You might think that approaching the Arctic Circle could deprive us of wonderful landscapes, however Norway offers unique scenery and a fascinating evolution demonstration of marine species. Below Narvik 250 kilometers in north of the Arctic Circle, a deep fjord stands out because hundreds of orcas have established their second home there and regularly they prepare us a fashion show season fall and winter. Since 1987 every year at the beginning of October millions of herring have flown into the waters of the Tysfjord until spring, the sea currents have greatly influenced and contributed to this change of course and refuge but times are changing … Here you can live the dream of a lifetime, swim with killer whales in Norway Welcome to this universe where the winds and currents of the far north are the kings of their environment. A space where cohabitation is a world where the survival instinct of killer whales is stronger than death.
Beauty of the cold weather
The Northern polar Lights are shows that take my breathe away, every time I have seen one, I’m happy as a fish in the water. In recent years a manna has fallen from the sky and winters become almost pleasant. The days are often too short and too long winters do not bring the brightness I need to fish peacefully! To have fun I use to show around and hit on some girls, i dodge the clan to run to the neighbors’ daughters but mom is a control freak, she is overprotective: a real mama! The beauties of cold weather sometimes make me forget the essential, because if I like to joke and hang out with girls, I must be ASAP in the troops when the larder makes its appearance every winter, but I feel that the tank has diminished: I will not complain, there is always enough to make a feast of king.
Visitors
A lot of tourists are invading the coast and more and more frequently, they can put this drysuit to dive and observe the seabed, remain silent is hard as usual, if only they could avoid to blow these crazy bubbles too stressful under water, it would be more pleasant ! These bubbles drive me nuts and the closer they come with their weird masks and their tight-fitting suits, the more they make fly away my luxury preys. They even spoil weeks of underwater strategies and their trawlers old like mathusalem don’t improve this noisy battlefield. Sometimes I get revenge by giving a tail shots to impress them but those men in wet suit are not mean ! I am curious by nature and sometimes I like to swim in their company, some are very nice but I always keep a safe distance … Before I do my farandole I always check who I’m dealing with: we do not know who is behind the mask… If I’m careful, it is because every year men come with their boats and kidnap members of my family, 5 of us have disappeared: it’s less than before but it’s still too much: I wonder what they have become? Do not mention it to my mother, she has already lost one of her daughters and she had a hard time recovering, she cried out so much that for miles we could hear her whistling sadness and her cries of anger .
An unexpected reservoir of killer whale herring: let’s hunt
Today this is the “pump it up” day with the family, I’m already in a position of espionage and I even make some leaps to control my territory. The herrings are there too easy to catch, they are less than usual but I’ll deal with it. As usual I’m not alone on the spot: gulls and white-tailed eagles are already in position to observe our prey: real scavengers of the seas that will join the feast to take everything in soak. With the family we have a personal technique, step 1 is to encircle the herring by going to get them 30 meters deep. The second thing is to push them to the surface to create chaos. The third stage is confusion because it is the moment when the herrings understand their fatal destiny. We attack directly and to escape they jump in all directions in the waves: game over. As soon as they enter our perimeter I target my lunch with my legendary tail shot and that’s a real open bar, eat as much as you want! Dozens of herring are stunned by all our shockwaves combined and we just have to serve ourselves: that’s a pushover.
Viewers under the spell
I see these men in wet suit in their zodiacs, along the fjords of Lofoten they finally understood that they should not disturb, approaching us they reduce the pace of their boat and they enter in the water with delicacy. Let them come to see us as much as they want as long as they do not get in my way when I’m hungry! They are grouped and silent and we like from time to time to welcome them by making a few leaps and turns on ourselves! I do not think they are dangerous , respectful of our lifestyle they are not trying to take or lock us away in aquarium, or fishing our prey. I am sure that they came to see and swim with us. Men and women in wet suit often listen to our conversations, our whistles, and even hear us groan to the air it seems to please them.
Dawn and Twilight
These men in wet suit must really love the strange beauties of nature because even if in November the sun shines only 5 hours a day because we are near the polar circle consequence: at 14h no more sun shine they always come and say hello. This period is not the funniest of the year and even if we are used to the lack of brightness we think moving because the waters begin to heat slightly but enough to disturb us. Some of my cousins are now climbing further north to follow the herring along this route to breed. Our connected oceans are heating up step by step and it is a danger for the survival of my species. Where will we go if temperatures continue to rise, if the herring do not breed anymore, my species will disappear and eventually the whole ecosystem will be disturbed ! If you know these men in wet suit say hello to them and for the other kidnappers, please stop taking us off just to make soles of shoes … When nature sends you silent signals, do not ignore them because a truth is stubborn and it always goes up on the surface to express itsel.
Written by Florence Fifi
