Swimming with the Orcas in Norway - part 2

The second week in Skjervøy started with lots of snow and bad weather. Nevertheless, we went out almost every day. On Monday we were searching for the orcas for a while but when we found them it turned out as one of the best experiences in my life. A pod of orcas was quite interested in us and returned several times to check us out. It was also the first time I got some really nice shots and footage with the camera in the underwater housing.

The week started with cold weather and lots of clouds and snow.

The meaning of swimming with the orca

A very close encounter with orcas I had on that day. I was the only one jumping into the water and the orca passed myself with a distance of 2 meters maximum. Absolutely stunning.

The second day of the week was totally different again. The clouds partially opened up and let the colors of the sky through which enchanted the whole scenery. Several fishing vessels were already in the fjord which means there is herring and with the herring came the humpbacks and orcas.

With the herring come the fishermen and the whales.

As expected, when arriving in the Kvænangen fjord there where lots of humpback pods hunting for the herring. As the sea was a bit rough we could not enter the waters for snorkeling but we enjoyed watching the humpbacks for half an hour. Absolutely stunning!

Lots of humpback pods hunting for herring in the Kvænangen fjord

The day was almost over when the captain asked if we want to return back to the Skjervøy or if we take the risk and check out another place for the orcas. No question, the group wanted to take the risk even it was quite cold that day. So we headed out more to the south. As usual, the captain had a good sense where to go and where nobody else is trying so we found an orca pod which was interested to interact with us. I was lucky to get another great underwater shot of a mother with her calf.

Orca with her calf.

Wednesday started with clear skies so I decided to use the beautiful light to get some shots of orcas on the surface instead of going for snorkeling.

Incredible light for landscape imaging.

Due to the high waves it was not so easy to get the shots I wanted. Most images were out of focus. Nevertheless, I got a couple of shots I am absolutely happy with.

Orca traveling across the fjord

Orca pod in the fjord outside of Skjervøy

Finally, on Thursday we started our last tour out on the sea. The weather was quite good and there were lots of orcas in the fjord. But they were not interested to interact with us and more busy with themselves while socializing which is quite import for the orca pod. I jumped into the water several times but chances were much higher to get better images on the water surface. So I used the chance to continue taking pictures of orcas while they were traveling and socializing.

Our boat while returning from snorkeling. We had a phantastic crew and lovely groups each day.

Orca while traveling.

Orcas are are very social mammals. Socializing is very import for the pod.

I would like to thank www.lofoten-opplevelser.no for the awesome time. When planning the trip we did a lot of investigation of who is offering snorkeling trips and checked their reviews. Finally, we decided to go with lofoten-opplevelser and booked a couple of trips in advance. From the very first day we felt very comfortable with the company. They act very professional, respect the whales, the equipment was excellent and we had a fantastic group of people every single day. The crew was absolutely amazing. They found the whales every day, most of the time away from other tour operators and boats so we could do snorkeling several times each day. I can really say there was no day disappointing. Actually, we planned and pre-booked trips for four days and ended up with eight trips over two weeks. Probably this one was the best trip ever!