Orca safari on the M/S Sula

[moorish8idol]

Hey all,

Only tangentially related to scuba diving, but I am hopefully that people lurking here may have done the Orca Safari on the Sula before and can offer some (recent) feedback!

I am seriously considering going over the Christmas/NYE holidays this year. It appears to be the first year they are offering these trips at that time of the year and are doing 4 day/3 night trips instead of 6 day trips, thus offering a greatly reduced price to what is a pretty expensive trip!

Can anyone provide feedback on their experiences (especially if you went end of December)? My one concern would be that the weather might end up reducing our chances of getting into the water with the orcas. While I know there are no guarantees with nature, it would be really disappointing to go all that way and spend that much money and not have good opportunities to swim with them.

Any other comments/tips on the boat, the trip in general, how best to be prepared etc would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[VertexSoup]

I'm also considering doing this trip. It sure is tough to find reviews of arctic Orca diving.

 

[FettSolo]

@moorish8idol I had a buddy do an orca safari a year or two ago. From what he said, the weather will definitely restrict your chances, so a shorter trip is riskier.

You should also keep in mind that the chance of really seeing them up close is minimal. Most experiences I've heard of, including my friend's, ended up being seeing orcas from a distance in low visibility. I don't want to dissuade you! Just keep in mind you're not going to have the close-up, clear water encounter of say, whale sharks off of Mexico or tiger sharks in the Bahamas.