Diving with orcas in Norway, video & pics

[KOMPRESSOR]

Holy smokes...
Some diving friends took the trip to Lofoten in Northern Norway to "dive with orcas" last week. "Yeah, right", I said. As if there was a chance they'd even get close! Well... I'm eating my words...

Wanna see? Here's the video for you to download:

http://www.mmpb.org/dykkesiden/upda....mmpb.org/dykkefilmer/spekkhuggersafari05.wmv

[12 MB]





And here's a very short version in flash:

http://www.t-l.no/emp/ash/spekkhogger.swf


If anybody wants to go I can always get some phone numbers or email adresses for you to contact. We've got some pretty fancy diving up here in Norway



Yes, you may comment on this, and so keep this thread alive so more people can see the video! It's not shot by one photographer alone, but all scenes are from the same trip.

 

[SeanQ]

Cool footage! We have orcas here as well but I havn't heard of anyone regularly diving with them.

What does the caption say?

 

[diveborg]

What do the Orca eat in Norway?

In the Pacific Northwest of the US, there are actually two kinds of pods. The resident pods of Orca eat salmon, but the transitory pods like to eat seals/sea lions. I don't know that I would be comfortable diving with the seal eating kind of Orca.

 

[SeanQ]

What do the Orca eat in Norway?

In the Pacific Northwest of the US, there are actually two kinds of pods. The resident pods of Orca eat salmon, but the transitory pods like to eat seals/sea lions. I don't know that I would be comfortable diving with the seal eating kind of Orca.

I recall reading about a migratory group that follow the migration of herring. I'm not sure though.

Chances are you wouldn't know if you appear to be a tasty meal for hungry transient until it's too late. When hunting, they typically become very quiet to avoid alerting their intellegent prey. Salmon, however, arn't very bright and so resident Orcas are noisier.

 

[diveborg]

I know that the transitory pod that was in the Hood Canal last year (or was it the year before?) that stayed there for several months make the fishing people very happy by significantly reducing the seal population there.

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

Cool footage! We have orcas here as well but I havn't heard of anyone regularly diving with them.

What does the caption say?

The words put in the mouth of the whale? Sonething like: "Grrr... Is that food?"


The orcas up here eat herring, mostly... I hope...

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

http://www.dykkesiden.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=16777.0;attach=10298;image

Pics from these guys' (and girls'!) keep being posted on the internet. I'm gladly bringing the links to Scubaboard

And in this picture, YES, that yellow thingy in the water 2 feet in front of the orca IS a Force Fin!

 

[subaquaman]

Kompressor,

I found a company at the Brimingham Dive Show last september, XOholidays and if I wasn't so broke I would've signed up for a €1600 trip straight away! I'd love to dive with orcas and your footage has just made me extremely jealous! You've also some great wrecks up around Narvik and I love the sound of Ice Diving. I'd say I could easily have a lot of fun diving in Norway and no doubt, as soon as the funds stretch to it, I will try it out.

In the meantime thanks for sharing!

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

Kompressor,

I found a company at the Brimingham Dive Show last september, XOholidays and if I wasn't so broke I would've signed up for a €1600 trip straight away! I'd love to dive with orcas and your footage has just made me extremely jealous! You've also some great wrecks up around Narvik and I love the sound of Ice Diving. I'd say I could easily have a lot of fun diving in Norway and no doubt, as soon as the funds stretch to it, I will try it out.

In the meantime thanks for sharing!

Crap... 1600 Pounds Sterling?! For how long, and how much Old Scotch is included?! I've heard about the company though. Their website is just behind ours on the Norwegian Top 50 ranking of diving websites!

http://www.dykkesiden.com/topsites/index.php?method=pv&cat=+Dykkerreiser&start=1

(Ours is the TURUT website)

Gotta tell you I would expect A LOT for that kind of money, and for at least two weeks with ALL INCLUDED. I suppose they can deliver, because they've been doing it for some time. But you could certainly come around for 1/4 of that price and still have awsome diving up here. I haven't been diving in Narvik yet. I just got my first set of doubles, and I have started training to perhaps do some tech-classes this summer. But I might get with a group of divers going to Narvik early this summer. If the project lifts from the ground maybe you can toss in yourself too? We might be going by bus from Oslo.

And for the nature diving there's nothing beating the west coast of Norway in wintertime. I'm going to Hitra for a week at the end of February, and I have some 16+ divers with me in the bus up there.

http://www.turut.no/dykk_eng.htm

 

[Diver0001]

Holy smokes...
Some diving friends took the trip to Lofoten in Northern Norway to "dive with orcas" last week. "Yeah, right", I said. As if there was a chance they'd even get close! Well... I'm eating my words...

Wanna see? Here's the video for you to download:

http://www.mmpb.org/dykkesiden/upda....mmpb.org/dykkefilmer/spekkhuggersafari05.wmv

[12 MB]





And here's a very short version in flash:

http://www.t-l.no/emp/ash/spekkhogger.swf


If anybody wants to go I can always get some phone numbers or email adresses for you to contact. We've got some pretty fancy diving up here in Norway



Yes, you may comment on this, and so keep this thread alive so more people can see the video! It's not shot by one photographer alone, but all scenes are from the same trip.

Hmm...... Isn't it like -600C in Norway right now?

So what are the chances of seeing the whales if we come at the right time of the year? Are we talking guarantee, good or guess?

I certainly know a few divers who would make the trip if the chances are good.

R..