Saturday 10th of January


It was quite wet, windy and wavy today. But fortunately it was rather warm, so even though we got soaking wet, we were not freezing at all:) We went out with two zodiacs and many excited people. First we had a look out in Vestfjord, where the waves were….interesting, and after a while we turned into the more sheltered Tysfjord and searched the area there. We checked all our usual places, but without success. We did find some sea eagles though and we had some fishes for them.
We gathered and looked for shelter in the harbour of Korsnes, next to the lutefisk factory, to eat a piece of chocolate and drink some warm toddy. After this we went into the waves in Vestfjord again, and with very suitable music for this day (think: “Singin’ in the Rain”, again) we headed back to Sjøvoll. The many snorkelers ended the trip with a bath in the harbour. I wonder which was the wettest part, being in the water or being on the zodiac?

So, this was it! The last trip of the season.... We couldn´t find the orcas today, but we´ve had a very nice and beautiful goodbye yesterday! Today we faced the waves once again and had another nice day on the sea! After all those times it´s still so great to be out there!! Just to go out in the morning, not knowing what you are going to find…. Some days the weather is nice and calm, other days it´s wavy and challenging. But you can always be sure that it´s gonna turn out to be a great day, with or without the orcas. Whatever the conditions are, I always enjoy just to be there:) How privileged we are to have the opportunity to work here, in this fantastic area, in this amazing nature!! And to share this with many interested people!!

Lynne


Friday 9th of January


When we woke up and opened the curtains this morning, it was quite spectacular outside. Through a big hole in the clouds we could see some amazing Mother of Pearl Clouds! A little later the sky turned completely grey and some wet stuff came down, but by the time that we were on the sea the sky opened again and the Mother of Pearl Clouds appeared again, together with the almost full moon! Magic!

There were quite some waves out there, so the first part of the trip was a bit bumpy and good fun! We checked the mainland side of Vestfjord and when we were almost at Tranøy, we got a phone call: whales at Rotvær! Turn the boat and full speed ahead! Now we had the wind in our back, so we had a completely different experience of the waves, this time we could surf on them - great! The funny thing was that the orcas were doing the same thing as us – they were also surfing on the waves:) We watched the whales, drank hot toddy and ate chocolate. A few times a big male jumped out very close behind the boat! After quite some time we didn´t see them anymore, so we turned on the music and set course to the harbour. During the ride back, the sea was much calmer. And surprise surprise….we found another group of orcas! We counted about 10 animals in each group. And these ones also had a very tiny one with them. While listening to Singin’ in the Rain we watched this orcas as well for a while:)

What a fantastic day again!!
Lynne


Thursday 8th of January

Wet, snowy and wavy – not the best conditions to spot whales. We tried anyhow and we had a great time on the sea, but no orcas…. The sea eagles on the other hand were present, as usual, and we did our eagle-fish trick with them. The trick goes like this: you take a frozen herring, you wait until you see an eagle, you throw the fish in the water and you wait….and wait…. And if everything follows the plan, the eagle will come down and pick up the fish from the surface, close to the boat! End of the trick….applause:)

We´ll try to find the orcas again tomorrow and hope for the best….

Lynne


Wednesday 7th of January

The day started promising with two elks on the way to the harbour. After our sightings of the last four days we had good faith that we would find the orcas today as well. We searched in the same area as where they were the past days We did what we could, but no whales today…. A pity, but on the other hand it was a very nice trip on the sea. A little cold maybe, but beautiful light, calm sea and many other animals. One eagle kept on following the zodiac for a very long time until they gave him a fish! And also from the big boat we saw quite some eagles and many other birds.
This was the very last whale safari with Leonora, our big boat. Not only the last one of the season, but really the LAST one. For this reason the zodiac people came alongside and drove around us, honking and waving:)

Around 2 o’clock we said goodbye to Leonora and in Leiknes we had another surprise. A little otter was sitting on the road and when we approached with the bus he ran away. We could see him for quite a long time as he was jumping through the snow, up to the rock carvings. Maybe he wanted to have a look over there, or maybe he wanted to scratch his own drawing of an otter up there?

Lynne


Tuesday 6th of January


The orcas are still here!
The weather was not exactly what the forecast announced – lots of snow instead of full sunshine. But the most important thing was that we found them! Going out to Vestfjord we saw a fishing boat and our driver Paal called them to ask if they had seen orcas this morning. The answer was negative, but he would inform us if he saw something. And only a few seconds later he called back with the message that he saw some whales.
Fantastic news!
Just outside Lødingen we found a group, or it could also be two groups. They were easy to follow and since they were swimming on both sides of the boat everyone had a very good view on them….between the snowflakes. Even when they were close to the zodiac it was almost impossible to take pictures due to the snowstorm. But very nice to see them in this weather as well. We followed them for a while, heading out of Vestfjord. When we were a little cold and returning to the harbour, we found another group on the way in to Tysfjord!
Again several groups in the area today! We are so happy with that! Happy tourists, happy captains, happy crew:)

Lynne


Monday 5th of January


And again!!
With the big boat we went straight to the area where we saw the orcas yesterday and very soon we spotted them again close to Rotvær. Great! The third day in a row now! At first we only saw a big male coming up several times, before the rest of the group showed up as well. This time it was a group of at least 10 animals and again there was a very young baby with them. The zodiac arrived as well and both of us had a great time watching the whales. Sometimes they disappeared for a while, but we always managed to find them again. After our orca watching the zodiac went home and Leonora went to Lødingen to refill the fuel. On the way home it was snowing and everyone got covered with a thin white layer. Beautiful to see:) It was very dark, but some of us managed to see the orcas very briefly again! Around 15:00 we arrived in the harbour of Korsnes and on the road to the hotel we met an elk again!

Let´s hope that the orcas will stay around until the end of the season….and even longer….

Lynne


Sunday 4th of January


After yesterday´s success it felt like today was gonna be a perfect day for one of those unforgettable adventures. And indeed, what happened today was just incredible, so many orcas around! It all started when we on the big boat found a big group nearby Rotvær. After a while we got company of the zodiac and together we followed them for a very very long time into Tjeldsund. And it was so beautiful, and it was so nice! The whole scenery was just breathtaking - oily flat sea, very white snowy mountains, fresh air, fantastic light,…. And somewhere in this stunning picture there were orcas and sea eagles and two boats - a big one and a smaller one - with on board a bunch of happy whale watchers:)

The weather was very capricious today. I don´t know how many times it changed from snow to clear sky and back, but for sure it was many times. On the way back home we met another group close to Barøy and another one at Bekkenesholmen. When Leonora arrived at the second group at first they were swimming very slowly and relaxed and then they rested a little while at the surface before continuing their activities.

