For a cool place to go for a unique spa vacation go to Iceland. Iceland is this volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic and because it’s a volcanic island and it’s got these geothermal waters bubbling up and they’ve got this wonderful thing called the Blue Lagoon.”
ágú
Reykjavík UNESCO’s Fifth City of Literature
Reykjavík is the fifth city in the world to be nominated UNESCO’s City of Literature; Reykjavík city will join the ranks of Scotland’s Edinburgh, United States’ Iowa City, Australia’s Melbourne and Ireland’s Dublin. Reykjavík is the first City of Literature to be nominated where English is not the native tongue. "I am honored Reykjavík was chosen. The city is known for art and culture around the globe and the nomination confirms the importance of our culture; of all valuables, culture is the most important one,” Jón Gnarr, the mayor of Reykjavík told visir.is Reykjavík is nominated because of its rich and historical literature tradition. The nominations details the invaluable middle age literature still preserved in the city, naming Íslendingasögur or the "Sagas of Icelanders”, Eddukvaedi or "Poems of Edda”, and Íslendingabók or the "book of Icelanders”.
ágú
Reykjavík Gay Pride Weekend Kicks Off
The Reykjavík Gay Pride festival starts today with a press meeting that commenced at 4 pm; this is the 13th year the festival is held in Reykjavík. The official opening ceremony starts this evening at 8 pm in the University Movie Theater in Hagatorg across the street from the University of Iceland's main building. Various events such as "Classical Pride,” the Queer Cruise,” the "Rainbow family festival” and an outdoor concert in Arnarhóll where musicians Lay Low, Eurovision performer Hera Björk, and the legendary Páll Óskar (Paul Oscar); throughout the weekend. On Saturday is the grandest of all events, the annual G
júl
Reykjavík’s Music Festival and Cinematic Adventures
The Innipúkinn Music Festival is being held for the tenth time in downtown Reykjavík starting today July 29 and ending on Sunday July 31; the festival is Reykjavík’s main bank holiday weekend event. All the concerts will take place in the Idnó Theater and Restaurant and tickets for the events can be bought online. Weekend-long access to all concerts costs a total of ISK 4500 (USD 39 or EUR 27). The festival features Icelandic bands and was first held in 2002. Other events taking place in Reykjavík city over the weekend are concerts in the Harpa concert and conference hall and A Summer of Icelandic Cinema
, a local cinematic event where Icelandic films are being shown, will be held at Bíó Paradís, a new cinema located on Hverfisgata 54. In Árbaejarsafn museum the programming will be dedicated to children’s culture and games, Morgunbladid reports. On Sunday the program starts at 1 pm and will revolve around their present exhibition Komdu að Leika ("Come Play”); old-fashioned children games from previous centuries will be played and outdoor toys for children to play with will be made available to them. On Monday, a public holiday, children aged 8 to 12 years of age can attend a kiting course free of charge in the Kornhús
("The House of Corn”) from 1 pm to 4 pm. The Dillon House will be serving hot drinks.
júl
Fin Whale seen in the Bay today, July 25th !!!!
From our whale diary.. ! Only one word FIN WHALE, FIN WHALE, FIN WHALE, ok maybe more then one word :) what an exciting trip!!! We saw this huge animal ....second largest animal on the planet, could grow nearly to 27m long and can weight 80t. We saw the blow so many times it was amazing, only the blow could reach 6m. The black back and the dorsal fin in the evening sun....it´s just a wonderful creature. This very unusual visitor was even new to our crew members...they have never seen one in their life so we shared this incredible experience all together with our passengers:)
júl
Basking Shark seen for two days now
Today and Yesterday we spotted a Basking Shark in the bay. We really got close to the shark so the passengers got a good view of this second largest fish ! The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second largest living fish, after the whale shark. It is a cosmopolitan migratory species, found in all the world's temperate oceans. It is a slow moving and generally harmless filter feeder and has anatomical adaptations to filter feeding, such as a greatly enlarged mouth and highly developed gill rakers. The shape of its snout is conical and the gill slits extend around the top and bottom of its head. The gill rakers are dark and bristle-like and are used to catch plankton as water filters through the mouth and over the gills. The basking shark is usually grayish-brown i
júl
Seal Habitation in Northern Iceland Studied
The Institute of Freshwater Fisheries and the Icelandic Seal Center are currently conducting a twofold study of the local seal habitation by Vatnsnes peninsula in the Western Húnathing county in northern Iceland. In one of the studies researchers investigate the effects the seals have on the salmon population in estuaries; the second research study focuses its attention on the effects the presence of tourists has on the local seal population, ruv.is reports. Somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 seals dwell on Vatnsnes and regular tourist excursions take place in the area, operated from Hvammstangi, where tourists travel by sea to seal habitations.
júl
The road across Mýrdalssandur closed - Reconstruction is underway
Following a glacial flood from Mýrdalsjökull glacier last Saturday, which swept away the bridge across Múlakvísl river, the road across Mýrdalssandur in South Iceland is closed (Road nr. 1 - The Ring Road). Reconstruction of the bridge is underway, and alternative means of transportation across the river are under consideration. As from today large 4x4 trucks will ferry people and smaller cars over the river. Authorities will make every effort to restore traffic across Mýrdalssandur back to normal as soon as possible but it is expected that building a new bridge will take about 2 weeks.
júl
Activity in Hekla Volcano in South Iceland Subsiding
The unusual activity that was picked up by sensors in the volcano Hekla in south Iceland during and before last weekend has now mostly subsided. Even so, travelers are warned about hiking on the volcano. Gunnar B. Gudmundsson, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told Fréttabladid that the movements registered were between ten and 20 millimeters, which isn’t considered to be of any significance. "However, there is some activity in the volcano’s depths. One can say it is ready to erupt, but whether it erupts tomorrow or in 20 years, we don’t know,” he explained. Hekla has erupted in ten-year intervals in the past decades and the last eruption was in 2000. Gudmundsson said that earthquakes usually indicate an imminent eruption one or two hours before it begins, and in such a case the seismic activity would be much stronger than what was measured last weekend.
