🇳🇴 The Search for Orcas and Humpbacks

So the start of my chase/search for the Northern Lights has begun in the city of Tromsø, 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and during the polar night phase where there is no sunrise.

My first day began with setting sail from Tromsø harbour on a 8 hour round trip on a catamaran, north-westwards through the fjords out towards the Arctic Ocean where we were hoping to come across some Orca (Killer) Whales or even the possibility of a humpback!

Two words came to mind…….bloody freezing!

Sadly when it comes to things like this, meaning my chances of seeing a whale, I am very unlucky.  I hold the amount of luck that if I went to Paris, for some reason the Eiffel Tower would have buggered off on holiday….

To help save me from this negativity though, the views on the way out to the ocean through the fjords was incredible.  Really like something from a fantasy film or a Playstation game.

The sky was so blue but with a dark, icy coldness to it and with the sun hiding over behind the horizon of the sea, it gave us some beautiful seascape views.

Finally moving out to the edge of Norway and past the last points of the fjords, the Islands ahead that lay scattered about were completely white, looking like giant collapsed icebergs and the view really did look Arctic.  The weather……was definitely Arctic!

With the wind blowing it was a temperature of -17’c, so my hands had gone completely numb through the gloves, and eventually, me trying to hold things looked like a Lego man holding something, one position only…

After the boat using its technology and advice from other ships around the area, there were whales nearby, and it was time to track them down for a view.

Eventually after searching (staring at the water looking for any sign of a whale is actually very difficult, despite the size of them) we finally came across a family of 4 Orcas (Killer Whales) as they swam around very quickly hunting after something down in the sea.

Sadly though, as this family of Orcas had set themselves in stealth mode, we got only a glimpse of a fin of each as they stalked their prey.  But the fact of being only several meters from 4 Killer Whales, is still a special feeling, although not for whatever they were chasing down in their hunt.

I can honestly say that for a majestic fantasy film feeling whilst cruising on the water in a Norwegian ship, the fjords of northern Norway are a really truly spectacular view to behold.