It was not only a super day on the sea, also the nature safari on land was extraordinary! When they arrived by car at Tysnes there was a small group of orcas feeding only a few meters from the shore! How great can it be?!
As a bonus we met an elk on the way home. Everyone – the sea and the land people - returned to the hotel with a big smile on his face:)
What an amazing day! This is how it´s supposed to be…. It was simply perfect! This was one of those spectacular winter days in northern Norway!! And we enjoyed every single second of it:)

Lynne


Saturday 3rd of January


Many orcas in the fjord!! The first ones of 2009!!
Just before going to the boats we received a phone call that there were whales between Korsnes and Bekkenesholmen. So with good hope and high expectations, but also a bit anxious about losing them we went on the zodiacs. Full steam ahead! We split up in order to increase our chances to find them and after a short while we saw the first black fins appearing! Yes! After all those windy days without whales…. It was a rather big group and they had some very young ones with them. We followed them out of Tysfjord and a few times they came towards the boat and we had some closer encounters. In the beginning they were split up so that every zodiac could watch its own part of the group. Afterwards we watched them together. The weather was very nice, with flat sea and fluffy pink clouds. It was really great to see them swimming in the orange and pink light. Fantastic! And these were not the only orcas in the area! There was also a group around Barøy and another one in Kanstadfjord. Three groups in total, plenty of orcas!
More days like this I would say:)

Lynne


Friday 2nd of January


Today was eagle day! On the way to Korsnes we saw one catching a fish and having a hard time to fly up again. He was flapping and flapping with his wings, trying to take off and it took him quite a while before he was actually airborne again! An impressive sighting with a happy end:) At least for the eagle. The next eagles appeared on the rocks in the harbour. And also from the zodiac there were a lot of hungry eagles to see - they came from everywhere! Maybe they got hungry after the storm?
We also saw a little puffin sitting in the water and trying to escape from the boat. He tried to fly up in that funny puffin way. But he didn´t manage and just took some distance to the boat.
The weather was great! Some snow, but this didn´t decrease the visibility too much. And finally, after many days with a lot of wind, it was very calm on the water and we were able to go out in Vestfjord again. We could see very far thanks to the flat sea and good light conditions. On the way back to the harbour our attention got caught by a group of birds on the water. We know that this can mean whales, and if they would have been around, we would have seen them with this perfect weather. But we didn´t…. Had they been there at the moment that we were not there, were they around maybe, or was this just something else??

Lynne


Thursday 1st of January


We left under a clear sky and immediately we saw 4 sea eagles sitting on the rocks in the harbour of Korsnes! Very close to our boat! A few minutes later the nice light disappeared and that was the start of another snowy day in Tysfjord…. Super nice with the snow….but also super difficult to spot any whales…. Just before mooring the zodiacs we saw a male elk in the little harbour of Sjøvoll. Eagles, gulls, cormorants, an elk....plenty of animals….but where are the orcas??



Lynne

Wednesday 31st of December


We survived Yngve!! Yngve is the name of the fifth extreme storm in Norway this year. And we got this one over our head this morning! It was really bad in Lofoten, and also here we got heavy winds and great waves. We decided to postpone the trip a little, before our captains gave green light to sail out. As soon as we were on the water, we were surrounded by a wall of snow. Nothing to see, only us sailing around on the Norwegian sea. We looked for shelter in Stefjord, the first one of the 7 arms of Tysfjord, and when we reached the end of this fjord suddenly the clouds got a little thinner and we could see the top of Stetind, the national mountain of Norway! We were happy like children with this and picture after picture got taken. Suddenly we got company of our zodiac, they made a few fast turns around Leonora and then disappeared in the mist again. Right after they left it started to blow a lot and we could see the snow flying up from the mountain ridge. Fantastic! When we came out of Stefjord it cleared up and beautiful light appeared from the west! The waves were a bit better and our zodiac went to have a look at Bekkenesholmen. Around 14:30 we were all back home. We didn´t see the orcas, but this was a great stormy day with some nice weather surprises:) A very happy New Year to everyone and let´s hope that the orcas want to celebrate the start of the new year with us tomorrow!!
Lynne


Monday 29th of December


As usual, we spread out over the fjord – the zodiac towards Vestfjord and Leonora further into Tysfjord. We found some eagles and the people on the big boat even saw a group of reindeer next to Skarberget! With the big boat we drove into Stefjord and had a look at Stetind, our national mountain, while the people on the zodiac were playing around in the waves in Vestfjord:) No orcas unfortunately, but tomorrow is another day and we will go out with good hope again! Today was the last day for our friends Luca and Silvio, who have been spending an endless amount of hours on and in the sea with us. Have a safe journey home, guys! And good luck with all your projects and whatever you do!!

Lynne


Sunday 28th of December


Warmer again, so the snow melted away as quick as it came. But if we can believe the forecast, we can already look forward to some more snow! We started our search for the whales today by trying to have a look in Vestfjord, but as the waves became higher and higher, we turned into Tysfjord again after a while. Behind Bekkenesholmen many sea eagles showed some interest in our orange boats and one of them came down for an easy meal of frozen herring. We continued further into the fjord in the direction of Drag and returned to the hotel around 14:00. Tomorrow we will go out with the big boat and the zodiac again and let´s hope that we will have better success with the whales than today….

Lynne


Saturday 27th of December


We woke up in a nice white landscape again. Great to have some fresh snow after a few warmer days! Today we had another nature safari to Tranøy fyr again, instead of surfing in the waves:) On our way we saw a few eagles and 2 elks and on the small road to the lighthouse suddenly we discovered one lonely reindeer. As we moved our eyes a little upwards, we saw the rest of the group on the top of the hill. It was a large group of maybe 100 animals. At first they ran away and we climbed the hill in order to see them again. Now they were standing down in the valley and from the top of the hill we had a very good view on them. Many minutes and pictures later we left them alone and continued our way to the lighthouse and afterwards to the village of Tranøy, where we had a look around in the harbour and at the old whaling boat. We had soup and coffee and so on and then returned to the hotel.