júl
The Coldest Month of June Since 1952
The Coldest Month of June Since 1952 Last month was recorded to be the coldest June Iceland has seen in more than a decade. According to information given to Morgunbladid by The Icelandic Met Office, the northeastern parts of Iceland were particularly cool. The average temperature in Reykjavík was 9.2°C and 6.7°C in Akureyri, or 2.4 degrees below average. Akureyri has not seen such low temperatures in more than half a century, or since 1959, and the summer in Reykjavík has not been this cool since 1999.Morgunbladid spoke to meteorologist Trausti Jónsson and asked about the cool temperatures in June. "I can’t say if the weather will improve or not. There are records of several cold months of June but every such summer has been up and down.
jún
Danish Yacht Anchored in Reykjavík Harbor
The Royal Danish yacht Danneborg is docked in Reykjavík harbor; the yacht belongs to the Danish Royal Family. The yacht arrived in Reykjavík harbor yesterday and will be here until tomorrow, mbl.is reports. The yacht is named after the Danish flag and was built in 1931 to 1932.
jún
Collapse in Puffin Nesting in West Iceland
Puffin nesting has failed all around the country this year. Studies show that the condition of the nesting grounds by Faxaflói, off Reykjavík, and Breidafjördur in west Iceland is the worst—on Ellidaey island in Breidafjördur only one puffin is sitting on an egg. "When we arrived to Breidafjördur we were at a loss,” exclaimed biologist Erpur Snaer Hansen in an interview with Morgunbladid. He is currently examining the condition of puffin burrows around the country with his associate Marinó Sigursteinsson and two British volunteers. When the team studied the conditions of the puffin colonies on Breidarfjördur it turned out that on Ellidaey there were only four eggs in 40 burrows, three of which had turned cold. "It’s as if 90 percent of puffins decided to skip the nesting season this year. The situation is tragic,” Hansen commented, saying it is obvious that there is a lack of sandeels elsewhere other than around the Westman Islands.
maí
From 1st of May Two tours every day at 08:55 and 12:55 !!
From today May 1st, we have scheduled two tours every day. The tours starts at 08:55 and 12;55. Tel + 354 562 2300
apr
Happy summer everyone!
Today is the First Day of Summer – even though it dosn´t seems to be ! The summer month Harpa, of the old Icelandic calendar, begins today, which is also officially the first day of summer. The holiday always falls on the first Thursday after April 18. According to legend, people considered it a good sign if summer and winter "froze together” (if there was frost on the last night before summer). People would put a bowl filled with water outside to check whether it had frozen in the early hours of the next morning, before the morning sun could melt it. If the water had frozen, the summer would be a good one. It was common to distribute summer gifts on the First Day of Summer in Iceland, four centuries before Christmas presents became a tradition, and the summer gift tradition is still practiced in some households. People celebrated with a feast, often finer than on Christmas Eve. If the weather was summery, farmers would let their cattle and rams out, to allow the animals to greet summer, and to also entertain themselves by watching the animals play. People used to go to mass on the First Day of Summer until the mid 18th century when the inspectors of the Danish church authority discovered that mass was being held on this heathen day and banned the practice. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, winter and summer did not freeze together last night so now we have to wait and see if the legend is true or not !
apr
Iceland in the news
Jonathan B. Tourtellot in the April 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler takes in a black glacier, some red-hot controversies, and lessons on living with lava in his article... "Life Atop a Cauldron." Shane Mitchell in the April 2011 issue of Travel + Leisure Magazine heads to a country of Viking descendants and modern foragers to uncover a culinary aesthetic that remains wild at heart in her article... "True North." ESPN Goes Surfing in Iceland… "Each journey along Iceland's coast brings an experience rich in wide open spaces and waves, along with an appreciation for the isolation that exists out there." The Huffington Post discovers what Icelanders have known for decades...We have the world's best hot dogs!!!… "Is This the Best Hot Dog in the World?" by Victoria Haschka
apr
Sunday, April 3rd. Extra tour at 08:55
On Sunday April 3rd, we have an extra tour at 08:55. We also have the tour at 12:55 so just contact ticket sales for further information's - or simply show up before departure. Tel +354 562 2300 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +354 562 2300 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
mar
SUMMER SCHEDULE KICKS IN on Friday, April the 1st at 12:55
On Friday we will start our summer schedule which means we are going to sail EVERY DAY at 12:55 from here on!! :D We will start on Friday, April the 1st at 12:55. We look forward to see you and the whales on Friday:) Please contact our ticket sales for further information Tel + 354 562 2300
mar
Ten most beautiful waterfalls in the world
The travel web, U.S. broadcasters CNN covers the ten most beautiful waterfalls in the world and including Gullfoss ( Iceland ). Shown on the web, the Gullfoss is unusual in that he is on two "floors”, and neither is particularly high, but together they are an amazing sight. Upper waterfall fall to the right and then the water will arrive on a cliff and fall down the waterfall to the lower left. The waterfalls, which are considered the most beautiful in the world, the Niagara waterfalls in Canada and the United States, Hanakapi'ai Falls in Hawaii, Plitvicefossar in Croatia, Iguazúfossar in Argentina, Yosemite Waterfalls in California, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, Sutherlanfossar in New Zealand, Angels Waterfalls in Venezuela and Lang Waterfall in Norway.
