My First Whale Watching Trip in Andenes

It’s my first whale watching trip from Andenes, a small town on Andøya, Vesterålen in Northern Norway. Our boat for today is Blasius II, a catamaran with a length of 22 m. It is still the start of the season, and we are only around 20 people today, which means we have a lot of space on the deck.

The tour was already postponed from 11 to 17 o’clock due to wind conditions, but even now, the sea is still fairly rough. I have never been seasick, and especially today, I hope it stays this way. And I’m sure, thinking about it too much doesn’t help.

We are jumping the waves out on the water while heading to Bleik Canyon. It is named after Bleik, a town 10 km south of Andenes, which is known for its white beaches and a popular camping site. Bleik Canyon is an underwater trench that starts approx. 15 km off the coast and is up to 3000 m deep. Down there live the giant squid, which are the sperm whales’ favorite prey. While the female sperm whales stay in warmer waters with their calves, males live here all year round to grow big and strong. And those are what we are looking for right now.

We are still far off our target location when I hear the guides shout out. Pilot whales! It’s not the first time I see them, but they are just as beautiful as before. They are so close to the boat that we can hear them blow out the air from their lungs. They are amazing to watch; how they breathe out, peek above the surface with their round heads, and then slowly sink back into the water. I still wonder how such large animals can move so graciously. But as quickly as they came, they are gone again. Which reminds me that they can just dive down and leave, if they are not in the mood for people. We can’t follow them and it’s good that way. However, their behavior is very different from last year, when they were playful and interacting with the boat. Some of them spy-hopped out of the water, head-first, and it felt like these curious creatures wanted to watch us. Others stretched their tails out of the water, waving at us. But today, they aren’t interested in the boat at all.

We stay at the same spot for a little while, hoping they might come back. They have been gone for a few minutes and I don’t see them surfacing anywhere else. But then they are suddenly back and stay with us a little longer before diving. They might be feeding underwater; thus, they definitely have better things to do. Though, it was still a very nice surprise on our way to the sperm whales. Especially since they have only been seen once this year until today.

Surfacing Long-Finned Pilot Whales Close to Andenes

We are back on our way to Bleik Canyon. The boat jumps the waves and although I’m a bit unsteady on my feet, at least my stomach is doing fine.

Approaching the deeper waters, we already see the first sperm whale blow in the distance with its characteristic tilt to the left. The guides climb onto the roof of the wheelhouse and one of them asks me, if I want to join. I am already struggling with the rocking of the boat down here, but sure, why not? The ladder shakes wildly, and I’m glad someone holds it steady when I reach the top. The roof does not have any railings, only a wire cable to hold on to. I slowly make my way to the front and I’m glad when I finally reach the small bench, where I can sit down. With the camera in my lap, I hold on to the wooden slat during the worst waves. It’s shaky and windy, but it is definitely worth the view!

Sperm whales usually stay at the surface for 8 to 10 minutes. It takes some time for us to reach them with the boat. The one we spotted is still on the surface when we get there. Every time he takes a breath, he shows his back and fin at the surface. And then, when he decides it’s time to dive again, he raises his head for one last breath, bends his back, and lifts his huge fluke out of the water. The guide next to me on the roof is joking, it might come up again to breach. And there might be hope, as some friends have seen not one, but even two breaching sperm whales yesterday. However, breaching is not so common in sperm whales and at least today we are not that lucky. But I have just seen the first sperm whale in my life!

The guides have already spotted the next blow. This whale also lets us get very close. We are able to watch another beautiful deep dive with a lifted fluke.

Sperm Whale Showing Its Fluke Before a Deep Dive

Although I can already feel a slight sunburn on my cheeks, it is cold and windy on top of the wheelhouse. The downside of watching whales in arctic waters. Even in May, wearing four layers of clothes doesn’t seem to be enough. I return to the deck, and at least the wind is less strong here.

We are further on looking out for sperm whale blows and suddenly they seem to be everywhere. We often see two or three of them at the same time and don’t even know where to go first. This time we are not that lucky. Most of them dive before we have a chance to get close. But almost on our way back to the harbor, we find one more that lets us get close. When he shows his gigantic fluke we realize that we have seen him before. The coloring and nicks of the fluke fit the first one of today. Seems like we have found him again after his 40 minute deep dive on the search for squid.

But then we are back on our way to the harbor, warming up with soup and watching out for sea eagles and harbor seals that are often seen around here. No luck with that today, but I guess spotting so many sperm whales must suffice for one day.