Lynne

Friday 26th of December


Yesterday there were orcas in Ofotfjord! So even though it was blowing like hell during the night we had good faith that the luck would be on our side today. In the morning the wind measurer on our boat in Korsnes indicated a wind speed of more than 20 meters per second! That´s quite a lot, but we wanted to try at least. The first plan of the day was to have a look towards Vestfjord. Here and there we met a sea eagle and we had some of our delicious frozen herrings for 3 of them. The wind was stronger than yesterday and as far as we could see the sea was covered with white caps. It was a bit choppy and wet, but despite the liters and liters of salt water that got thrown over our heads and in our faces and driven by our desire to see the orcas, we kept our eyes fixed on the water…. Once we went further into Tysfjord it got nice and calm, we even got blue sky and Mother of Pearl Clouds! But no whales….

Lynne


Thursday 25th of December


The weather changed - it´s a bit rainy and much warmer now, so the snow is melting away. For the first time in a very long period we can see the grass again. It was also very windy today. We got some good waves and some of us got soaking wet, but we had the greatest fun bouncing up and down on the waves. Good to be out on a day like this! No orcas, but there were some other nice animals around. We saw some sea eagles and some people even had the luck to see a flock of reindeer nearby Skarberget! That´s also very special, because we only see them a few times a season. At the end of the trip the snorkelers extended the fun with some jumping from the pier into the water. It seemed that they couldn´t stop, they jumped and jumped and jumped!
Lynne


Wednesday 24th of December


A nice day with the big boat and the zodiac again. The big one went into Tysfjord and the little one took Vestfjord. Except the ferries it seemed that we were all alone on the sea, which was also a special experience. The zodiac people got to stand some waves, but they didn´t bother and crossed the fjord towards Offersøy. There they landed for some minutes to have a piece of chocolate and a cup of hot toddy. We on the big boat spotted a small group of harbour porpoises in Haukøyfjord. They came up to breath a few times and then they disappeared as suddenly as they appeared. It was a very nice trip on the fjord, with nice light, eagles and a few porpoises. Actually we also wanted some little orcas for Christmas Eve. Did Santa forget about us? Maybe we get them for Christmas tomorrow….

Lynne


Tuesday 23rd of December


A splendid day on the sea! The sky was orange on one side and blue and pink on the other side and the water was flatter than flat. The day started with a look at Skarberget, where we saw a sea eagle coming down to the surface to pick up one of our frozen herrings. Behind the small island of Bekkenesholmen we found two more interested eagles. They circled and circled around our boat, but they didn´t come down. After this we continued our way into Vestfjord. On the way home we saw a special phenomenon, named Mother of Pearl Clouds, which occurs sometimes at these latitudes. We only observe this a few times a winter! Great! In the mist we entered the harbour after an orcaless, but very nice and beautiful day on the sea.


Lynne

Monday 22nd of December


Orcas today!!

We went out with two zodiacs in two different directions. One of us went out in Vestfjord, while the other one wanted to check further into Tysfjord. The honour was for the first ones today, when Yasmin discovered a group of approximately 7 orcas around Barøy. The others got informed at once and they hurried out of Tysfjord, towards the other zodiac and the whales. After we had been spending some time with them, the group disappeared and there was only one big male left, who showed us some playful behaviour. He turned upside down, waved with his flipper and slapped with his tail on the water. Great! After some days without whales it´s so nice to have a day like this – calm sea, beautiful light and orcas of course!

Tonight we can put another sticker on the map! Yeah!
Lynne


Sunday 21st of December


Today was the shortest day of the year. From now on we can start to look forward to the return of the sun and the light:) This morning it was so so dark when we left the harbour, but we rather like to be a bit too early on the water than too late, since we are limited in daylight at this time of the year. But soon we got to see more and more of the landscape and under a blue sky we scanned the vast ocean. A little later the sky turned white and the grey clouds closed around our boat. There came the snow! A little later clear sky again. And snow again. It shifted a lot during the day. We didn´t get to see the orcas, but while approaching the harbour we got such a nice winter image. Very nice light, completely flat sea and the small village of Korsnes covered with snow. It was soooo beautiful!

Lynne


Saturday 20th of December


New day, new try, new hope…. The storm and the rain were gone, which gave us the possibility to enjoy the fantastic landscape and great light. We made a short stop in Lødingen to refill the gasoline and to eat some tasty fish soup. In the harbour we met a big group of eider ducks. After lunch we continued our search for the whales, eyes glued to the binoculars….but they didn´t show up…. While it was getting dark, we took a look at Skarberget before turning towards the harbour.


Lynne


Friday 19th of December


Yesterday it was too windy to go out, but today we tried again. It was impossible to go out in Vestfjord because there was a storm coming from the south west, so we stayed in the more sheltered Tysfjord. It was a bit dark and rainy, but we know that it´s also possible to find whales in this weather, so we scanned the sea and hoped for the best. But nothing…. Around noon we gathered behind Bekkenesholmen with the people on the zodiac in order to throw some fish for our eagle friends. After this we returned to the harbour and at 14:00 we were all back in the hotel.

Lynne


Wednesday 17th of December


Still windy, but at least we were able to go out today. As soon as we were in the fjord, we found our usual bunch of sea eagles waiting for us. It was a bit hard to scan the sea in this rough weather, we did our best, but we couldn´t discover any fins. Especially on the way back home we had to face some big waves. Liters and liters of salt water were thrown over our heads and made us soaking wet. Fortunately it was not cold, so we could have fun in the waves without freezing. No orcas, but this was a great experience of being on the sea in the north of Norway!!