mar
New Music Festival Coming Up in Reykjavík
New Music Festival Coming Up in Reykjavík A new music festival, Reykjavík Music Mess, will be held April 16-17 in the city center with concerts taking place at the music venue NASA on Austurvöllur square and the Nordic House. Ticket sales began yesterday. Performers include American rock group Deerhunter and Mugison, Skakkamanage, Borko, Sin Fang and Kippi Kanínus from Iceland. Overall there will be more than 20 bands performing in almost 40 concerts, four of which are foreign, a press release states. Festival passes will be sold at a special discount for ISK 6,990 (USD 60, EUR 43) until noon on March 11, after which they will cost ISK 7,990 (USD 69, EUR 49). In other music news, musician Sindri Már Sigfússon, who will perform at the festival, released his second album under the name of Sin Fang yesterday. Entitled "Summer Echoes”, the album includes 12 tracks, and has already been praised by foreign critics. According to the album’s Icelandic label, Kimi Records (Morr Music has released the album in other market areas), Andrew Kuo from the New York Times wrote in his review: "I’m canceling that dinner-and-a-movie tonight so I can listen to this 17 times. How did I sleep on this for so long? How does a band like Fleet Foxes get on SNL and a band like this not even get to do a TV on the Radio remix? (The lack of facial hair maybe)"
mar
- $100 OFF ALL PACKAGES FROM WASHINGTON DC
This fantastic deal is valid for travel May - October! Icelandair begins seasonal service from Washington, Dulles beginning May 17th with four flights a week and Wednesday flights added starting July 13th through July 27th. Seasonal service continues with four flights a week through September 13th. Connections through Icelandair’s hub at Keflavik International Airport are available to over 20 destinations in Europe. Only Icelandair allows passengers to stopover in Iceland at no additional airfare. More information about Icelandair fares and packages is available at www.icelandair.us
mar
Now it's even easier to get to Iceland from New York
Summer is just around the corner and the time is right to book your dream trip to Iceland with many air lines to choose from. Delta Air has f.ex. a new non-stop service from New York (JFK) beginning on June 1st. It’s never been easier to experience non-stop fun under the Midnight Sun. Flights depart New York’s JFK Airport at 11:35 in the evening and land at Keflavik Airport in Iceland at 9:20 am the next day – just in time for a dip in the Blue Lagoon! Return flights depart from Iceland at 10:50 am and land in JFK at 12:55 pm. Tickets are currently available for purchase from Delta.
mar
Design and Fashion City Reykjavík
Design and Fashion City Reykjavík Reykjavík celebrates Design and Fashion in March and April. Three major events support this side of Reykjavík during those weeks, Design March (24-27 March), Fanfest (24 March) and Reykjavík Fashion Festival (30 March – 3 April). Apart from these events, visitors to Reykjavík can enjoy The Imagine Peace Tower that will be lit 19 – 26 March to celebrate vernal equinox, the art festival vernal equinox takes place in 1-10 April, for admirerer of the Icelandic Horse a new annual festival has been founded, the Icelandic Horse Festival in Reykjavík and finally, the crown of Icelandic events and festivals, the Reykjavík Art Festival 20 May – 5 June.
mar
The annual Food and Fun festival
The annual Food and Fun international gastronomical festival, which attracts chefs and guests from all around the world, celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and will take place in Reykjavík March 9-13. International guest chefs will cook up delicacies with Icelandic ingredients at selected restaurants in the capital. A listing of participating restaurants will be announced on the festival’s website shortly. These guest chefs also compete against each other with a jury of world-celebrated chefs judging their performance and determining who will earn the title of Food and Fun Chef of the Year.
mar
Next Tour is on Tuesday April 20th at 12:55
Finally the weather is getting better. The tour today was really nice, sightings of pod of White-Beaked Dolphins and Harbour porpoises. ( See the Whales Diary ) Next tour is Wednesday April 20th at 12:55. For reservation tel + 354 562 2300
feb
The Seal GOLLI Returns to the Wild
Golli, a motherless grey seal pup which was rescued in east Iceland in November and has been cared for at the Museum of Natural History in the Westman Islands since, was released back into the wild on Saturday. Georg Skaeringsson, Golli’s caretaker, told ruv.is that he had been waiting for the right conditions, favorable weather and tides, as was the case on Saturday. A group of people came to bid Golli farewell at Klaufin by Stórhöfdi. The seal pup didn’t mind the people but progressed down the beach. At first it seemed scared of the surf and retreated. But then it swam further and further into the ocean until it disappeared. Skaeringsson said it had been difficult to say goodbye to Golli, which had become like a pet to him. However, he expects the seal to stay in the area where it was released for the next few days.
jan
Inspired by Iceland Live Webcams
Take a nature break and check out these two live webcams, one overlooking the beautiful pond in downtown Reykjavik and the other at the stunning Gullfoss waterfall. http://www.inspiredbyiceland.com/icelandlive/#austurstraeti
jan
Þorrablót - A traditional Viking festival all around Iceland
A month-long festivity, taking places in homes and restaurants. Traditional Viking food is consumed. It has its roots in the old midwinter feasts of the pagan era, the Þorrablót, although the way in which it is celebrated has changed. It begins on a Friday, between the 19th and the 25th of January and ends on a Saturday between the 18th and 24th of February.
jan
Þorrablót - A traditional Viking festival all around Iceland
A month-long festivity, taking places in homes and restaurants. Traditional Viking food is consumed. It has its roots in the old midwinter feasts of the pagan era, the Þorrablót, although the way in which it is celebrated has changed. It begins on a Friday, between the 19th and the 25th of January and ends on a Saturday between the 18th and 24th of February.
jan
No tours tomorrow, April 21st due to strong winds
The forecast for April 21 st is not promising for Whale watching. We expect the wind to increase in the afternoon. Therefore we have decided to cancel the tour tomorrow at 12:55. Passengers please contact our ticket sales + 354 562 2300 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting + 354 562 2300 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
jan
No tours tomorrow, April 21st due to strong winds
The forecast for April 21 st is not promising for Whale watching. We expect the wind to increase in the afternoon. Therefore we have decided to cancel the tour tomorrow at 12:55. Passengers please contact our ticket sales + 354 562 2300 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting + 354 562 2300 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
jan
Icelandic Arctic Tern Travels to Brazil
An Arctic tern which was banded at Bakkagerdi in Strandir in the eastern West Fjords in July 2009 as a chick has been spotted in Brazil—9,996 kilometers away from its birthplace. This is the first time an Icelandic tern has been found in South America. The chick was banded by couple Jón Hallur Jóhannsson and Björk Gudjónsdóttir along with 290 other Arctic tern chicks in Strandir that year—143 of which came from Bakkagerdi. The couple have been involved in bird studies for decades, strandir.is reports. Bird banding is the method used for scientific studies on the travels of birds, their winter habitats, age, life expectancy, hunting strain, biological stock index, etc. so it is important that the bands are returned. The discovery in Brazil was reported to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. Very few Icelandic Arctic terns have been sighted abroad, only 15, and all but one were found in Western and Southern Africa.
