17.12.2025 – Wild Seas
December 23, 2025
Today we tried to observe two baleen whales. Our spotter Drumond spotted the blow of the animals and with that the hunt was opened. We travelled to the place where Drumond saw the blow but sadly for us nothing. We headed then in the direction our whales were swimming, but they must have changed direction, because from our vessel we spotted nothing. Then there was the call again of our spotter. He saw them again, this time in another place. We headed there, but sadly nothing. This time they stayed hidden for us. It is nature we cannot control them. Maybe next time.
Baleen whales by themself are rare visitors of the island and when they come they are only briefly visiting us. Normally the summer months they spend around Iceland and in other places of the northern Atlantic and winter is spend further south, Cape Verde and so on. They are fast swimming animals, the Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) even being able to reach speeds up of tho 50km/h in short sprints. This ability was one off the reasons why they weren’t preferred prey for whale hunters in the past.
By Horst Schulte
Sightings of the day
Stenella
09:30 No sightings