Lynne


Tuesday 16th of December


Due to very strong winds our captain decided this morning that is was not possible for us to go out on the sea today. So we went on a nature safari to Tranøy lighthouse instead. We watched the waves splashing over the rocks and there was even an otter running around. Afterwards we went to the harbour, where we had a look at the old whaling boat and where we ate soup in our improvised “Red Cross camp” :) Waves, beautiful scenery, eagles, many herons, an otter and a little elk – not too bad I would say:)
Lynne


Monday 15th of December


Today we could enjoy such a wonderful light, reflecting in the mirror flat sea! We went all the way in to Stefjord, where we could look up at the top of our steep national Stetind. At the cliff of Skarberget we found some hungry eagles, we fed them and they performed for us:) No orcas today, but we had the greatest fun and dancing and cheering we entered the misty harbour.
Lynne

Saturday 13th of December


The orcas are back!!
This morning we started by going into Tømmeraasfjord, followed by Stefjord, from where we had a very good view on Stetind – Norway´s national mountain. After we had a look at Skarberget we thought it was maybe a good idea to check around the island of Bekkenesholmen as well. And indeed, that turned out to be a very good choice - because suddenly one of our guests spotted some orcas between Skarberget and Bekkenesholmen! Great! It was a group of 10-12 animals and they had a little baby with them. We were the only two boats around and the whales were very calm and relaxed. We could spend more than an hour with the orcas, so there was plenty of time to enjoy and the snorkelers could try to see them under the water as well. Afterwards we also got to see some sea eagles, extremely close to the boat! One of them almost landed IN the boat! Crazy!
Whales, eagles, nice weather, great light, snow, beautiful mountains, full moon….what more can you ask for….
Lynne


Friday 12th of December


A bit more windy than the last days, so quite bumpy and wet on the sea. As it got colder, we turned up the volume of the music. This trick always works - it makes people moving and jumping, forgetting about the cold and staying warm:) We saw many sea eagles. By now some of them know us and our frozen fish:) Very often they follow the boats, waiting for an easy meal. It´s always a very impressive sight when they come down to the water. First they are circling around and then suddenly they start to fall and snatch the fish with their sharp claws. Huge birds! But where are the whales? We hope to see them soon again….
Lynne


Thursday 11th of December


What an awesome day! No whales unfortunately, but we could enjoy some extraordinary nice light, reflecting in the mirror flat sea…. I don´t even want to try to describe how it was, because I know I will never even get close to an accurate image. Sometimes words are not enough….

Lynne


Wednesday 10th of December


Another beautiful day on the fjords - with clear sky, orange and pink light, almost full moon and great sea eagles! Since it was so cold in the beginning, there was mist over the water all the way from Sjøvoll, the harbour, up to Tysfjord. It looked very nice! There was only one thing missing….

Lynne


Tuesday 9th of December


And again, we met an elk on our way to the harbour. Thanks to the snow we see so many of them this season! They are just everywhere…. We start to know some of them now and we call them by name – Harald in Storjord, Olaf, Mette-Marit and little Marius in Bognes, King Håkon in Tysnes and many other fellows:) On the sea it was a big difference to yesterday, it was so much brighter today and not cold at all. Even though the sun stays under the horizon all day long, we can still have amazing light at this time of the year. Today was one of those days that you could see the sunrays shining from under the horizon, up to the sky, colouring the clouds in all variations between pink and red. Absolutely great! The people on the zodiacs had a look at the beautiful lighthouse of Tranøy and set foot on land in the harbour to warm up a little and to give the snorkelers the chance to go for a swim.There were a lot of eagles around and on the zodiacs we had a frozen herring for some of them.
On the way back home we could enjoy the almost full moon, shining on the smooth water of Tysfjord….fabulous!

Lynne
Monday 8th of December


Today was the darkest day we've had so far. Fortunately we have the snow, which makes a big big difference. It makes everything much brighter and much nicer. We are having snow now since a long time. And the snow is great! It came with the last full moon and without taking a break it´s still here, and it´s almost the next full moon. It´s many years ago since there was such an amount of snow for such a long time at this time of the year. Lucky us that we can experience this:) We only went out with the zodiac today. It was not possible to go to Lofoten, people over there told us that it was really stormy out there and not very enjoyable on the sea. But we were able to go over to Lødingen at least, where Anthony had to go into the water to rescue two cameras. We expected rough sea on the way back, but it was actually not too bad. We saw some eagles, but unfortunately no orcas. Tomorrow we will go out with two zodiacs and the big boat again and as always we will all work together to find the whales….

Lynne
Sunday 7th of December


We started our safari with a few elks on the road to the harbour, and a little later we found ourselves in an orange zodiac under an orange sky. It was a bit windy today, so that meant some waves and good fun:) The orcas from yesterday were not in the area anymore, or maybe they were just hiding for us. But we had the great luck to see a lot of sea eagles! We threw them some frozen fish and they came very close to pick it up from the surface. Before driving back to the hotel the snorkelers tried their dry suits and had a bath in the harbour. Around 14:00 everyone was back home.
Lynne

Saturday 6th of December


And indeed, great it was! Last night was perfectly clear and some fantastic green Northern Lights were lighting up the sky above the hotel - sometimes very strong, sometimes weak, but present all night long!Today we had beautiful weather and nice light again and….tada-tada-tadaaaa orcas!! In the morning we got a phone call that there was a group of at least 7 orcas nearby Skrova. So immediately we changed our speed to maximum and headed for the given position. The zodiacs were earlier than the big boat and could see them a little longer. The snorkelers even had the chance to go into the water and to see them under the surface – an unforgettable experience! When Leonora arrived, already from a distance we could see that there was a thick snow front waiting for us. We saw the orcas a few times at the surface before they disappeared. Maybe it was due to the snow, maybe they just went away, nobody knows, but that´s the way it goes sometimes. And for sure sometimes it´s the other way around - sometimes the big boat has better luck, sometimes the zodiacs. And we shouldn´t forget that they are wild animals, living free in nature. We cannot force them to stay around our boats – the choice should be up to them. We tried to find them again until it was too dark and around 17:00 we were back in Bognes. We also heard that the people on the ferry spotted another group of orcas around Barøy. That´s very good news, it means that there were at least two groups in the area. So, orcas today….and the people who have been here before know what that means: we will have to sing tonight!
Lynne


Friday 5th of December


The last days we´ve had some very nice and successful Northern Light safaris. Elks, foxes, shooting stars and last but not least magnificent Northern Lights! And it looks like it´s gonna be great tonight again! The weather was perfect today – flat sea and clear sky all day long! And here and there a little nicely coloured cloud. Ideal conditions to spot some whales. We stared and stared at the sea, in order to get a glimpse of a little fin….but the surface remained empty…. At Skarberget we saw a sea eagle and a golden eagle! Just before soup time we got some new good hope to find them. We saw a herring boat busy with the nets, surrounded by sea gulls. Very often the orcas are attracted by the sound of taking in the nets, because they know that that is an opportunity to get an easy meal. But apparently today they were not interested in this boat. Under a blue and orange sky we drove back to Bognes. A few days ago some fishermen told us that there is more herring coming into the fjord. Let´s hope the orcas know this as well and follow them!