jan
Icelandic Arctic Tern Travels to Brazil
An Arctic tern which was banded at Bakkagerdi in Strandir in the eastern West Fjords in July 2009 as a chick has been spotted in Brazil—9,996 kilometers away from its birthplace. This is the first time an Icelandic tern has been found in South America. The chick was banded by couple Jón Hallur Jóhannsson and Björk Gudjónsdóttir along with 290 other Arctic tern chicks in Strandir that year—143 of which came from Bakkagerdi. The couple have been involved in bird studies for decades, strandir.is reports. Bird banding is the method used for scientific studies on the travels of birds, their winter habitats, age, life expectancy, hunting strain, biological stock index, etc. so it is important that the bands are returned. The discovery in Brazil was reported to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. Very few Icelandic Arctic terns have been sighted abroad, only 15, and all but one were found in Western and Southern Africa.
jan
No tour on Friday the 14th of January
We have decided to cancel the tour on Friday due to bad weather and an increasing swell in the bay. Please contact our ticket sales for further information. Tel + 354 562 2300
mar
The Golden Plover gives signs of Spring
Numerous signs of spring being around the corner have started to show. The Golden Plover has arrived in Iceland, spring blossoms are starting to bloom in the Reykjavík Botanical Gardens in and new arrivals, such as kid goats, also blossom in the nearby Reykjavík Family Park & Zoo. The Golden Plover A golden plover was spotted by the Sílavík bay at Höfn in Hornafjördur around noon last Thursday, according to the bird website fuglar.is. The arrival of the migrating bird is considered the first certain sign of spring in Iceland. Now the golden plover will “sing away the snow and boredom” as it says in a beloved poem about the connection between the bird’s arrival and the end of winter by Páll Ólafsson. Migrating birds are now returning to the country in ever growing numbers—there are few remnants of winter left in Iceland’s southwestern region, although it is still snowing in the north and east.
mar
Whale watching on Friday at 12:55. Tickets available now
The season is about to kick-off and our next whale watching tour available will be on Friday, 2nd of April, at 12:55. Please call us or send us an email, hvalalif@hvalalif.is, to guarantee your place on board with us. This time around we will probably do some fishing on the way back as well as an extra benefit included in the trip. For those not so interested in fishing this is a great time to enjoy the magnificent scenery around while the ship is stationary. Looking forward to sail with you and see some WHALES!!!
mar
Iceland defends its title as the island of fire and ice
Why go to Iceland? It could no be described better yesterday when a volcano eruption occurred in one of the glacier, Eyjafjallajökull (Eyjafjalla- glacier) . Unbelievable sight showing the incredible contrast between the two elements, fire and ice. This is one of many reasons why tourists come to Iceland because the variety in the forces of nature is everywhere to be found. Take a sailing tour for few hours to witness whales just outside the coast of Reykjavik or drive few hours inland and see strokes of burning lava on ice. If this doesn't bring you to Iceland....what will?
mar
Iceland One of 10 Best Whale Watching Destinations
Whale watching: 10 of the best. Watching the oceans' cetacean stars is one of the world's most popular wildlife activities. Victoria Homewood selects the 10 best whale-watching destinations around the world. (www.telegraph.co.uk ) Iceland is among the 10 best destinations worldwide for whale watching, according to an article in The Telegraph (UK). Other top 10 destinations are Alaska, Azores, California, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, Spain and Vancouver.
mar
Reykjavík Arts Festival 12 May – 5 June 2010.
About the Reykjavík Arts Festival The year 2010 is a big year for the Reykjavik Arts Festival as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. From the very first festival in 1970, it has always stayed true to its original goal of offering the best of the Icelandic and international art scene. The Reykjavík Arts Festival is one of the oldest and most respected arts festivals in Northern Europe. It has become a harbinger of spring, bringing joy and delight to Iceland’s residents and their guests in May each year. The Festival is recognised as a premiere venue for outstanding Icelandic and international artists and takes pride in its unique focus on all artistic disciplines – theatre, dance, music, literature and visual arts. This year´s programme offers a varied and colourful blend of big and small events. Festival guests will have the opportunity to attend concerts and readings in artists’ studios and writers’ own homes, as well as enjoying exceptional acts and performances on the city‘s big stages. This year, photography is in the Festival spotlight, with numerous international and Icelandic photo exhibitions. Visit artfest.is for more information.
mar
Starting up season 2010 !
Hello all. The news from Life of Whales are that we are now making everything ready after the winter-stop. We are extremely exited about the upcoming Whale Watching season, and are positive that the summer will be even better than the last, if that is at all possible.
feb
Food and fun festival - February
The name really says it all. "Reykjavik Food and Fun Festival" is an event which combines outstanding culinary skills, fresh natural ingredients, Icelandic outdoor adventure and the world-famous Reykjavik nightlife to create the ultimate recipe for fun. The festival is held annually the last week of February and now 2010 is the ninth anniversary. There are two elements of the festival which involves an international brigade of chefs and culinary people.
feb
The Minke Whale diet
Everybody needs to eat and fish is a good healthy choice. Since the whales have no junk food available in the sea to distract them from healthy nourishment, they seem pretty happy with the healthy variety available under the surface and grow big and strong. Not much is known about exactly what the Minke Whales eat but according to researchers they feed themselves mainly on plankton, krill, capelin and Cod f.ex. Here are some photos to give these strange foreign words some meaning for you.
feb
The Icelandic Halloween is today
If you are in Iceland don't be afraid if you see some of us running around in strange garments.....it's just our Icelandic Halloween day, we call it Öskudagur (or Ash-day). We want to point out few nice costumes choices (see photos below). Even though Spiderman and other superheroes are always popular our personal favourite is the whale-costume. It always provokes a nice smile from people's faces following with a nice warm hug. People just love the whales and we can’t blame them for it, we love them too:) If you don't find a nice whales-suit around the smiley-face is always a good one but since we are always smiling it just wouldn't make much difference. This day is a good excuse to dress up as your favourite superhero, try out your mother's wardrobe or walk down the main street as a whale, so go wild and have a happy Öskudagur!!! :D
feb
Reykjavík Museum Night 12 February
The largest Museum Night ever will be held this Friday, 12 February. Over thirty museums all over the whole capital area will participate. Opening Ceremonies: The Love Walk. In conjunction with Reykjavik Museum Night, actress/writer Bergljót Arnalds conducts for the second time a love walk around Tjörnin lake... and more.
jan
-Mister Splashy Pants-
Yes, we know what you are thinking... "what kind of a joke is this", but we kid you not, this is NOT a joke. This is a new name for a Humpback whale that is currently being tracked with a satellite tag by Greenpeace as a part of its Great Whale Trail Expedition. The point of all this is to raise awareness about whales threatened by a Japanese Fisheries Agency.
jan
Tour at 12:55, April 6th, cancelled due to a strong wind
Due to a strong wind in the bay, the tour April 6th has been cancelled. Please contact us for information for coming days. Tel + 354 562 2300
des
Happy New Yeeeeear!!
