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A journey following the super predators of the oceans - voila! tourism

2022-11-24T23:49:56.738Z


Nature photographer Alon Tsangut and 11 other adventurers, went to the Arctic Circle and got to dive next to the orcas (killer) whales, and on the way also from the Northern Lights. Watch Walla! tourism


Towards the month of November, I start following the activity of the fishing vessels that are in the Atlantic Ocean, at the mouth of the Norwegian fjords.

Their entry into the fjords will indicate what is about to happen.



Every winter schools of herring fish (saltwater) migrate from the heart of the ocean to near the coasts, in order to breed.

The orcas, killer whales, along with many other whales will change their course and follow the same schools of fish into the picturesque fjords of the Scandinavian country and provide a breathtaking and unique spectacle for this region of the world.

Orca cub next to the family's daughters (photo: Golishim photos, Alon Tsangut)

The father of the family against the background of the picturesque fjords of Norway (photo: Surfers' Photos, Alon Tsangut)

Norway's rugged coastline is perhaps one of the only places in the world where hundreds of orcas can be seen up close together, in their natural habitat.

During the week we had the privilege of sailing alongside them every day, observing the social behavior of these wonderful animals, seeing how the mothers teach their cubs to hunt and survive, and the highlight was when we entered the water with them and were privileged to document the unique hunting method, which is reserved only for orcas of Norway.

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Watch the spectacular journey

An orca whale in Norway (photo: Alon Tsangut, Jan Ribak, Alon Livna)

"Lady Aurora" - the green dancer

The journey begins with three flights through Europe that end in the city of Tromsø, which is located approximately 344 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.

Upon lowering to land, the captain indifferently announces: "Dear passengers, if you look to your right you can enjoy the northern lights...".

It will soon become clear to us that we have landed in a geomagnetic storm of the strongest experienced in the last 20 years - a phenomenon caused on Earth, as a result of a solar eruption in the Sun!

As soon as we arrived at the hotel we went outside to the back of it facing the harbor and were simply amazed to see the city sky "explode" and paint everything in a bright and powerful green, visible from every direction in the sky.

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Nature at its best: watch the whales play in the light of the northern lights

To the full article

Northern lights in the port of Tromsø (photo: surfers' photos, Alon Tsangut)

Northern lights against the background of the snowy mountains outside the town (photo: Golish photos, Alon Tsangut)

A visit to the reindeer farm of the Sami culture (photo: Golishim photos, Alon Tsangut)

At the mouth of the ocean

Towards evening we boarded the "Explorer", the ship that will become our home in the coming week.

In the morning we woke up with the sunrise to the landscapes of the fjords in the pink-orange shades typical of winter and we started looking for the orcas for the first time.

After a short time they announced in the ship: "Comrades, orcas ahead of us, go get organized..."

At that moment a shiver goes through the whole body and the smile gets stuck on the face: it's happening!

There is a chance to meet in the band!



Getting ready includes wearing a layer of warming thermal clothing, over which a "dry" suit will keep our body dry and insulated, because the water temperature may drop to 3 degrees on the Norwegian coast.

And of course thick gloves and a diving hat.



Now all that remains is to get on board and wait for the descent to the rubber boats that will take us as close as possible to the "family" - the group of orcas.

Finally, the confirmation is received that the orcas are indeed approaching us and it is possible to quietly go down into the water.

We get organized in silence and quietly slide off the side of the boat in order not to scare the whales away.

In one moment we notice a family of seven passing under us.

What a wonderful start to the journey!

The members of the group wait in the rubber boat for the instruction to get into the water (photo: surfers' photos, Alon Tsangut)

An exciting first meeting with a family of orcas (Photo: Surfers Photos, Alon Tsangut)

Stormy sea with a big fin

The Norwegian winter is unpredictable and each morning may look completely different from the previous one.

The third morning of the journey looked completely different.

Strong winds of about 40 knots (!) and waves of about 3 meters prevented us from swimming with the whales that day.

Just as we "came off standby" and sat down to drink hot soup in the ship's living room, a group of about 30 large fin whales surfaced in front of the ship.

The large fin whale, unlike the orca, is not a predator, but filters tiny animals from the water, like most large whales.

The young whales in the group began acrobatic exercises and huge jumps above the surface of the water, which did not leave any of us indifferent.

