Tromsø, Northern Norway 10/2-2018
This season’s winter whale guiding for Waterproof Expeditions has just found an end. With 4 weeks in November and 5 weeks in January and February, we have again spent plenty time out in field, in the fjords of Northern Norway, to search for the giants this winter.
It has been interesting to once more follow and observe the appearance of orcas and humpbacks and the change of their migration patterns.
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This winter whale season showed up to be even shorter than last year. Already during the first weeks of January, we could see how the numbers of whales inside the fjords rapidly decreased for each week that passed by...Video below by Scott Portelli, who joined our trip 7-13 January.
The big amount of feeding whales inside the sheltered fjords are now long gone. Thats is why we have spent the last couple of weeks in the area around Andoya and Andenes, which is a good spot for whale watching all year round. A very weather dependent place it is though, as it is exposed to both wind and swell from many directions.
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The previous week, (29/1-3/2) we were very lucky with the weather conditions, making it possible for us to search for and spot 6 different cetacean species outside Andenes. Sperm whales, humpbacks, fin whale, common dolphins, pilot whales and orcas made a great week for picturesque top side observations!
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The last week for the season (4-10/2) showed up to be much more windy and with a big swell, making whale searching more difficult. We got a couple of days with weather calm enough for whale searching further out at sea. This gave us beautiful topside encounters with the big sperm whale bulls, a big pod of feeding pilot whales, a group of traveling fin whales and playful humpbacks. When the conditions were too rough at sea, we instead explored some of the many fascinating fjords in the area, including a visit to the alluring Trollfjord.
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Again, the Polar Plunge became a refreshing and popular activity ;-)Trollfjord & Polar Plunge video by Volker Suckau:
Tired but in high spirits from many weeks of intense whale searching in cold weather and rolling sea, I am now off towards new adventures.
So happy I am for the many amazing people and new friends I have met and all the beautiful memories we have been creating together during this winter season in Northern Norway!
Video by Sindre Frahm Jensen
A special thank you to the wonderful crew and amazing co-guides for total 9 weeks of great, hardworking and smiling teamwork onboard our cozy, floating home M/S Malmö :-) Thank you all so much for being you, I’m already eagerly looking forward to more adventures together!