Lynne


Wednesday 3rd of December


Leaving the harbour of Korsnes this morning, already we could see that today´s weather was going to turn out good. With the big boat we checked the beautiful Lofoten side of Vestfjord, while the zodiacs took the mainland side. Unfortunately we couldn´t find any whales, but we had all the time to enjoy the amazing landscape and the great light. Just before darkness we visited the cliff of Skarberget, where we saw many cormorants flying off and on and also a sea eagle. Hopefully next time…. Lynne


Tuesday 2nd of December


A very beautiful day on the sea, with pink clouds and pink mountains! Fantastic! This was maybe the last day that we could see the sun between the mountains, so we have to enjoy every moment of sunshine:) It would have been even nicer with some orcas, but they didn´t show up. On the way back home the people who were on the big boat saw an elk, a big male. He was very relaxed and walked through a field with deep snow. At the side of the field he started to eat some trees, not bothering at all about our bus full of tourists with cameras. After we watched him for a while we decided that it was time to go back to the turistsenter. Since we saw him so close to the hotel, some people wanted to have another look at the elk and walked back. He was still in the same field and walked up the hill to the houses. Many minutes he just looked at us - and we at him:) - and then continued his walk. He almost put his big nose against the window of the house, maybe he wanted to check out what they were doing inside there. We could observe him for a long time before he disappeared in the darkness of the woods…. No orcas, but as I said it was a marvelous trip on the sea and that encounter with the king of the forest was just perfect!!
Lynne


Monday 1st of December


With the zodiac we travelled quite a distance today. We left Sjøvoll and drove via Haukøyfjord into Tømmeraasfjord and then via a very narrow passage to Stefjord. From there we had a good view on Stetind, Norway´s national mountain. We continued towards Skarberget where we encountered some sea eagles. Then to Tysnes and out in Vestfjord, where the wind made it a bit bumpy. It was a bit wet, but great fun! After the waves of Vestfjord we turned back towards the more sheltered Tysfjord. Our last stop was behind Bekkenesholmen, where we found a lot of hungry eagles, waiting for us to throw them some fish.
Lynne


Sunday 30th of November


This morning we left from Korsnes with the big boat and we drove around Barøy, into Ofotfjord, passed Rotvaer, then back to Tysnes, Bekkenesholmen and Skarberget. While we were eating our famous fish soup, we got company of our 2 zodiacs. They came next to our boat to throw us some fish and we could see and hear that they had a lot of fun. The Dire Straits’ Walk of life seems to be a good choice if you want to make your passengers dancing:) After lunch we went to Rudolf´s boat again. There were a lot of gulls around and also some sea eagles. We used the fish we got to get them a little closer to our boat. First the sea gulls came to fight for the herring, but they are too heavy for them, so they had to drop them again and again….until the sea eagles came. They had no problems picking up the herring and we even saw one making another one losing a fish and catching the lost fish in the air! Spectacular! After this great air show it started to snow and we had a look at Skarberget before returning to Korsnes.
Lynne


Saturday 29th of November


We left the hotel in the snow, but at arrival in the harbour the weather was nice and the visibility good. While enjoying the very nice light on the snowy mountains, we set course to the Vestfjord. Many people were excited to go out there and see the orcas. As always, we all did our very best to find them. The more pairs of eyes on the water, the better our chance of course. One moment someone thought he saw something, but we didn´t see it again. With the big boat we drove the whole coastline from Skutvik to Bognes. The zodiacs checked the area between Skarberget, Bekkenesholmen and Tysnes. We did what we could, but no orcas…. Before going home we met Rudolf nearby Bekkenesholmen. He is one of the fisherman we know very well and he takes people out on fishing trips with his boat. Today he took some guests out as well. They showed us proudly some fish they caught. Some huge ones! I guess they will have a good dinner tonight!

Lynne


Friday 28th of November


Very often we see some animals on our way to the harbour. Also this morning, we met an elk on the road to Skutvik.The weather shifted a lot today - one moment snow, the other moment nice weather, a little later snow again,…. In a clear moment we passed the lighthouse of Skrova and saw quite some fishing boats. Around noon we crossed Vestfjord again and checked the other side of the fjord. 3 Of our zodiacs were on the sea, two coming from the north, one from the south. They checked in Tysfjord, Ofotfjord and the inner Vestfjord and met each other in Offersøy to stretch the legs and have some warm drinks and chocolate. They also had a nice stop at Skarberget to have a close look at the sea eagles. There were at least 7 boats looking for whales, everyone in a different area, but without success…. We searched until it was dark and the big boat came back to the harbour of Skutvik at 15:15.

Lynne


Thursday 27th of November


Last night many of our guests enjoyed some nice Northern Lights!
This morning we went out from Skutvik and after a short while we already got a message from Sula, another whale watching boat: a group of 15 orcas outside Skrova! Travelling west very fast, with a speed of 5 knots per hour. Our boat makes 10 knots, so we hoped it would be possible to catch them. When we approached, the other whale watching boats were about to go home, so we had to find them ourselves…. We passed Skrova, passed Henningsvær….and then suddenly there was a blow! And a little later a fin! Yes! We saw 2 or 3 individuals, probably the rest of the group was a bit further away. And wow, what a spectacular sighting we had! They were swimming very very fast and surfing on the waves, cutting the surface of the water with their big black dorsal fins. Many times they surfed so close to the boat that we could almost touch them! We followed them in this high speed and nearby Stamsund we left them and started the long journey back home. At 18:00 we arrived in the hotel, after another long, but great day on the sea!

