Welcome to whale and wildlife safaris in Stø, Norway!

Another short video from our whale safari the 28th of August when we were approaching Anda lsland on our way back to Stø!

Here is a video clip from our last trip the 28th of August -seal watching at Anda Lighthouse!

30.08.2010

Another whale safari season is going towards its end! The days are getting shorter and the sunsets even more beautiful. The sperm whales are in Bleik Canyon as usual and lately we have seen several different individuals. Anda Island seems a bit empty now when the puffins have left but still several white-tailed eagles are circling the hills and harbour seals gather on the cliffs. We still hope to go out on a couple of safaris before it is time to focus all our effort on planning the next season!

On our latest trip, the 28th of August, we got a big surprise while entering the harbour of Stø: a small minke whale (ca 3 – 4 m) was swimming around at the entrance to the harbour. It circled around and under our boat and we watched it for several minutes!

Enjoy the pictures from the latest trips!

Close encounter with a sperm whale. Photo: C. Ilmoni

Watching a minke whale close to the harbour of Stø. Photo: C. Ilmoni

Arctic Whale Tour 26 August 2010

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Arctic Whale Tour 28 August 2010

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–	– © Camilla Ilmoni/Arctic Whale Tours

20.08.2010

It was finally possible to go whale watching again after two days of too strong wind! We found the sperm whales quite far out in the middle of Bleik Canyon on ca 1500 m depth. We had four nice and close observations and one of the sperm whales had a beautiful tail with a big white patch!

Beautiful tail! Photo: C. Ilmoni

Arctic Whale Tour 20 August 2010

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17.08.2010

We promised our guests to give it a try to go out to the whale area. On the way the weather conditions were quite rough but all the eager whale watchers on-board wanted to continue and so we did! The whales were a bit further out in the canyon and despite all the white caps on the waves our crew managed to find two sperm whales! We had great close observations, especially the last one! We were right next to the huge whale!

We want to thank Jan van Twillert for sharing his wonderful pictures with us!

Strong north east winds! Photo: C. Ilmoni

Arctic Whale Tour 17 August 2010

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16.08.2010

In spite of high swells and a bit bumpy ocean, we headed towards the whale area to try our luck! It did not take us along time before we found two sperm whales feeding on the edge of Bleik Canyon. One of them was an old familiar male that was photographed in the area already in 1994! We had three nice observations before heading towards Anda Island, our second stop on the safari. The puffins have now left the island and only a few lonely puffins can be seen flying around. But several other seabirds are still present; guillemots, shags, kittiwakes and white-tailed eagles. Six eagles were circling the lighthouse, playing with each other in their flight! We could follow their black silhouettes towards the evening sky.

White-tailed eagles playing. Photo: C. Ilmoni

Arctic Whale Tour 16 August 2010

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12.08.2010

Thursday was an exceptional whale day in Bleik Cayon! Several sperm whales had gathered in the same area and it felt like we were surrounded by whales everywhere! In addition we could enjoys some late summer sunshine and flat sea!

Many whales around!

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We have updated our online album with pictures from some of the safaris so far in August! A group of orcas has been seen around Stø and Anda Island lately and also several minke whales have been in the area! The sperm whales have been moving around in Bleik Canyon, some days they are far offshore and other days close to land.

Anda Island is still full of life!  Ca 20 – 30 harbour seals have been on the cliffs, puffins and their chicks are still here but probably leaving within a week. In addition we have seen shags and cormorants, razorbills, guillemots, black guillemots, kittiwakes and white-tailed eagles on most our trips.

Arctic Whale Tour 2 August 2010

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Arctic Whale Tour 3 August 2010

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Arctic Whale Tour 4 August 2010

–	– © Camilla Ilmoni/Arctic Whale Tours	–	–	–
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31.07.2010

Arctic Sea Kayak Race is the northernmost of the events that constitutes the ICF Surfski World Series – the World Cup for surfski. The race that started from and finished in the fishing village of Skipnes gathered all of the best sea surfers to difficult conditions of winds and streams on Saturday the 31st of July. This year, the spectators had an excellent possibility to follow the race from the sea on board M/s Leonora, which was chartered for the purpose. Those with a ticket got to feel the vibe of a competition filled with rough sea and thunder as they cheered their favorites in this extremely difficult sport.

Competitors ready for the race! Photo: L. Pietikaïnen

Arctic Sea Kayak Race audience on board MS Leonora. Photo: O. E. Einarsen

Arctic Sea Kayak Race

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21.07.2010

M/S Leonora, a former passenger ferry Mårøy, is an excellent ship for charter cruises.

Family charter on M/S Leonora. Photo: L. Pietikäinen

On Monday 21st of July, the people on board got the possibility to get to know the nature and history of our coast. We had a whole family that got the possibility to go to the sea together with Cynthia Mok, an exchange student from China/Hong Kong.

The cruise, which followed an old coastal sea route from Stø to the island of Skogsøy and back to Myre, offered views of beautiful nature as well as a piece of local history.

Our captain, Per Gunnar Mikkelsen skillfully navigated Leonora into the bay close to the family farm Kråkenes, where our guests did a tour into the life of a fisher-farm, to a time that will never return, but that lives on in stories and old buildings. On the return trip everybody got to enjoy delicious fish-soup.

Family charter on board M/S Leonora

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