Learn about whales off Vesterålen islands, in particular about male sperm whales – the animals of superlatives. The largest of the toothed whales (up to 18m), they have the largest brain and produce the loudest biological sound on the planet and can make dives down to 2KM.
Our trips are made with RIB boats and last between 2 and 3 hours, depending on weather and how far from coast we find the whales.
In winter and spring sperm whales are often found in Andfjord between the islands of Andøya and Senja. In summer our trips focus mainly on Bleik Canyon, a deep-sea canyon. In Andøya the deep sea comes closer to land than anywhere else in the North Atlantic!
Before the trip passengers will get a good introduction to the area we will be visiting, the whale species we might encounter and the research we are doing. During the trip everyone will be well informed about the species and behaviours we are observing, alongside a guide collecting data. In the evenings there is a longer lecture about our work, including images and footage of that days trips. The whale species we might see include sperm whales, killer whales, pilot whales, minke whales, harbour porpoises, humpback whales, fin whales, white-beaked dolphins and Risso's dolphins. During summer there is also an abundance of sea birds; puffins, gannets, guillemots, skuas, cormorants, seagulls as well as white tailed eagles.
Whale2Sea has initiated the Norwegian Sperm Whale Research Project and built up alliances with universities and other research organisations. The company participates in leading edge science concerning the ecology of male sperm whales in arctic waters and is continually expanding its research activities. The aim is to increase our understanding of sperm whales but also of the deep sea ecosystem in the arctic.
On our trips we build up on our long term photoidentification database of individually known male sperm whales, behavioural observations and acoustic recordings and sampling of environmental DNA. We also maintain a database on sightings of all cetaceans off Andøya and contribute our photoidentification images of killer whales to the Norwegian Orca Survey.
All photos courtesy of Mr. Marten Bril, Whale2Sea owner and daily manager.
