It’s been a while since our last post…December has kicked in on full power these days. We had some windy days, but luckily, we did the trips so far. This year, December is exceptionally cold.
Today, it was -10 degrees during the trip. As soon as the waves hit the boat, it froze instantly and became ice. Our guests have truly experienced whale watching in the Arctic. But, the fjord is still full of life…
The commercial fishery is still not resuming before January, so we have witnessed natural feedings several times. It is increasingly common to see orcas feeding not just with humpback whales but with fin whales, too.
Today, we saw a large group of fin whales in the morning, but they did not join the feast we witnessed later during the trip with orcas and humpback whales.
At some point during the feeding, a stunned herring was close to the boat, just floating; it was motionless. Suddenly, I started to see a big white patch underneath the herring; I quickly got my camera ready when a huge male surfaced sideways to pick it up. WoW.
You can see the eye of this giant bull in the photo. It was unbelievable.
Sometimes, when the orcas are further away, you won’t get an accurate impression of their size, but when they come close… Birds were also super excited, and today, finally, I got to witness a white-tailed eagle picking up a herring. Unfortunately, the camera did not catch it.
We hope December will continue to be the most amazing month.
Enjoy!
All photos were taken on the 12th and 13th of December, 2023, in Skjervøy.
-Krisztina
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