A first-hand account of swimming with orcas in Norway – luckily they went for the fish, not me

Apr 9 , 2018

The six-tonne orca is not a whale, despite its ‘killer whale’ name, but rather, the largest kind of dolphins. Photo: Thinkstock

The six-tonne giants, which are actually the largest dolphins, work together to trap their prey – spring-spawning herrings

Picture this: a still and dreamlike fjord, embraced by the Nordic Alps, all covered in dusty snow. There’s also a pitch-black, Arctic Ocean and us, a small classic and ice strengthened ship called the M/S Malmö bobbing on the windless waters. The sun barely makes it above the horizon, giving us about four hours of natural daylight. There’s nothing out there. The whole world seems in a deep, Arctic winter sleep. But I am wrong.

There’s a sudden movement, a shiver through the smooth water of the fjord. A black fin cuts through the water. Another fin joins in, half a minute later, and more until countless fins are next to our ship. In the soft, blue-pinkish Arctic light, a pack of orcas is on the hunt for wild and nutritious herring, their favourite food in the world. We watch them from the ship, hypnotised, until Swedish captain Johannes Malmlund has an idea: “Let’s get our dry suits on and join them!”

All geared and bundled up, with mask and snorkel, visitors can approach the killer whales from a safe distance with the Zodiac ship. Photos: David de Vleeschauwer

From the Norwegian city of Tromsö, whale watching is big business. Numerous ships leave every day to see the whales in action during winter. But this season there’s a problem. The killer whales are going further north to colder waters as a result of global warming, making the day trip almost too far for most ships. They are now feeding in the areas around the fjords of Kvaenangen and Reisafjorden, around 70 degrees north and 65 nautical miles from Tromsö.

A black fin cuts through the water.

For the M/S Malmö, which is waiting for us on a freezing, December evening, this is not an issue. We are some of the happy few, the lucky ones who get to spend a fair amount of time with these amazing creatures in the wild. We’re travelling with Waterproof Expeditions, which organises underwater experiences, from diving in Antarctica to snorkelling under the ice of Arctic Canada.

Accompanying us are avid travellers from different corners of the world and of all ages (from 28 to 66 years old) on board a refurbished ship built in 1943.

The six-tonne orca is not a whale, despite its name ‘killer whale’, but rather, the largest kind of dolphin. Orcas hunt in packs for wild and nutritious herring, their favourite food in the world.

Four years ago, the M/S Malmö was roaming the Arctic Ocean as an ice-strengthened pilot vessel for the Swedish National Maritime Administration, but since January 2016, it has been taking 15 passengers, together with an expedition team, chef, captain and crew, to see one of the most magical, natural phenomena of the northern hemisphere. To see the feeding of orcas above and below water and, as an icing on the frozen cake, to witness (with a bit of luck) the Northern Lights.

Although Tromsö is a charming and tranquil city, it feels good to sail away towards a silent world, far away from civilisation. This is an expedition, a kind of Arctic safari to see one of the most enigmatic animals in the ocean. It doesn’t take too long to spot them. On our first day, when the sun finally glances above the horizon, we are joined by a pack of orcas.