Yes, we know New Year is tomorrow but we got to stay ahead of the curve, right ;) The year has truly been great and we want to thank everyone who travelled with us in 2009, our joyful colleagues, friends and all who enjoyed watching beautiful whales from Reykjavik harbor. We had over 98% sighting success in 2009 and we heard the whales were eager to stay close in 2010 because they love to show off for our passengers very much! :) Again we wish you happy new year, have fun like us and we look forward to see you in 2010 :D
des
Merry Christmas Everybody
The Christmas is just around the corner and with Christmas lights in almost every window no fish in the ocean gets away from the Christmas spirit. Even the whales are preparing a nice holiday with their friends, calves and krills. We would like to wish all of our colleagues, friends, passengers, fellow travellers and all friendly whale enthusiastics a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope to see all of you next year.
des
Increasing tourism expectancy for 2010
Due to our economic crisis Iceland that once was thought an expensive stop by visitors has now become an ideal destination for travellers looking for value during their holiday. A country with so much to offer many feel that the opportunity to bear witness to the untouched nature for a reasonable price has finally arrived. We are really happy to be able to provide people withquality tours and give them a better insight into the world of mystique and wonders of the giant mammals, the whales. Very little is known about those magnificent creatures in comparison to most other species and many interesting stories about their origin have been told for centuries. We would be happy to enriching your experience and knowledge about those beautiful giants and look forward to take you out there, to their environment, closer to their home.
des
The new ship celebration party
On the 4th of December we celebrated a new ship to our fleet with our colleagues and friends. Alot of people showed up to admire this new option available for travelers next season wanting to enjoy their whale watching tour in style. We also had a nice performance act from a group called Three Voices and a Beat (a human beat-box....amazing talent), very nice.
nóv
A new luxurious whale watching ship is on its way to us
Good news everybody! We can now offer you a new grand luxurious whale watching ship for the season of 2010. With all modern requirements, facilities, space, comfort, viewing decks and safety this is a dream come true. We are very proud to be able to offer you what we believe is the best cruiser available in Iceland when it comes to whale watching tours. The ship carries 240 passengers but we will minimize it to 150 for each tour for extra comfort. The ANDREA is 3 level ship with huge windows, indoor seats for 130 people, outside seats for 65 persons, spacious and finely decorated public areas and two stylish lounges with an open snack-bar on board and 5 modern designed WC etc. etc. We encourage you to come and see for yourself and we look forward to take you for an adventure on sea in the season of 2010.
nóv
Interesting travel path of a Humpback whale around Iceland
Whales are very mysterious mammals which much too little is known about. But the 21.of October a Humpback whale was marked with a GPS receiver in Eyjafjordur (North of the country) for research purposes by the Marine Research Institute. By the 6.of November the Humpback whale had already arrived all the way to Faxafloi bay. See his interesting travel path by clicking on this article.
okt
You catch it, we cook it!
Our -Sea Angling- tours are available for groups where you get your catch of the day grilled fresh on the tour. Our boat has available 25 fishing-rods simultaneously and can accommodate 50 people on board.
sep
The last day of scheduled Whale Watching tours, Sept 27th.
Today is the last day of scheduled tours this year. This year was really good whale watching year and we are looking forward to the year 2010. From now on we only sail with pre-booked goups in October for Whale Watching and sea angling. To make a reservation for your group, give us a call in number +354 897 8433 or send us an email on marketing@hvalalif.is.
sep
Some comments froms season 2009
Det var en vidunderlig tur, hvalerne var fantastike og besætningen var sa söde og venlige. Vi blev meget forkælede ! Jeg havde ikke drömt om at I ville tilberede “min” fisk for os. Tusind tak !! Det har været alle tiders !!! Qujannak ! Maimonu Mia Mojaddedi Ein gjeng pa 8 stk fra Norge har været pa ein flott fisketur og kvalsafari. Vi fikk 8 fiske som det vart middag av. Takk for oss. Gunnar Hardal, Haugesund ( og flere ) Excelent, good close ups of the Whales. Art, England Spectacular Times, better than we could have imagined + that was just the tip of the iceberg ! Wait till you get back to the pier, eat the Catfish you caught two hours earlier. Ourstanding ! ( Go Puffins ) Paul Ross, Austin, TA Scott Sevin, Miami Beach Thank you ! The whale watching was great. Maria and Kassa from Finland Tak for en super skön tur – helt fantastisk !! Jeg fangede min förste fine fisk !! J Trine & Emil Fantastic trip – Whales, dolphins, puffins + great crew ! Annie Hoddle, England & Susan Greory. Wanderful trip of a lifetime, all that was promised & more besides !! Stogumber – England Thank you for trhe eventful trip. Seeing whales was wanderful. Please persuade your goverment not to kill them. Memorable day. Orknay, Scotland + USA We had an absolutely wonderful time watching the whales and catching fish ! Thanke you x 3. Ann & Asra from Singapore This was an amazing tour ! Loved the fresh sushi. Simon is the best tour guide. I´ll definitely recommend this to others. Chris Haukins Great tour and great crew ! Sarah Lucic Puffin tour was great, also thanks to a nice & interesting talk with the captain and Laura about Iceland, it´s history and nature. Thank you a million. Jason ( from Poland ) A big thanks from Wales, for showing us the Whales ! Great guide, great tour, great fish. Dioloh yn fawr ( Thanks very much ! ) Bethan + Jeff
sep
Icelandic Fashion Weekend today at 14:00
Today at 14:00 there is going to be just fantastic fashion show display at the Old Harbour by the Lobster-Ship restaurant. 6 young brilliant designers are going to promote their lates design using the pier for cat-walk. Off coures Life of Whales wants to make an effort of promoting such an Icelandic talent and so we encourage everyone to show up and experience this first time ever event at the Old Harbour! :D
ágú
Puffin season coming to an end.