Lynne


Tuesday 25th of November


Orcas today!!
As soon as we came out of Tysfjord we got a phone call of a fisherman who had seen a group of orcas very early this morning and quite far away. We forced Leonora to full speed and fixed our eyes on the water. And hoped…. When we arrived in the area where they had been seen, there were no whales. Everyone did his very best to find them and finally, Chantal – who was up in the crow´s nest – discovered a fin! With the binoculars we were just able to see some fins far away at the horizon. Lucky us the sea was very flat and the light conditions perfect. If it would have been a little wavier probably we would have missed them. But the weather was on our side today:) It was the same group of 3 as we saw on Friday. It was one big male and 2 females or young ones. They were looking for herring and as a result of this they were quite hard to follow. But we were a good team and crew and guests worked very good together in order to spot them again and again. It was quite a long day, but so much worth it! We don´t mind having long days, if we see orcas, we are happy:)
Lynne


Monday 24th of November


The forecast announced snow for the whole day. But the forecast is not always 100% correct. Maybe 5 little flakes came down and that was the snow for today. We searched and searched, but no orcas to see. The sea eagles on the other hand, were easier to find. There were at least 5 adult ones and we gave them some fish in return for a good show. We saw them at Bekkenesholmen and also at Skarberget, 2 of the best places to spot eagles in this area. Before heading back home the zodiac dropped the Explore group off in Lødingen and at 15:00 also the big boat people were back in the hotel.
Lynne


Sunday 23th of November


Indeed, sunshine today, but unfortunately the orcas didn´t show up. Anyway, even if the orcas are not there, we have so many other things to enjoy. And today was a perfect day for that. It´s always a great experience to be out on the sea, flying over the waves in a zodiac. And the light can be so magnificent here, making those mountains and the whole scenery even more stunning! The days are short, but on a day like this the fantastic light compensates this completely. Today our herring-sea eagle trick worked perfect and we got a very close look at those huge birds! Back in the harbour the snorkelers went for a swim and they had the greatest fun in the water:)
Lynne


Saturday 22th of November


Again, we had an interesting bus ride to the harbour: 2 elks (a mother and calf) and a sea eagle right next to the bus! After the snow of the last week we got a dry day. It was not so cold, the sea was very calm and the sun was shining. These days we enjoy the sunlight even more, because we are now going towards the darkest period of the year and we will lose the sun soon. So we are happy with every sunray we can catch:) We had a very enjoyable day on the sea, surrounded by pink mountains. We saw a lot of birds and since we know that birds can be a good indication for orcas, we were extra alert. But we could only find birds, no whales. Our friends on the zodiacs brought us some herring to throw to the sea eagles. So before heading back, we went to Skarberget and threw 2 herrings into the water. No interested sea eagles, but many excited gulls.
The forecast says it should be sunny tomorrow and we will try to arrange some orcas to perform in the sunlight;)
Lynne


Friday 21st of November


Snow, snow, orcas and snow again! After a short time on the sea with snow and bad visibility we received a hopeful phone call from the ferry: they had seen orcas! In Tysfjord! For once we were not so far away with the big boat and so we were the first whale watching boat who saw the orcas. Suddenly we saw a black fin between the snowflakes! We warned the captain immediately and everyone ran out as fast as they could. It was a small group of 3 orcas, sometimes appearing very close to the boat, sometimes far away. It was quite a challenge to catch them on the picture or movie, but that´s of course what makes it exciting too. Soon our zodiac arrived and so did many other boats. Apparently many people wanted to see orcas today. We followed them on their way out of Tysfjord. While we were watching them, the sun came out, the sky cleared and we got some very nice light:)
After the orcas we got a fantastic bonus. Together with the zodiac people we watched some sea eagles fighting and picking up our frozen herring from the surface. Extremely close to the boat! When they are so close you really see how big they are! Super! Since we were the first boat around the orcas we thought it was only fair if we would leave first, so we turned back into Tysfjord and ate some nice and warm soup.
Just after we left, it started to snow again. We were so lucky today to find them in between 2 snow storms!!
Lynne


Thursday 20th of November


Yesterday´s wind was gone, so we were able to go out in Vestfjord again. The plan was to cross the fjord to check for orcas on the Lofoten side and then cross again towards the mainland and look over there. While the zodiacs would take the Tysfjord and Lødingen part. On our way we saw some fishing boats and many birds – sea gulls, sea eagles, cormorants, shags and little auks. We were quite many boats looking for whales today, but nobody saw them. And how ever lovely and idyllic the snow might be, it does no wonders for the visibility.At 15:00 we saw the lights of Korsnes again, lighting up a beautiful snow landscape.

Lynne


Wednesday 19th of November


Veeeery windy today. Since we didn´t want to experience the Vestfjord in this wind, we decided to stay in Tysfjord. A few times we tried to check around Tysnes, but we were forced back every time. The sea was simply too big for us out there. No worries, there is always the possibility to find the orcas in Tysfjord as well. We have seen them there already 3 times this season. At Skarberget we saw a few sea eagles and even a young golden eagle. We don´t see them very often, so it´s always a bit special to see a golden eagle. Right after our eagle encounter it was time for some snow. But not for long, soon the sun showed up again behind the snow curtain. And together with the sun also Noorderlicht, the Dutch whale watching sailing boat, appeared out of the snow. They were also looking for shelter in Tysfjord. We waved to each other before each one continued his own way. None of us found the orcas today. Let´s try again tomorrow. Lynne


Tuesday 18th of November


Yesterday we didn’t have any trips, but today we are back again. Almost immediately after departure we got to know that there were orcas in Ofotfjord, almost in Narvik. That´s a long way in and it would take us about 3 hours with the big boat to get there, but we decided to try. It was quite wavy on the sea and our zodiac drivers decided that it would be too difficult for them to go as well. But fortunately, what happened next? Orcas outside Lødingen! Great! Now we didn´t have to travel that long way into Ofotfjord. From the zodiac and the big boat we watched 2 different groups, but we actually think that it was 1 family, split up in 2 smaller groups. The people on the zodiac saw about 6-8 animals and we on the big boat 10-12. There were also 2 babies and one of them was still very very young. He jumped out of the water quite high and showed us the yellow underside of his tail. It’s always nice to watch the orcas in the waves, because they come out of the water with a bigger part of the body. They were surfing on the waves and a few times we could see how they were swimming under the surface, thanks to the white patches. After more than an hour together with the whales we had to turn back to the harbor because there was a storm coming. This was another beautiful day on the sea!


Sunday 16th of November


On our way to the harbour, again, there was a land animal crossing our path. A little fox, very fluffy and very nice. After yesterday´s success we all started optimistic this morning. The weather was nice and the sea quite flat. The zodiac people wanted to check in Tysfjord and the big boat aimed for Vestfjord. Around noon the weather changed and we got some snow. It became more and more snow and the sky became more and more white. And after a while there was no land to see anymore and we were surrounded by thick snow clouds. The visibility decreased and so did our chances to find the orcas. But anyway, we have found them in much worse circumstances than today and we never give up until we are in the bus, so despite the snow we kept our eyes on the water. No orcas today, but very nice with the snow.


