Kategorie: News
The Norwegian Sardine Run
Experiencing orcas in their element, swimming with them and photographing them is an adventure. In fact, it will certainly leave a deep mark on you. Off Tromvik, in Norway's polar region, it is possible to come face to face with the animals.
Text and photos Sibylle Gerlinger and Gerald Nowak
Barren fjord land, sharp wind. Mountains, islands and sea are harshly marked. Tromvik has about 200 inhabitants, but to call it a town seems exaggerated. There is not a single pub, not even a baker. Aurora borealis crown the winter sky when the day consists only of night. Summer, on the other hand, knows no darkness. That's why people come here, why you can' t buy bread in Tromvik, but there is plenty of accommodation. The nature around Tromvik is massive and pure. As pure as aquavit. It's the extremes that also attract us, because in November enormous shoals of herring are driven into the branching island worlds of northern Norway. Word has spread to humpback whales and orcas. They come from the Arctic and feed on the Norwegian sardine run. You can watch the marine mammals from land. Or you can dare to go into the water with them.
Our travel date is in early November, which has advantages and disadvantages. It is only the beginning of the whale season and no one knows how many of the large marine mammals have already arrived. But six hours of daylight are at least three hours more than we would have later in the month. From the end of November, the sun no longer appears at all and the polar night begins.
Light and weather are the joy and sorrow of every nature photographer and unfortunately very unreliable companions. This time, too, they let us down at first, the first days are bleak. Wind whips the rain over the land and ripples through the leaden grey sea. Time passes slowly with so much darkness. On the third day, hope finally returns with the sun. Several killer whales have already been sighted in the fjord. The confidence of an encounter in the water increases. This luck is not a matter of course when you make the long journey to Tromso and on to Tromvik. Many photographers have had to make this experience.
An incredible sensation
There is more to it than just good weather conditions at the right time of year. You also need someone who knows the ropes. Marco Schulenburg is such a person. He is one of the most experienced whale watchers and has been taking scientists, film teams and photographers out to the whales on his boat for many years. Marco knows exactly how the animals behave and how to behave in their company, when to go into the water and when not to.
We go out into the fjord with Marco and start looking. The first time we have killer whales right in front of us, the group comes closer and surrounds us. We immediately feel the incredible sensation, which is much more intense than just watching the animals from a distance from land. Immediate, close, simply moving. A bull appears right next to the boat and blows out loud and strong. My breath catches in my throat. I feel humility and happiness about this day with its perfect conditions.
The animals seem to be late sleepers, because they usually only become active in the afternoon. Unfortunately for me, this means that my window of opportunity until nightfall is very small. But we get help from a reliable source. Gulls are good indicators. Where they hunt, there are herrings. And where the herring are, the orcas are usually not far away.
The pulse rate rises
A large flock of gulls circles above the water, a few killer whales swim around. Suddenly the water is boiling. Someone is pushing the herrings to the surface. The birds pounce on the easy prey from all directions, the orcas bump into the foaming throng. The boat is in the middle of it all and I don't know where to look first. Marco's gaze is fixed on the action and after a few minutes he finally gives the order to get ready. The hunt is stable, he says, I can try it. The long-awaited moment has come. My pulse rate rises.
In the water I swim calmly towards the school of herring and below me I see the black and white outlines of the orcas. But I have to get closer to get a good shot. Suddenly I see the first humpback whale. What is usually an equally blissful encounter here means the end of the hunt. And so the moment is over just as quickly as it began. It wasn't enough for good photos. The next few days are just as disappointing, but we don't give up yet.
It is a Saturday when we discover a large group of killer whales near the island of Vengsoy, seemingly relaxed as they make their rounds and keep approaching our boat. As if out of nowhere, they begin their hunt. Confidently and without hectic. They swim unerringly under the mass of herring and chase it to the surface. Again and again they let go of the prey, only to drive it up again shortly afterwards. All the time they play their game near the boat. It is impossible for me to assess the situation, but Marco gives the "Go! Carefully I glide into the water and swim towards the shoal of herring. The orcas' bubbles rise up through the mass of fish and I am in the middle of it. Again, the killer whales suddenly disappear as if on a secret command and a short time later they are suddenly back again. I spend one and a half hours in the six-degree water. I don't feel the cold until late. Adrenalin and happiness hormones keep me warm.
After such an experience there is only one thing to do: enjoy the "afterglow" with a cold beer in the hot whirlpool, turn on the mental cinema and let the day pass in review. It is a short rest before the exciting Arctic night, in which the camera does not come to rest. Aurora Borealis is the name of the aurora borealis, its magic is mysterious, its appearance difficult to put into words and not easy to photograph.
Three hungry humpback whales appear
The next day we try our luck again at the island of Vengsoy and discover a group of killer whales just outside the bay, just starting to hunt. Again, the conditions are actually perfect, although the visibility underwater is worse than expected. When three hungry humpback whales appear, the school of herring becomes frantic. The whales shoot out of the water with their mouths wide open and I realise their power and sheer size. I don't feel comfortable in this situation, but they move on and pay no more attention to me. More exciting encounters with killer whales follow over the next few days, despite very changeable conditions and poor visibility. Wind and swell show us how harsh the laws of nature can sometimes be. Orcas are social animals and intelligent predators. Like all predators, they have to train to hunt from an early age. We watch a juvenile playfully grab an oystercatcher, pull it underwater, fling it into the air with its fluke and spit it out again and again. But the young killer whale does not eat the dead bird. It brings it to our boat as a gift.
We have dedicated our journey to the orcas, there is only time for a single night dive to get to know the underwater world. Too little, as we discover. The fascinating rocky reefs and their inhabitants, the otters and sea eagles, the charming landscapes of Tromvik, we have neglected them. There is a lot of catching up to do on the next visit. Whether it will be Tromvik again is not certain. The herring mass is on the move and is now sighted further north at Skiervoy. So Norway remains an exciting destination with many unknowns.
If you want to experience the natural spectacle with killer whales in Norway, you can still find places for 2022 at www.waterworld.at:
https://www.waterworld.at/specials/2021-2022-2022-schiffssafari/viking-sea-orcas-2022/
Or 2025 in warm water in combination with mobulas in the Sea of Cortez/Mexico:
https://www.waterworld.at/specials/2025/mobulas-und-orcas-1/
https://www.waterworld.at/specials/2025/mobulas-und-orcas-2/