Winter
‍Whale Safari

Rates

Adults (16+): 1850 NOK
Youth (11-15): 1650 NOK
Children (3-10): 1050 NOK

Included:
- whale safari
- tea, coffee, biscuits and light soup lunch
- guide

‍Important information

What to bring:

• We have seating indoors, but please wear warm winter clothes. We are 350km north of the Arctic Circle in the midst of winter
• Binoculars if you want (also available for hire on the boat)
• Camera, extra memory card and battery
• Bottle of water, any snacks you might like
• Sea sickness tablets if you are prone to sea sickness
• A smile and a sense of adventure! :)

What we offer:

• A wildlife friendly approach, always respecting the whales and their space
• Multilingual, experienced guides
• Tea, coffee and biscuits
• Light warm soup lunch
• Non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages are available for purchase onboard

Arctic Whale Tours terms and conditions

- Check in begins half an hour before departure
- We reserve the right to cancel the tour at any point before departure due to weather and/or other unforeseen circumstances. In case we cancel the trip prior to departure, full refund will be given to customers.
- Any cancellation by Arctic Whale Tours will be done by text message and/or email. Please check your phone and email the evening prior to your trip.
- Minimum number of passengers: 10 (We reserve the right to cancel a departure if there are less than 10 persons on the tour)
- Length of safari: on average 6-7 hours although this can vary depending on weather conditions, and/or location of whales, and/or other unforeseen circumstances. Arctic Whale Tours AS hold no liability for any inconvenience and/or disruption to travel plans in case the length of the trip is shorter or longer than described due to unforeseen circumstances outside our control.
- Cancellation by customer: Free cancellation up to 24 hours prior to departure. 100% cancellation fee for any cancellations less than 24 hours to departure.

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The whales
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The main cetacean species in winter are the killer whale and the humpback whale, but fin whales frequent the area as well. The yearly migration of Atlantic herring (or Norwegian spring spawning herring) to their wintering waters off the coast of Northern Norway, brings a congregation of killer whales and humpback whales into the fjords before the herring start their migration southward to their spawning grounds in January.

Killer whale (Orcinus orca)

Spekkhogger, miekkavalas, Schwertwal,

Conservation status: Data deficient

The killer whale, or orca, is a toothed whale, and the largest member of the dolphin family. Killer whales live in tight family groups, with the oldest female being the matriarch and leader. Their diet consists of fish and some groups are also specialised in hunting other marine mammals (eg. whales and seals). Killer whales are found in all of the world’s oceans. In Norway, the best time to see killer whales is in winter, when they follow the spring-spawning herring into the fjords in Northern Norway. We see them regularly in the summer too, but as they travel long distances in the summer in search for food, seeing them is more down to luck than in winter.

Size: males 6-8 metres, 6000kg
Females 5-7  metres, 4000kg

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Knølhval, ryhävalas, Buckelwal
Conservation status: Least concern

Humpback whales are baleen whales, and known for their long pectoral fins (which can be up to 6 metres long!) and beautiful song the males sing to attract females. Humpback whales are also known for their active behaviour on the surface, with breaching, and fin and tail slapping. They are an infrequent summer visitor to the waters off Vesterålen, and always a special treat to see. The best time to see humpback whales in action is in the winter, when they congregate in the fjords in Northern Norway to feed on spring-spawning herring.

Size: males 13-14 metres, up to 35 tonnes
Females: 15-16 metres, up to 40 tonnes

Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)

Finnhval, sillivalas, finnwal
Conservation status: Vulnerable

The fin whale is a baleen whale, and the second largest animal on earth (after the blue whale). They are found in all of the world’s oceans, but are most common in temperate and cool regions. For us in Vesterålen, they are a special treat to see. They often travel singly or in small groups, rarely showing their fluke when they dive.

Size:18-22 metres, 39-62 tonnes

Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)

Kvitskjeving, valkokuvedelfiini, Weißseitendelfin
Conservation status: Least concern

Atlantic white-sided dolphin are found across the North Atlantic region.

Size: 2.5-3 metres, 180-230kg

White-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris)

Kvitnos, valkokuonodelfiina, Weißschnauzendelfin
Conservation status: Least concern

White-beaked dolphins are found across the North Atlantic region. It can be misidentified as the Atlantic white-sided dolphin, but is generally found further north, and lacks yellow streaks on its side.

Size: 2-3 metres, 180-350kg

Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

Nise, pyöriäinen, Gewöhnlicher Schweinswal
Conservation status: Least concern

The harbour porpoise is one of the smallest marine mammals. They inhabit coastal waters in the Northern Hemisphere. Their global population size is about 700 000, with about 460 000 in habiting the water from Gibraltar to Vestfjorden, Norway. They can often be seen in the fjords and bays from the shore. If you see a small, dark, triangle-shaped fin breaking the water, it’s most likely a harbour porpoise!

Whale watching guidelines

In Norway, we have the privilege of living and working amongst the most magnificent wildlife found in Norway. This also gives us an opportunity to provide our visitors with quality whale watching experiences. However, these opportunities are associated with the responsibility to ensure the welfare of the animals at all times. We have therefore, in close collaboration with WDCS (The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society), established whale watching guidelines to assure best practices for our whale watching. The aims of these guidelines are to minimise the impacts on the animals and for our trained naturalist guides to inform our visitors about the appropriate ways of interacting with marine mammals.

General

• The whales should always be able to control the nature and duration of their contact with us
• If whales seem distressed, we leave them alone and slowly depart from the area
• Mothers with calves, or resting, feeding and/or socialising whales area approached and viewed with extra care and consideration, or left alone
• In addition to the captain, we always have at least one dedicated observer on duty at all times
• We never attempt to swim, snorkel, touch or feed whales for our safety and theirs.

Approaching whales

• We approach the whales from the rear, slightly to the side of the animals
• We reduce the vessel speed at a 300 – 400 m distance from the whales
• We never block their path but instead ensure that they always have an escape route.

Viewing whales

• We stay at a distance of minimum 50 – 100 m from the whales
• We keep a parallel course with the whales
• We keep all noise to a minimum and avoid sudden changes in speed or direction
• When encountering groups of dolphins, we limit our active viewing to ca 15 minutes
• When encountering sperm whales, we try to limit the encounter to no more than 1-2 dives.

Signs of disturbance in whales

• Attempts to leave the area or move away from the boat
• Sudden or regular changes in swimming speed and/or direction
• Sudden dives, or shallow dives to gain distance from the boat
• Aggressive behaviour, e.g. tail splashing, flipper slapping, etc.
• Increased breathing rate
• Increased diving duration.

Allowing whales to interact with us

The guidelines presented here refer to our active approach towards the whales. Sometimes whales are curious about us and approach our boat. In these situations, we maintain our course with slow steady speed or let the engine run in neutral.

Whale guarantee

Whenever we set out to the sea, we always expect to see whales. However, as our product is based on nature and wild animals, it does sometimes happen that we do not succeed. For such rare occasions, we have our whale guarantee: In the unlikely event that we would not be able to see any cetaceans (includes all whale and dolphin species), passengers can join another available whale safari*, free of charge. In this case, the guests need to contact the reception and we will do a re-booking for them.

*subject to availability, not redeemable for cash/refund, not transferable to other persons