Saturday 15th of November


With a beautiful sunrise and 2 elks, the start of our safari couldn’t be any better. After a short time on the sea we received a phone call that there were orcas on the other side of the fjord. We drove as fast as we could – the zodiac very fast - and right after lunch also the big boat arrived. Today we made it in time! And we had a great time on the sea! It was so beautiful to see those orcas swimming in the sunlight, the sun reflecting on the wet bodies. Fantastic! Sometimes they swam close to the boat and I think everyone managed to take some nice pictures or movies. The people on the zodiac had the chance to watch even 3 groups of orcas! The last one nearby Skarberget in Tysfjord, that´s great because we want as many sightings as possible in Tysfjord. Under an almost full moon we returned happy and satisfied to the harbour. Not only the many guests were very happy, but also the crew and especially our captain couldn´t stop smiling:) I think we can consider ourselves lucky people - to have the opportunity to be here in this wonderful area, with this beautiful nature and great animals! What can I say….what a day!!
Yippi!! Orcas today!!


Friday 14th of November

Already before we went on board we knew that someone had spotted a group of orcas! All ships sailed to the given position – the zodiacs from the little harbour close to the hotel, the big boat from Skutvik. After only half an hour, suddenly Yasmin – one of our zodiac drivers – spotted another group of orcas! In Tysfjord! It was a group of approximately 10 animals swimming towards Ofotfjord. The passengers on the zodiacs were able to spend over 2 hours together with the whales. Needless to mention that the entire group was happy and relieved, after some days without whale sightings. Normally our strategy is to cover as many different areas as possible. So unfortunately today Leonora was a bit far away to reach the whales in time. Before the people on the big boat could get a glimpse of an orca the weather changed and the group of orcas disappeared. We didn’t give up lightly and continued our search until darkness. Just before mooring for the night, the people in the front of the boat thought they saw some whales. They screamed to warn our captain Per Ole and immediately he responded to turn for one more search, as determined as always. We used the searchlight and saw many sea gulls, maybe indicating that we just missed the whales by a second again.
Inspired by our successful day, we will sail out tomorrow again for another encounter with these beautiful animals!!


Thursday 13th of November


The day started promising with some elks on the way to Skutvik and beautiful weather. While we were leaving the harbor, we saw a group of eider ducks and among them there was also a colourful male king eider – beautiful! We heard that yesterday someone had seen orcas around Skrova, that’s where we have been turning and turning around, almost sure that they were there. So indeed, our captain’s feeling was right. There were orcas, but we didn’t see them and didn’t get the information:( This was not so nice to hear, but it was also positive, because it´s always good to know that they are in the area and it made everyone extra alert and focused. We saw some cod boats and there was also a herring boat fishing. That’s very good, maybe it means that the herring is coming into the fjord. We keep our fingers crossed! We took a closer look around the herring boat and smelled the fish, before heading back to the harbor.


Wednesday 12th of November


It was quite cold, but that´s how we prefer it to be, because then we get snow instead of rain. And that´s exactly what we got last night! The trip started with wind and a lot of waves splashing over the boat, but we were lucky with so many tough people on board! Especially one Swedish man who stood in the bow the whole trip. He only left his post for a very short while to get some warm soup. He got many liters of seawater over his head, but he didn´t give up to search for whales until we were sitting on the bus! And that was so nice today, that everyone was outside - equipped with binoculars and so on - doing a great effort to spot some black dorsal fins. We always appreciate it very much if people really take part not only in the whale watching, but also in the whale spotting:) There were many fishing boats out and we saw a lot of sea gulls. Our captain Per Ole was convinced that there should be orcas in the area. And maybe they were there, who knows….but we didn’t see them.


Tuesday 11th of November


Today we went out with both the zodiac and the big boat again. With many excited guests Leonora went out from Skutvik. We checked around Henningsvær and Skrova, 2 places where we saw orcas the past week. Apparently there was a lot of fish in the area, because we saw many many fishing boats. Unfortunately it was all cod fishing boats and no herring boats. Since the Norwegian orcas feed on herring, we prefer herring boats instead of cod ones of course. But anyway, it was nice to see all those boats, with a lot of birds around – many sea gulls, but also some sea eagles. Another very nice day on the sea. Without whales though, but we have good confidence that soon they will be back in the fjord again!


Monday 10th of November


Around 10 o’clock we started our trip on the sea. It was beautiful weather, very weak wind and calm sea. First we followed the coast until we were nearby Tranøy Fyr, then we crossed the fjord and drove towards Barøy, were we had some chocolate and hot solbærtoddy. We continued our way and had 2 little stops to look at the sea eagles. We tried our frozen herring trick, but the eagles were not very much interested to come to pick them up. Before going back to the harbor, we had a closer look at Skarberget, the impressive cliff rises straight out of the fjord.


Sunday 9th of November

No orcas today, but what a beautiful day! Today we could enjoy that beautiful light that you can have here in the north. Sunshine and fantastic colours! A great day to be on the sea! One zodiac went out from the little harbor close to the Turistsenter and the people for the 2nd zodiac had an interesting ride to Skutvik before going on the boat. We met each other on the sea and had an impressive encounter with some sea eagles. They came very close to the boat to pick up the fish we threw in the water. After a chilly ride towards home everyone was back in the warmth of the hotel around 3 o’clock.


Saturday 8th of November

Last night we had some great Northern Lights! For many of our guests this is one of the main reasons why they are here – so everyone enjoyed the green curtains up in the sky. For a few moments it was moving very fast and changing color.
Spectacular!
This morning we left early with the big boat, in order to catch as much daylight as possible. The zodiac left one hour later, at 9:30. Since the orcas were travelling out of Tysfjord when we left them yesterday, we thought we would have the best chance if we would go out in Vestfjord. Very close to the beautiful lighthouse of Tranøy the engine decided that it was time for a short break. Thanks to our capable engineer and captain we could continue our search for the whales after a little while. The day started with a big sea eagle above the boat and a sea like a mirror. Ideal conditions for whale spotting. We could see some other weather approaching though, and all of a sudden it started to rain and we got some very strong winds. Everyone enjoyed this weather experience:) A little later it stopped already and we decided to fill our hungry stomachs with some tasty fish soup. After lunch Sara – who was up in the mast – thought that she saw a fin in the distance. 28 Pairs of eyes were focused on the water, but we couldn’t discover it again. At 4 o´clock we were back in the hotel.


