Today, we had a fantastic day! There was little wind at sea, which has shaken up things a little.
I love to photograph orcas on top of waves and when the horizon is below the waves.
Today, we found orcas again close by, but we decided to move away and look for other animals. Give some more space to the always famous whales close to Skjervøy.
We did not have to go too far before we came across a pod of orcas.
Within the pod, there is a very distinctive young calf. I do not know its gender, but we have seen this calf in the past three seasons. Luckily, it looks like it is developing well and is very energetic.
It has a few big white stripes on the right-hand side. The white coloration’s shape reminds me a little bit of the letter “H,” so I like to call it Little “H.”
Usually, for the orcas, the ID side is the left-hand side. However, this guy is most recognizable from the white coloration on his right. I don’t know what has caused it, but it has something to do with its pigmentation.
This little guy’s dorsal fin is also unique, though. If you look closely at the photos, the very tip of its dorsal fin is missing, giving its fin the shape of a crab, almost like the “scissors” of a crab.
The animal is fairly young, so it may not have a catalog ID yet, but it will surely be easily recognizable.
We spent approximately 40 minutes with them being the only boat, cruising with them at an average speed of 5-6 knots. They seemed to enjoy riding the swell and getting close to the boat, so they did a couple of close passes by.
If you give a pod time and space, they will always reward you with an encounter that will turn into a memory. Today was certainly one of these days.
Let’s wish Little “H” a happy and healthy life!
On the way home in the middle of a snowstorm, we bumped into another group of orcas heading straight into the harbor of Skjervøy. KV Bison, a gigantic boat that belongs to the Coast Guard, was also in the port. I managed to snap a photo of a male orca and the ship together. See the size difference for yourself. Stunning!
Enjoy!
-Krisztina
Leave a Reply