Rúnar Karlsson Rúnar Karlsson | Tuesday September 22 - 2009

Close encounters of the whale kind

Jon Otto at the start of the day
Jon Otto at the start of the day
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Last Saturday we enjoyed great day out trying a new sea kayaking day trip we´ll be offering next summer in cooperation with our friends at West Tours. We drove to Seydisfjordur about half an hour drive from Isafjordur and launched the kayaks in the mirror calm waters in the head of the fjord. Then we paddled along the coast around the small peninsula of Folafotur (e. Horse Leg) enjoying the scenery and birdlife. The peninsula was once inhabited by roughly hundred people but now there is no one and no road goes out there. After a nice lunch break at the end of the "Leg" we turned into Hestfjordur watching porpoises passing by. Close to the end of the trip, we heard a whale spout and spotted a minke whale out on the fjord. I took up the camera and paddled closer to meet our new friend. The whale dived and I waited. Of course it came up in a totally different location. I moved the kayaked closer and knocked with the paddle on the boat just to let it know where I was. I didn´t want it to come too close....!
Suddenly I saw a shadow and heard a loud spout when it came up right behind the boat, not more than a feet away. My heart skipped a beat and I moved away a bit. Then it came up directly beside me and I got the perfect shot...with my camera.

Great day in perfect weather and company.

Comments

#1

Sunday 27 September | 17:31 Erik Aaseth wrote...

What an exciting experience!
I wish I could encounter a whale like that one day.
I love my new kayak btw, it provides nature contact of first degree!
The kayak season will soon be over now, but I'll be on the water early next spring! :)

Take care.

- Erik

#2

Sunday 27 September | 22:37 Runar Karlsson wrote...

Is the kayak season over at any point? We were kayaking today and there is some snow on the ground. The plan is to keep on through the winter. Just put on some more clothes and make sure not to fall in the water....

Cheers

Runar

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Welcome to the website for Borea Adventures, Iceland, your number one stop for Arctic adventures in high latitudes. We provide great adventures and expeditions in Iceland, Greenland, East Greenland, Jan Mayen and Svalbard (Spitzbergen), mainly using our spacious yacht, the Aurora. Our philosophy is to make our trips as silent as possible where we minimize the use of motorized power and encourage physical activities, whether sea kayaking, climbing, sailing, walking and hiking, wildlife, ski touring and backcountry skiing for beginners, experts and people of all ages. The North Atlantic is our playground and we offer scheduled trips for individuals and groups as well as customized itineraries and charter for groups. We travel in harmony with the wildlife of the area: Arctic Foxes, Birds, Seals, Whales and Polar Bears. Aurora is a sturdy expedition yacht and was raced four times around the globe as part of the Clipper Round the World yacht race under the ownership of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. She gives us a great opportunity to provide Arctic adventures in areas that are hard to reach otherwise. We call her our floating basecamp. Our name is derived from Greek mythology where Boreas was the god of the north wind. Aurora on the other hand was the Roman rosy-fingered goddess of dawn. Aurora Borealis is a name for the Northern lights which are common in our area. As we humans have proven through the decades, names can be hard to remember. Especially if a bit of alcohol gets passed around the galley too many times! You might spell our name Boreal Adventures, Borial Adventures, Borea Adventrues and Borealis Adventures. Thank you for visiting Borea Adventures.