Friday 7th of November

Indeed, today we saw them as well from the zodiac as from the big boat!
Yesterday we left from Tysfjord and came back to Skutvik. Today it was the other way around, we started in Skutvik and had to drive to Tysfjord. After about 1,5 hour on the sea, we got a phone call that the ferry spotted orcas in Tysfjord. Instantly we turned the boat and forced Leonora to full speed, in order to arrive there before they would leave. With the big boat it was still 3 hours to go, but the zodiac is much faster and we had good faith that they would be able to follow them until we arrived. And that´s exactly what happened.
At the time that we arrived by the orcas, the sun was already low to the horizon, which had as result that we could watch them under a beautiful orange sky. We saw them swimming very close to the shore along the beaches of Tysnes. They were traveling out of Tysfjord and we followed them for a while. It was quite a challenge, because they disappeared a few times, but everyone did his very best to find them again and again. At half past 3 we were back in the harbor of Bognes. This was the first time that we watched orcas in Tysfjord this season! Great!


Thursday 6th of November

Today it was Leonora´s turn!!

This morning we went out from Korsnes, crossed Vestfjord and set course to the west. Around 11:00 we got a report about orcas close to Skrova. This was still about 1,5 hour from our position and in 1,5 hour many things can happen. The orcas can stay where they are, but they can also leave the place and swim away from us or towards us. So, impatient and with our eyes fixed at the sea we approached the area. We saw a couple of boats in the distance, so that had to be the place.

Our guests were still eating soup while we spotted the first black fins. Immediately everyone left their soup, dressed up warm and ran out. It was maybe 10 animals, including a baby. One moment they appeared in the distance, the other moment they were very close to the boat. We saw very many tail slaps and one did a kind of roll at a few meters from the boat. We had the pleasure to be around with them for quite a long time and at 15:00 many happy faces entered the harbor of Skutvik:) Yesterday orcas from the zodiac, today from the big boat….tomorrow together?....

Wednesday 5th of November

YES!! Finally!!

We went out from Skutvik with only the zodiac. After a while we got to know that people had spotted orcas outside Henningsvaer, so that´s where we went of course. It was a small group of 3 animals traveling in that beautiful light we had today. We followed them for a while in quite high speed and then turned back to the harbor.
So nice to see them back, and good to know that they are here! This was our first orca sighting of the season! Let’s hope that there will be many more following….


Tuesday 4th of November

Windspeed: 13 meters per second today. So quite wavy. First we had a quick look in the direction of Vestfjord before turning into Tysfjord. Except the wind the weather was quite fine – dry almost all day, very beautiful light and even a little rainbow under the clouds. When we were in Stefjord the clouds moved a little bit, so that we could see the top of Stetind. The zodiac had a bouncy ride in Vestfjord and then drove into Tømmeraasfjord to check for whales there. We saw a lot of sea eagles today, but no orcas…. For the fifth day in a row now…. We heard that yesterday they have seen orcas from the ferry between Bognes and Skarberget. That´s the area where we have been checking as well, but unfortunately they didn´t show up when we were there. It´s a pity for us of course, but it´s also very nice to know that they are in the area.
Let´s hope for some good luck tomorrow!

Saturday 1st of November

Today we went out both with the zodiac and with Leonora, our big boat. We had a few very nice sightings from land - some of us were lucky to see 2 elks on the way to Skutvik and others had the luck to spot a small group of harbor porpoises later in the day. The 2 boats checked 2 different areas, but we couldn´t find any orcas. People have seen them lately, so they must be around. But where?? The zodiac went back to Skutvik and with the big boat we drove along the coast towards Tysfjord. There we observed a few beautiful sea eagles nearby Skarberget before returning to the harbor of Bognes.

We cross our fingers for tomorrow!


Friday 31st of October 2008

Today was the very first day of the new season. Yesterday it started to snow, so today when we woke up and opened the curtains we discovered a beautiful winter landscape. It was a clear day, the sun was shining and there was almost no wind. The day looked promising and we started with high expectations. We went out from Skutvik with our zodiac and went into Vestfjord in western direction. We did have a very close observation of a sea eagle and took a closer look at some fishing boats. But unfortunately we couldn’t find any orcas. Anyway, this was a very beautiful first day with magnificent light. Good to be back:)

Lynne

Tysfjord 22 december 2007


We have had a week with storms and strong gales and today was the first day we had calm weather.
We were very curious to see with such great conditions where we would find the whales. Even if we are in the darkest days of the year (as the sun won’t be back until the 16th January) the light was very good.


We came into contact with a fisherman who had exactly had come into contact with two whales. We headed to the position and began to search. After one hour of searching we found them near Lødingen. It was at least 2 pods and the where very relaxed and friendly. Today the snorkellers had fantastic encounters with also seeing a mother and calf. Thank you Santa! Christmas came early for our guests and us for this amazing day.

Yasmin Hunt, skipper


Tysfjord 12 december 2007


Today the weather was really nice, no wind and clear sky. We went out from Skogvoll harbor in Tysfjord. We had a report of whales today before we left the harbor. What a great start to the day. The report were from Korsnes at the very entrance of Tysfjord only twentyfive minutes away! We set full speed ahead!
As we got there M/S Leonora had just arrived and YES there where about twelve animals there. They were travelling into Tysfjord. We travelled with the very close, they were very relaxed and it paid of to stay with them for some time as the snorkelers got the opportunity to go in the water.

Everyone where really happy. They said they had a fantastic time, one of the girls even saw eight orcas at the same time!
We where really lucky today. Can´t wait to se what happens the following days.


Yasmin Hunt, skipper


Tysfjord 1st December 2007

At last the winter is here again with its magical morning light as well as the amazing Northern Lights!

We have recently set up base camp in Storjord near Tysfjord below Stetind, the national mountain of Norway, with its dorsal fin shaped peak and a height of 1392 metres straight up from Stefjord.

The orca season has begun, a little bit later this year. But we have found even more killer whales than last year. And a few days ago there were magnificent Northern Lights!
We are out at sea every day and this news page will be updated often, so stay tuned.

You can also sign up for our newsletter here.

//the crew