There are only a handful of places in the world where you can swim with wild orcas in their natural habitat. One of those places is Tromso, Norway, and two years ago we flew there to experience what it is like to swim with one of the ocean’s fiercest predators.
Norway in January is a land of extremes, especially in the Arctic Circle, where wild orcas migrate. The sun barely rises above the horizon, the temperatures never go above freezing, and the wind whips at 45 mph (74 km/h), leaving every surface covered in ice. The ocean is rough and choppy and the mountains are covered in snow, setting the stage for our 5-day Winter Whales of Norway cruise with .
Despite the less-than-ideal conditions for taking a dip, we had one goal for this trip: to swim in the freezing Arctic water with the wild orcas.
What is it Like to Swim with Wild Orcas?
As we boarded the ship that would carry us above to orca feeding grounds in the Arctic Circle for the next 5 days, we had butterflies in our stomachs in anticipation of what was to come. The ship we stayed on wasn’t fancy; after all, most of our entertainment would hopefully be happening off the ship. On the back deck, there was a hot tub and sauna, our only true cruise ship amenities. Inside, passengers could hang out in the simple lounge, the dining room, or the cabins, which were surprisingly spacious for a cruise ship.
After cruising overnight, we arrived at the icy fjord, where we would begin our search for pods of orcas. The always-present moon cast a glow over the dark waters, dramatic snow-covered mountains, and quaint fishing villages nestled below, creating a view that we fell in love with during our trip.
With limited daylight hours every day, we lived our days on a structured schedule, ready at any moment to be whisked away for an orca swimming adventure. Each morning, we would wake up to colorful sunrises painting the horizon and humpback whales breaching out of the water. We spent our free time relaxing in the sauna, laughing with friends over dinner, and searching for a glimpse of the northern lights. While we followed our schedule, our resident orca experts stood in front of the ship, binoculars in front, looking for spouts of water or flashes of dark tails – telltale signs of orcas nearby. Every hour, we waited eagerly for the sign that it was time to swim.
When a large enough pod of orcas nearby was spotted, we were given orders to run to our cabins and change into our dry suits as fast as possible. Running back upstairs, we hopped in the Zodiacs and zoomed out to the pods. Sometimes, a massive humpback whale, 3 times larger than our dinghy, would pop up next to our ship, giving us a front-row seat to nature’s greatest show.
Finding wild orcas to swim with is no easy task and several days of the cruise were spent searching the fjord to no avail or jetting to a pod in the Zodiac only to find the orcas had swum away by the time we arrived. When the time did finally come where we were able to swim with wild orcas, it was better than anything we could have ever imagined.
The experience of swimming with orcas is almost indescribable. It seems like our lives were split in two – life before we swam with orcas and life after swimming with orcas.
For as much adrenaline as we felt zooming out to the orcas, as soon as we dove beneath the water and saw the orcas, all we felt was pure joy and peace. Life underneath the ocean seemed to put everything on pause. These wild orcas were diving peacefully in the water, swirling above us, below us, and next to us. Listening carefully, we could hear the unintelligible clicks and creaks of the pod communicating with each other.
At times, a couple of the orcas would swim straight towards us, as if wanting to say hello or perhaps challenge us for invading their territory, only to stop mere feet away and change directions. Despite the freezing temperatures, it wasn’t until we were back on the ship and the adrenaline calmed down that our brains seemed to remember the bitter cold of the fjord water.
In typical fashion for us, we ended our winter wonderland trip with a freezing cold polar plunge, complete with Kara’s iconic backflip. We also left this trip with a new motivation to devote our lives to orca research and a new appreciation for the beautiful world we live in. These are definitely memories we will hold with us for the rest of our lives.
To see our entire experience swimming with wild orcas in Norway, check out the video below.