The power of nature and the fact that it always surprises anew - that's what so attracts and excites me on these trips.

In one moment a feeling of disappointment or frustration completely turns into moments of pure joy and happiness that are hard to describe in words.

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Orcas surrounded a large fin whale and instead of devouring it - released it from a tangle of ropes

To the full article

A large fin whale in a display - a rare phenomenon in the northern part of the world (photo: surfers photos, Alon Tsangut)

A large fin whale takes a close look at the members of the expedition (photo: surfers' photos, Alon Tsangut)

Dive into a ball of fish



We awoke on the fourth morning of the journey to wonderful weather;

The sky was painted with infinite colors, the sea was completely calm and soon we found ourselves again in the rubber boats sailing towards the towering group of orcas.

At a distance of about 100 meters, Roy, one of the members of the group, notices a slightly different behavior of the orcas and points towards the driver of the rubber boat.

The herd is relatively in place and it seems that we are watching the hunting method that looks for a moment like a war zone.

The hundreds of seagulls that circled above strengthened the feeling that we were witnessing a phenomenon that we never imagined we would experience.



This skilled pack has developed a hunting tactic which it passes down from generation to generation.

First they group the saltwater fish (herring) into a large circle known as, loosely translated - "bait ball" by circling them, flipping over on their backs and with the help of their bright bellies that manage to confuse the fish, they make them gather into a ball shape.

In the second stage they will give a tail blow that will stun the prey and hence the road to a royal feast is very short.

The bait ball of the saltwater fish is well grouped by the orcas (photo: surfers photos, Alon Tsangut)

cry with excitement even under water

As soon as we enter the water we immediately notice parts of fish everywhere, and it seems that we are getting closer to the action.

The heart rate is over 200, and the excitement is at its peak.

We are getting closer.

Suddenly an orca about nine meters long, with a two meter long dorsal fin passes us within touching distance.

He is on his way to dinner.



In one moment, a huge ball with a diameter of tens of meters was revealed to us, which consists of thousands of herring fish that crowded together effectively for the sake of eating, surrounded by about ten whales that flip over on their backs, whip their tails, rise to the surface and dive back to enjoy the easy prey.

Wow what a crazy show!

We stayed in the water for almost an hour, staring at this rare moment, which looked like a scene from a fictional movie.



I was convinced that I had already seen almost everything underwater, but without a doubt this spectacle taught me that you can cry with excitement even underwater.

The elegance and intelligence, along with the tremendous power with which they move through the water, makes the heart skip a beat.

This is undoubtedly one of the moments that will be deeply etched in my memory.

The killer whale chooses the most beautiful fish for him (photo: surfers' photos, Alon Tsangut)

A light snack of the herring fish (photo: surfer photos, Alon Tsangut)

An adventure that suits every nature lover

Nature trips, which allow a close look at the behavior of the wildest animals in the world, have become accessible to the general public in recent years and practically anyone can.

Whether it is a land trip on horseback on the African continent where you can watch lions hunting a zebra, for example, or whether you will sail to the remote islands of Tonga in the Pacific Ocean where you can watch fin whales congregate during the mating season and you can swim a few meters away next to a mother and baby whales - the possibilities are many and wonderful, And everything can be experienced in comfortable conditions, with a high-class ship, and luxurious lodges.



Similarly, on this journey I was joined by a wonderful group of people whose common denominator is a love for the sea, nature and the childhood dream of watching orcas underwater.

During the trip, you go through the necessary training on the use of a dry suit and how to get off and on the rubber boat to the sea, and back.

The members of the delegation against the background of the mountainous landscape of the city of Tromsø (photo: surfers' photos, Alon Tsangut)

Those who are brave enough are welcome to jump into the icy water even without the suit (photo: surfer photos, Alon Tsangut)

The pearl sky, a unique climatic phenomenon that sometimes occurs in the fjords of Norway (photo: Surfers' Photos, Alon Tsangut)

Alon Tsangut in Norway (photo: surfers photos, Alon Tsangut)

Alon Tsangut is an underwater photographer, and organizes diving and nature adventures to destinations all over the world as part of the "

Flying Camel " group

he founded

  • tourism

  • Travels in the world

  • Europe

Tags

  • Norway

  • the northern lights

  • whales

  • orca

  • Lapland

Source: walla

All life articles on 2022-11-24

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