Enjoying whales in a responsible way
We offer various expeditions that are dedicated to whale watching and snorkeling with whales, in both cold and warm water. In Northern Norway, you can go snorkeling with orcas, while in Tonga you have the unique opportunity to swim with humpback whales and calves.
To ensure the safety of the whales and our guests, we only work with certified companies, expert guides and an experienced crew. During onboarding information and lectures, you will learn about the whales and their environment. All guests receive clear whale watching guidelines and safety instructions before entering the water. It is our main goal to offer a great experience without disturbing the whales. For this reason, we don’t offer freediving or scuba diving on our whale watching voyages. Floating and swimming quietly on the surface is the least disturbing and safest option in our opinion
Managing expectations – Be flexible and realistic
Rule number one when it comes to wildlife watching; nothing is guaranteed! We will always do our utmost to offer you the best experience but cannot guarantee that all activities will take place as we’ve outlined in advance. Our expeditions are focused around wild animals in open water and unpredictable weather conditions. Therefore, we ask all our guests to set realistic expectations and be flexible to make this experience a success.
During our trips it is our goal to go snorkelling as often as possible given various weather and safety considerations. Being on a live-aboard vessel gives us the advantage, as that we can easily move around to find the best locations. Our guides are constantly on the lookout for orcas and whales. However, the animals are not always in the same spot and it might take some time to find them. The search is part of the adventure. Don’t forget to bring a pair of binoculars, some warm clothing and join our guides in the search either from the ship’s bridge or from the outside decks.
Some days you might not see any whales or orcas at all. Don’t let this get you down. Northern Norway in the winter time is exceptional! Enjoy the beautiful scenery, the facilities of the ship and the company on board. At night you always have a chance to see the northern lights and end the day with a beautiful aurora show.
Approaching Whales & Keeping a safe distance
Approaching whales will always be done cautiously, at a low speed towards the side of the pod. Only one zodiac can go in the snorkeling zone (20-50 metres) at any one time. Other zodiacs must wait their turn at least 50 metres away from the whales. When the guide decides it’s safe (for both the whale and our guests) to go snorkeling, participants can go into the water slowly. Once in the water, snorkelers have to keep a distance of at least 20 metres between them and the whales and must stay with the group at all times.
Touching the whales or approaching them to make contact is strictly forbidding and diving, splashing and making noise should be avoided as much as possible.
Every snorkeler is obligated to wear our orange high visibility hood for good visibility and detection in the dark water.
The captain and crew are in charge of our snorkeling operations. There are many reasons why the guides and captain might decided to not approach the whales. A few examples:
• There are too many other vessels close to the whales
• Another group of snorkelers is already in the water
• The whales show signs of stress, evasive behaviours or seem to be disturbed
• The whales are in an area where a lot of marine traffic is passing through
• There is a working fishing boat close to the whales
• The whales are not feeding but underway to another location
• Weather conditions are not suitable
Whale watching regulations Norway
Since December 2019, new regulations apply to whale watching in Norway. The regulations have been drawn up by the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries to ensure that whale watching is carried out in a safe and sustainable manner that does not disturb the animals in their natural environment. At the same time, these new rules are designed to prevent snorkelers from being put at risk by getting close to moving fishing vessels. It is therefore forbidden to come closer than 370m to fishing vessels with a ship, or zodiac. When snorkeling, a minimum distance of 740m must be kept to fishing vessels.
Supporting orca research and conservation
We’re proud to contribute to Happywhale’s WhaleID program, a citizen science initiative that empowers ocean lovers to support marine conservation. Happywhale is a non-profit organization advancing ocean health through high-quality science and education, making it easy and rewarding for the public to participate.
We also partner with Norwegian Orca Survey to support vital orca research in Northern Norway.