Now the Puffins, these short - winged friendly birds have departed the islands and winter at sea. The Puffins form long-term pair bonds or relationships and they will be back togeather next spring in the islands.
ágú
Iceland Fashion Week in co-operation with Life of Whales
Iceland Fashion Week is a unique fashion experience held in Iceland and the surrounding islands each year. It features Icelandic design intermixed with some of the fashion industry's best unknown talent around the world. On September 4th. a underground Iceland fashion presentation will take place on the pier. The best view will be from the restaurant Lobstership.
júl
New - Puffin tours
Today we started up new trips for bird watching. We sail around the Puffin island where we can observe the Puffins among other beautiful sea birds. We will tell you interesting facts about their lives and some folk-stories connected to the history of the area. While cruising you will see a lof of different sea birds around the islands, on the rocks as well on the sea. We sail out 3 times pr day from Reykjavik´s Old harbour at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00.
júl
New - Sea angling tours everyday at 17:00; You catch it - we cook it
If you think fishing is fun, this tours are going to be fantastic. You will board our trustworthy sea angling boat Andrea II with our higly skilled crew. We do have appr. 25 fishing rods available simultaniously. The tour is appr. 2,5 - 3 hours long and in the end of the tour the crew will grill the catch and this Atlantic picknic might be the freshest fish you ever have tasted. Every day at 17:00
jún
Special Sea Angling Tour 2nd of July
Good news everyone! New item is now available. We are going on a special Sea Angling Tour on the 2nd of July at 17:00 were you'll get to fish and dine your own catch on board, all included in the price. Yes, while you are fishing we are grilling your last catch for you. We encourage you to book in advance since spaces for tours like this are usually limmited and soon sould out. We have been very lucky with fishing and are going to take you to great fishing grounds.
jún
Comment from our guests
Following are few comments from our guests this year : We had a great time and I got the biggest fish - the Captain. This is not a national day he wants to remenber ( with a hook in his finger - sorry :) But a great time was had by all. Cookie + Sjaak USA
jún
More good news - A Humpback in the bay
We call a call just few minutes ago, the Captain has already spotted a Humpback Whale, only 1 mile from shore. The Humback is relaxed and they could approach it very well. More details will be on the Whale Diary later today. :=)
jún
Fantastic sighteens :) :=)
Finally the whales are coming closer to the shore and we got a call this morning from our captain. They have already spotted minke Whales and a lot of White beaked Dolphins. There was a fantastic sighteens when the Dolphins were jumping around the boat, they were really playful and seems to be that they are enjoying the weather as much as we are :)
jún
Festival of the sea
The harbour sitge was busy today with a lot of people coming and having a good time and taking part in the program. Funny fishes, students from the art academy, sea angling trips, Puffin watching, speed rowing and lot of more funny things to do were available. A really a nice day in a perfect weather :=)
jún
Minke Whales, Dolphins and Humpback Whales today :)
Today we had a really great sightings so far. We have spotted 4 Minke whales in the 12:55 tour, Humpback Whales and White beaked Dolphins, fantastic !! The weather forcast for coming days is really good and we look forward to sail with our passangers :)
maí
Special Sea Angling tour today at 16:00
We are going for a wild Sea Angling tour today at 16:00 O'Clock. If you want to take part of some great fishing adventure then now is the time. Ticket sales at the Lobster-Ship restaurant.
maí
The weather for the weekend looks good
Although today is windy the forecast for the weekend is pretty good. We are excited about our tours this weekend and look forward in seeing you with us.
maí
Due to excellent weather a Special Angling Tour is scheduled at 16:30 today
Due to excellent weather and a lot of requests we are going out on a Special Sea Angling Tour this afternoon. Usually we catch Cod, Haddock, Catfish and Halibut.....and if we're lucky, a mermaid;) Put your fishing skills to the test and join us for some great fishing:) Bookings us at +354-897-8433
maí
Great weather and good sightings :)
For the past days we have had really a good weather and perfect conditions for whale watching. We have spotted Minke Whales in all our tours in past 4 days. Seems to be that more and more Minkies are coming into the bay. Other sightins are such as White beaked Dolphins and the fun to watch Humpback.
maí
Todays sightings, Humpback Whales and Minke Whales - Saturday 16.May
The weather forcast for coming days is good for Whale Watching and hopefully we will get lucky with the whales. Today we saw Minke Whales and Humpbacks. ( See on the Whale diary page )
maí
Quotes and comments from last season :)
Thanks for an excellent trip ! Lots of whale sightings and excellent service !! We´ll see you again ! Rick Smith, New York, USA. Thank you for a most enjoyable whale watching "voyage" and we
maí
Great news from sea :) Humpbacks, Minkies and Dolphins... :)
We got a call from our captain and the tour has been so far fantastic. (10:25). They have already spotted pod of White beaked Dolphins, 25-30 animals, 2 Minke Whales and 2 Humpbacks. The conditions out there are very good, slow wind and sunny. We will tell you more about this tour and others under the Whale watching diary on our web.
maí
The Puffins are up in the island Akurey
In the middle of April, we saw the first birds on the sea in Faxafloi bay. The birds inhabit the Islands Akurey and Lundey, where they remain until midt of August. They are already up in the island and more and more birds are strolling up to the island each day now. As many as fifteen – twenty thousand pairs are believed to nest on Akurey. In all our Whale Watching tours we sail close to the island and you can have a great photo opportunity of this beautiful birds.
maí
Great weater today ! Humpback -
Finally we have a good weather and the conditions for whale watching are excellent today :) We got a call from our captain at 14:35 and they have already spotted Humpback, Minky Whales and White beaked Dolphins, Great !
maí
Promising weather for coming days
The weather forcast for the coming days is very good. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday the wind is supposed to be very slow so finally we are getting a good whale watching weather. In May we have tours at 08:55 and 12:55. Bookings in phone + 354 897 8433.
maí
Weather for coming days - No tours tomorrow Wednesday May 12th due to a weather
Still we have a strong wind from south and it´s not very entertaining to be at sea in this weather !! On Thursday the weather is supposed to be good again and the whole weekend seems to be good as well :) Hopefully the summer is coming. Next tours are therefore scheduled on Thursday at 08:55 and 12:55.
maí
No tours tomorrow Tuesday May 5th. due to a strong western wind.
