Having seen the Ocra, we settled back in the spacious lounge of the BrimRun, enjoyed a complimentary coffee, and "warmed up." It was mighty cold on the deck, even with our multi-layers, and we were happy to wait for the siren to sound, the boat to slow, and the captain to shout, "whales sighted." Indeed we hadn’t finished our coffee when the alert sounded, and we once again dressed for the elements before rushing to the open deck. This time there was a rare sighting of the harbour porpoises, but, unfortunately, by the time we’d all stampeded outdoors, the only vision of the porpoise were well into the distance. The captain informed us that this sighting was most unusual, and it was highly unlikely that we’d see them again – apparently they dive deep and "are particularly shy."
However, the engines revved and we took off at a fair lick in pursuit of the elusive porpoise, only to be distracted by a very active school of dolphins. We’d been told in our "educational" talk at the beginning of the trip that dolphins are fun loving and playful and would be guaranteed to "perform" for us if we managed to find a group. Initially, I was quite disappointed because they were doing nothing different to the previously encountered Orca, but then, as if they sensed our frustration, a star performance emerged. This one, the statutory show-off, leapt out of the ocean and proceeded to twist and turn. It didn’t quite achieve a reverse flip, but earned several "oohs and aahs" from those of us up on deck of the BrimRun. Encouraged by this, numerous dolphins emerged, and we were amused as they swam alongside the boat, raced towards us before diving deep under the boat, and earned our applause by jumping high into the air. They are incredibly graceful animals, and it was a real treat to view their antics on their own territory.
At one point on this boat trip, we saw in the very far distance the tale fin of the Blue Whale – too far away to pursue, but still an experience to hold in my memory. The proliferation of gulls swimming or flying near to the boat will always be in my memory, as will the tremendous views of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. The sun was glinting off the ice-capped mountain, and the extent of the Snaefellsnes glacier was evident from this offshore vantage point. The small villages appear as town models in the shadow of the mountain and seem to be tottering perilously close to the water’s edge.
We had a superb outing, but as we looked around the boat, a number of people who had decided against taking the seasick tablet were having a miserable trip. You are advised to take the tablet, and from our observation, you’d be crazy to refuse the offer. Don’t spoil the trip for yourself or your friends by arrogantly believing you don’t need help with your sea legs!