Pilot Whale Magnet

Today is my first tour as a volunteer. I am wearing a black and blue jacket with the company’s logo on the front and back. And I meet Connie, who asks me if we have enough space for her to join. I later find out that she comes along on many tours and loves to be on the lookout to take pictures of the whales. She has an impressive tele lens, and I would love to see the results.

We’re going to Bleik Canyon again. The sperm whales are our best shot at the moment. Everything else we might meet on the way is just a bonus. Thus, I’m on the lookout of Hagbart Waage and search for the characteristic, angled blow that I have already seen two days ago. Instead, I spot several small black fins in the distance that shortly pop up above the water and then disappear again. Without binoculars, I can hardly tell what exactly we’re dealing with. Dolphins? Or pilot whales like last time?

I tell the captain the direction, get my camera out, and when I’m down on the front deck, they are already right next to us. Atlantic white-sided dolphins diving under the bow of the boat. The water is so clear and their markings so distinctive that one can even see them through the surface when they are close enough to the boat.

Atlantic white-sided dolphins above and below the surface

Connie is on the lookout and takes pictures with her huge lens.

The group of dolphins also includes a baby that jumps out of the water in a high arc multiple times, but it’s so unpredictable when and where it might appear that it’s hard to catch it on camera. And then, as if the sea wanted to prove me that I wasn’t wrong with my presumption, pilot whales surface right between the dolphins. It’s not uncommon that they are seen together here.

The pilot whales are not as agile as the small dolphins, and more than double the length, but they are still magnificent with their smooth, black skin. Some single individuals are rather greyish or brownish. „Seems like you are the pilot whale magnet“, says one of the guides, and I smile. So far I’ve seen them in every single one of the three tours I joined on Vesterålen so far.

After some time we say goodbye to the mixed group of dolphins and pilot whales and follow our original path to the hunting grounds if the sperm whales.

I spot a blow in the distance and am asked if this is one of these sperm whales mentioned in the briefing, with their angled blows. And although I’ve seen them before just a few days ago, I'm unsure, as I think it might be something smaller. But I guess that's just the hope in me that wishes it were a killer whale. And I learn that the sperm whale's dorsal fin is fairly small in comparison to their body length.

I’m on the front deck taking pictures, even though I can barely feel my fingers anymore by now. With my beanie pulled down low over my face and one more layer of clothes than the last time. But the warming sun is missing today.

One sperm whale shows us his beautiful fluke, but the others don't seem to feel like doing so today. They rather take the fast track down to their favorite food, giant squid, before we get too close.

After serving the hot vegetable soup to our passengers and warming up with a cup for myself, I still hope that a pod of orcas might appear somewhere on our way back to the harbor. Unfortunately, unfulfilled.

But with three different species of cetaceans, it was still a very successful day out at sea.