The weather forcast for the day and tomorrow isn´t faverable. Strong western wind. We have therefore cancelled the tours. The forcast is promising for the rest of the week.
maí
Saturday May 2nd - Tours at 08:55 and 12:55 cancelled due to a strong wind
Unforunately the weather forcast for the day isn´t favourable. There is supposed to be a quite strong wind and therefore we have cancelled the tours today. On Sunday the weather is supposed to be good and still we have awailable tickets for the tour at 12:55. The 08:55 tour is sold out. Give us a call in + 354 897 8433 to reserve a ticket.
maí
No tours today Friday due to a strong northen wind in the bay.
Unfortunately we have to cancel todays tours due to a strong wind. The forcast for Saturday is good.
apr
Humpback Whales, Minke Whales and Dolphins
Today we had a great day. The weather was really good and we spotted Humpback Whales, Minke Whales and Dolphins. See our diary for more info.
apr
Sea angling tour next Saturday at 16:30
Next Saturday we are going for a special Sea-angling tour. If you want to try to catch a fish you can join us for this tour. The tour is 3 hours long and starts at 16:30, so we will be back in harbour at 19:30. You can at that time hand in your catch to the master chef on board the restaurant Lobster ship, who will happely make you a fresh meal. Book your trip at hvalalif@hvalalif.is or in phone + 354 897 8433
apr
Whale Watching tour at 12:55, April 19, cancelled due to a strong wind.
Unfortunately we have to cancel the tour at 12:55 today, April 19th, due to a strong wind in the bay. Hopefully our passangers can join us for the next tours.
apr
Groups of Dolphins and harbour Porpoises
Hello all. Today we started our season formally with a trip out to the Faxaflói-bay, and it was a good start. It is clear that the bay-life is starting to increase as spring is on our doorsteps. We had the pleasure of haveing 3 groups of White beaked Dolphins and 2 of Harbour Porpoises. The Dolphins were entertaining as usually, but the Harbour Porpoises were shy as always. We know that the Minke Whale is out there, but we did not see them in this trip, but we are confident that we will find them tomorrow, or the day after. The birds, including the puffin are starting to look for their better half, and making ready for nests making, as they are starting to form groups out at sea. And the birds are starting to feed on the sand-eel, so we are confident that the whales will be soon in big numbers. Regards from the crew of Andrea
apr
Whale Watching tours April 9th and 10th
We have Whale Watching tours on Saturday at 12:55 and on Sunday we have tours at 08:55 and 12:55. On Saturday we have short trips for sea angling, ( 1-1,5 hours ), at 09:00, 10:30 and 16:30. Bookings in phone + 354 897 8433
apr
Opening tours - Whale Watching
Today we started again after winter break. There was a Whale Watching tour scheduled at 12;55 today but unfortunately the weather was not favourable for Whale Watching in the bay, a strong wind. We decided to change the tour from Whale Watching to Sea angling tour because then we could stay closer to the shore where the weather was better. And wahat a tour ! The bay seems to be ful of fish these days.
apr
Whale Watching tour today April 10th, Friday at 12;55
Today, April 10th, we are going to start up the season. The first tour is at 12:55 and special sea angling tour at 17;00. Still we have awailable seats for the Whale Watching tour so give us a call and reserve a ticket. Tel + 354 897 8433.
apr
Well good people, we have some interesting news.
On the 25th of April we will have an introduction-day. As a part of that day we will offer a short trip around the Reykjavik islands, and some short sea-angling for only 1500 IKR (adults), and our friends at the Lobster-ship will have their fantastic fish-soup with a 50% discount. We hope to see as many of you as possible, to try out what we have to offer. Regards from the crew of Life of Whales.
mar
Great news from sea :)
According to our friends / fishermen out on sea they have been seeing a lot of whales lately. A big flock of harbour porpoises was seen two days ago. It was a fantastic sighting. A Humpback whales have also been seen close to land, feeding and the fishermens were able to watch them up very close. The bay is also very rich of fish this time and the fishermens are fishing really big cods these days. Good news from sea :)
mar
Life of Whales - Now on Facebook
We have established a site/group on Facebook.This is a group to share photographs and comment on the fantastic experience that a trip with the Life of Whales is. We will give you some idea of how things are going, and when we will start our trips. It does not matter if you have been on a trip with us, or if you are interested to do so in the future, this is a group you might find interesting.
feb
Ecotourism
Whale watching is a growing ecotourism industry around the world and is enjoyed by over six million people in 65 countries Whale watching can be emotional, educational and an important part of local economies. It offers a unique opportunity for people to appreciate the magnificence of whales in their natural habitat and to help motivate people to protect these animals and their environment. Additionally, much of what scientists know about whales is a result of research conducted while they are aboard commercial whale watching vessels.
sep
End of 2008 Season - a great Whale watching year
From September 26th we have decided to stop for the winter. The weather is getting more unreliable and unpredictable. This summer has been really great. We have not seen so many whales before like this summer. The Humpback whale stayed with us the whole summer and showed all his best. Breaching, showing the flippers and tail. In July and August we had so many Minke whales in the bay, much more than last year. Fantastic summer :) We thank all our passangers for all the enjoyable moments this summer and hopefully we will meet again somtime.
júl
Perfect tours.....
