PADI AmbassaDiver™, Birgitta Mueck, dives deep into the fjords of northern Norway, chasing the large pods of orca and humpback whales that migrate there over winter.
Carefully, I slipped into the 3°C (37°F) Arctic water. It was the second week of January, and the sun hadn’t risen above the horizon for more than a month. The lack of light gave the entire underwater environment a dark and gloomy quality. I felt the bite of cold water as I slowly snorkeled into the dim, blue-gray surroundings. With camera in hand, I slowed my movements as a gigantic shadow gradually appeared in front of me. Slowly, it got even closer. Adrenaline rushed through my entire body as the majestic black and white creature gracefully passed within a meter (three feet) of me. My happiness was totally overwhelming; I was back to what I love so much: Back in the water with the Norwegian orcas!
The water was shallow, so the sandy bottom was quickly stirred up by the animal’s powerful movements. Despite his massive size, there was no doubt that the whale had total control over his body. He was there with his pod. I silently stayed where I was, just beneath the surface, leaving the decision to the whales whether they wanted to approach me or not. The mothers and young kept their distance, leaving it to the big guys to be curious about me. And curious they were, especially the one who’d already approached me. He kept coming back. Through the poor visibility I could see how he stunned herring with a single, yet powerful, tail-slap before eating the fish one by one. After doing so, he swam up close, inspecting me with a curious eye. In his majestic company, I stayed completely calm and silent, hardly moving. While I recorded everything on camera, this encounter not only created a big cloud of sand around me, but also an immense cloud of happiness within me.
Our adventure started in the beginning of September, when we set off from Orust, Sweden on a 1,300-nautical-mile (2,400-kilometer) journey to the fjords of northern Norway. Our aim was to dive with, and film, marine life along the Norwegian coast. Ultimately we’d reach the Arctic giants: orcas and humpback whales, which have been gathering in the fjords of Tromso, in northern Norway, every winter for several years in a row now. After close to two months on the move, (including several amazing dives along the way) we finally reached the picturesque northern part of Norway at the end of October. Here, we found out that fewer herring have shown up in the fjords than in previous years. As herring are the reason so many whales have been gathering here, it wasn’t good news. We knew this amazing wildlife phenomenon is a limited one as the whales change their migration pattern due to the availability of their food source: herring. Would fewer fish in the fjords mean an end to the winter whale migration already?
Happily, it didn’t take long before we encountered our first orcas. To start with there were a few small pods. Then, a couple of days later, we found ourselves surrounded by orcas everywhere! These intelligent animals are very curious and, when not busy feeding, it wasn’t unusual for them to swim up to our sailboat for a closer look. While some tail slap, others spyhop and, in some very few but lucky moments, we even witnessed them breaching! To see those magnificent mammals in their natural environment is pure magic to me. Ever since my first orca encounter in 1995, I’ve felt a strong bond to these amazing creatures. These social animals normally live in the same family group all their life, traveling long distances in the vast ocean. When I saw the numbers of orcas that surrounded our boat and, one after the other, curiously look up at us with their big heads, I wished I could share the experience with everyone. This is the way, I believe, all life should be experienced: wild, free and under their own terms. Though excited about the large numbers of orcas in the area, I still wondered if we would be lucky enough to also have encounters with humpback whales. This season there hadn’t been many humpbacks showing up in the fjords so far.
In the afternoon we started to head back to the local fishing harbor, when a big group of orcas rushed into the fjord. The animals energetically started to circle around in the water not far from our boat. In my excitement, I forgot about the intense cold I’d felt earlier, and carefully slipped into the dark, salty sea. There was about 200 meters (656 feet) of water beneath me and a huge school of herring a bit further ahead. Keeping a certain distance from the hunt, I watched the cooperation and coordination of the orcas as they efficiently worked the school of herring into a tight bait ball.
They did so by circling the fish, blowing bubbles and showing their white bellies to frighten their prey, a technique called carousel feeding. This time however, I was surprised, as suddenly the orcas left the bait ball they’d been working so hard to gather. Normally they would start to stun and eat the herring at this stage, but instead all the orcas were now keeping their distance, hovering in the water, just looking at the tight ball of fish they had molded.
“What now?” I wondered, while watching the scene from quite close. Suddenly, the herring started to swim straight towards me. I tried my best to keep my distance from the fast moving school of fish, but they were so fast that I soon found myself surrounded by them. It all happened so fast; the herring surrounding me were hit by panic when huge amounts of bubbles started rising from the depths. I knew what was about to happen, but it was too late to escape. Holding on to my camera, trying to keep my legs and arms close to my body, I could feel, and see, the water boiling with bubbles and panicking fish. That was when the great giants, with immense power and speed, emerged from the depths, surfacing with their huge jaws wide open. Totally out of this world, I found myself surrounded by lunge feeding humpback whales!! Up to 15 meters (50 feet) long, these baleen whales had just taken advantage of the orcas previous work to gather the fish! By shooting up to the surface with their jaws wide open the herring were swallowed in one go before the massive whales crashed back down into the dark water.
As suddenly as the giants appeared, the humpback whales disappeared into the deep fjord again, leaving me alone in the turbulent water caused by their powerful movements. Without a doubt, this was a humpback encounter I’d never even dared to dream about!
By the beginning of February, the season of winter whales was about to reach an end. Most of the whales had already left the fjords of Troms, about two weeks earlier than the previous year. How many more years the orcas and humpbacks will appear in the sheltered winter fjords of Troms, nobody can tell. Led by their food source, the migration and appearance of the whales is dependent on the silver of the sea; the herring.
While watching the fabulous northern lights playfully dancing in the starry night’s sky, I reflected on the many amazing wildlife encounters the last months held. It makes me feel so grateful and happy for the countless wonderful moments I experienced with the winter whales this season. Like the whales, it was now time for us to head south towards new adventures. Who knows, maybe I will meet my beloved giants again, somewhere out in the vast, blue ocean.
Book Your Trip to Norway
Follow in Birgitta’s fins. Book a trip to Norway via PADI Travel for your chance to swim with orcas and humpback whales in the Arctic.