Today we had really good tours. In our tours we saw Humpback whales, many many.. Minke whales, White beaked Dolpins and harbour Porpoises. We had a really great look at some Minke Whales, just 2-3 meters from the boat. Probably this is one of our best days of this season. The crew was really happy in the end of the day - seeing so many smiling faces means a lot to us.
júl
Another spendid day
Today we had a great day. In the morning tour we saw so many minke whales, they were all over the sea, where ever we looked. The passangers had good catch and when they were fishing, a group of harbour porpoises came close to the boat. This is very unusual because they are considered to be very shy animals. They were swimming around and under the boat.
júl
Breaching Humback, waaaaaw.......
Today we had a really good day even thogh the weather was not so good. The day was a little bit foggy and it was raining. In the morning tour we spotted a Minke Whale and Dolphins. A good tour. At the 12.55 tour we got a call from other boats in the bay and they found a Humback whale. This individual was really fun to watch, breaching and slappig the surface of the ocean.
júl
Hotel Pick-up
Do you need a Hotel Pick - Up ? Please ask the tour desk or the recepcton at your hotel to arrange a hotel pick - up or give us a call and we will arrange it. The price for the pick - up is 500 kr.
júl
Lot of Whales
Today we had great trips, the weather was excellent and we found many Minke whales. We could see them all around the boat and we had one Minke Whale by the site of the boat for a long time. They were feeding as well as flocks of birds.
júl
We are happy when our passangers are happy !
These days the weather is really good for whale watching and we are extremly happy with the sigtings these days. Yesterday was saw in all three tours a humpback whales, minke whale and white beaked dolphins. Those who tryed sea angling had a good catch and some of them took there fish over to the restaurant Lobster ship where the Master Chief made a tasty meal. When our passangers give us applause in the end of the tour, we are really happy and knowing that we are doing right things :)
jún
Lifely days !
This day was really wonferful. At the tour at 12:55, we found after a short trip a Humpback. We almost could grap the splashes when this playful individual touched the surfeace after breaching repeatly. When it was not breaching we could observe the whale when it was showing the flippers and tail floading around the boat. We also spotted today Minky whales and a big
jún
Another great day, June 22nd
Today we had excelant tours at 8:55 and 12:55. We could see a Humpback, Minke Whale and Dolphins. Lot of Puffins to be seen in the Puffin Island and on the way back some of our guests catched a fish as well. Lot of smiling faces at the end of the tour´s.
jún
A great day !
Sometimes we need to have a lemmon on board to get the smiles of people when thay are back from the tours, the captain said after the tours today ! This was a fantastic day, a lot of whales and the Humpback was showing all of it´s best. We almost could touch the whale when he was turning and floading around the boat. In the morning tour we saw also Minke whales, Dolphins and Harbour Porpoise´s.
jún
What a wonderful day !
This day was truly fantastic. At the 16:55 we started to spot 2 harbour porpoises. We went further out and there was a minke whale, showing up several times and we could observe the minke whale from a short distance. In a short distance from there we spottet white-beaked dolpins and they were very playful. Jumping around the boat, swimming under the
jún
Great news from sea :)
We got a call from a fisherman out in the bay this morning. They said that thay have newer beefore seen so many humpback whales together. They thougt that there were 15 - 20 animals in a group. Our captain called us as well and he had already seen a humback and a minke whale. Good news from the sea !! :)
jún
A very nice tour
We really had a nice tours today. We spotted 2 humpback whales. They were really calm and we had a really good look at them. On the way back we also spotted a group of white - beaked dolphins. They were very playful, dancing around the boat. Hopefully this is just the start for a great summer.
jún
Get more - 3 in one
Whale Watching, Puffins and Sea Angling - all three in the same tour. We will venture together out into the Faxafloi bay and watch out for the whales, the birds and on the way back we hopefully will have time to catch some fish.
feb
Starting up season 2008
This year we will start up May 15th and sail two tour pr day at 8.55 and 12.55. From June 1st we have scheduled three departures pr day, at 8.55, 12.55 and 16.55. Hotel pick - up will also start in beginning of June. We are looking forward to sail with you this season.
júl
Whales ? yes....a lot of them.
We are frequently asked about how likely it is to see the whales. The answere is : it is very, very likly ! If the weather condition are good we can almost guaranty that we will see the whales. For the last weeks we have
júl
Grilled Cod.. have your catch grilled on the Lobster boat.
On our tours we offer all those who want to try, to catch their own fish. The ground here nearby are very rich and everyone should catch a fish. When we are back in harbor, the chefs on the Lobster boat will prepare your catch free of charge and grill it for you. Its hard to find the fish fresher than that .
júl
Good weather...
Again we had a good weather today and the sea is very calm like past few days. Lately we have been spotting lot of minke whales and we had this morning a great tour. We spotted a group of dolphins and they were very playful. Few of them were bow-riding and jumping ........
jún
New web site lunched!
Our new web site is up and running. With this new web site we hope we can give more and better information about the whale Watching tours, the Whales, birds and other species around the bay area.
jún
Sea angling tours
Last days has been fantastic in the sea angling. We have had many species of fish and all passangers have had a good catch. The bookings for next weekend are good but still possble to add some few more fishermens.
jún
The Lobster Boat
The restaurant " Lobster boat " will open up with in few days. The restaurant is also a booking center for the Whale Whatcing, Sea Angling and other tours.
nóv
Next Whale Watching tour is tomorrow Saturday at 12:55
Our next tour is tomorrow at 12:55. For reservatioin call + 354 562 2300 Life of Whales
nóv
Pilot whales ran into difficulties
A group of more than 200 pilot whales ran into difficulties in Southwest Iceland on Saturday. Many of the whales would have beached had it not been for divers and other volunteers who steered them towards the open sea. “It is naturally a species which is common in Icelandic waters at this time of year but it usually stays at greater depths. It is a deep-sea whale and belongs out in the ocean,” biologist and whale specialist Gísli Víkingsson of the Icelandic Marine Research Institute told Morgunblaðið. “It happens regularly that they run into such difficulties, although it isn’t common. Years or decades may pass between such incidents,” Gísli added. According to visir.is, scientists disagree as to why whales swim so close to the shore. Some argue that they are chasing food, such as mackerel, others believe disturbances in the earth’s magnetic field leads them off track, or that a parasite infection in their inner ears disturbs their sense of direction.