Robert's Ramblings

On this occasion, I’d free-dived quite deep and found myself looking up toward the surface as mother and child swam into view.

Noticing my strategic position below them, I’m sure I had just become the subject of that day’s lesson in playful showing off.

As the two approached, the mum rotated as she glided by and continued swimming upside-down. The youngster, swimming tail-to-nose in front of her, followed her lead, and together they drifted down to me and then alongside.

At first, I thought they would simply swim on, bringing an already beautiful encounter to a close. But then something unexpected happened. In a movement worthy of some exquisitely choreographed ballet, the young orca completed a full turn, circling back around its mum. The pair spiralled around each other up toward the surface before slipping off into the blue beyond.

How humbling, if only for a moment, to feature in their awareness, to be the focus of their attention, and to witness so playful a gesture.


#arctic #fjords #MarineMammals #norway #oceanlife #orca #Skjervoy # OrcinusAter #mother #baby

While in northern Norway, we experienced the northern lights almost every night the sky was clear.

On this occasion, a small group of us climbed to the top of Stussnesfjellet, hoping for a spectacular view. Sadly, the aurora disappeared for most of our time up there, teasing us with just a few glimmers of green above the fjords.

On the trail back down, and without warning, the sky above us lit up from horizon to horizon, a blazing green river of dancing light. From here there was no other view, just the aurora above. But wow, what a sky!

We’re blessed with extraordinary solar activity right now, and images of the Merry Dancers, the Fyrialjus, and the Tahu-nui-a-rangi are appearing from all over the world.

Friends in both Ireland and Australia are witnessing the Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis from places where they’re rarely seen. I’m so glad that so many of us are able to experience this beautiful sight without having to travel so far.


#Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #NightSky #Skjervoy #Norway #Travel #FishEye

I was following an orca down deep when a flash of white caught my attention to my right. Below me, gliding gracefully toward the surface, was one massive belly belonging to Megaptera novaeangliae, a humpback whale.

This giant was heading straight for the surface, and I was directly in its path.

What a rush of emotions and conflicting instincts followed, self-preservation urging me to move, curiosity urging me to stay still and take it all in, and the photographer in me desperate to frame the shot. The photographer won that fleeting contest as I captured the whale’s ascent.

This distended part of the humpback is not actually its belly, but the ventral pleats, long folds of skin and blubber that run from chin to belly. When the whale takes in a huge mouthful of herring and water, the pleats expand like accordion bellows. Moments later, the water is expelled, leaving behind a tasty meal of Norwegian herring.

There are more frames to share as the gap between us closed, but I’ll leave those for another post.

Once again, I’m so grateful for the opportunity to experience such an extraordinary place.


#arctic #Norway #Skjervøy #humpback #whales #HumpBackwhale #feeding #WhaleWatching #MarineMammals

When we weren’t out on the water with the whales, we spent our time in the beautiful town of Skjervøy, in the heart of Northern Norway.

Most days, we’d return around 3:30 in the afternoon, just as the sun and the light slipped away, leaving us in celestial twilight. From afar, the lights of Skjervøy would shimmer into view, growing brighter until the whole town looked like something straight out of a Christmas card.

I’m told they keep their lights on here 24 hours a day to create a sense of warmth and life, to ward off the doldrums of the long, dark northern winter. The result is a place that feels cosy and alive, no matter how cold or dark it is outside.

It’s such a beautiful town. I only wish I’d had more time to explore it, next time, I will for sure.


#arctic #Norway #Skjervøy #lights #twilight #dawn #ChristmasCard #travel #WhaleWatching

How can I describe what it’s like to float in a Norwegian fjord, with 200 meters of inky-blue water below me, as the ocean’s greatest predator glides into view?

Despite the orca’s fearsome reputation, I feel no fear, only delight, joy, and awe.

Watching these wild and beautiful creatures move with such grace, agility, and power is a rare and humbling experience, one I feel deeply grateful to witness.


#arctic #fjords #Norway #OceanLife #orca #Skjervoy #MarineMammals

We had just dropped our divers into the water. There were so many orca circling and cavorting.
We all thought, “There must be herring below,” and were ready for the orca to feed.

Suddenly, there was a great spray of crimson-red water from the middle of the orca action, a sight terrifying in what it might mean, with four of our guys in the water among them.

With that event, and hoping the worst hadn’t happened, the orca all went into a frenzy of agitated behaviour, leaping over one another in a chaotic dance. Still, the two of us tending our boats on the surface had no idea what was happening below.

Then there it was, a newborn orca, pushed up to the surface by its midwife team for its first breath.

Later, with the help of the Norwegian Orca Survey team, we started piecing the story together. The crimson-red sea had been the placenta, ripped to shreds at birth, and the frenzy began as the mother and her midwife entourage worked frantically to push the newborn to the surface.

It took quite some time before the baby truly became animated, but about twenty minutes later, the orca pod and baby left the birthing site and headed off together at a healthy few knots, a sure sign of a successful introduction of a newborn orca to the fjords of Skjervøy.


#arctic #fjords #Norway #OceanLife #orca #OrcaBirth #baby #Skjervoy #AnimalBehavior

We watch in excitement as a small black tip rises out of the ocean beside us. Like a blade slicing through the water, it catches the golden light of an all-day dawn sun.

A moment later, the magnificent body of the orca bursts from the surface with a blast of air and spray before gliding gracefully back into the depths. Seeing these beautiful creatures swimming alongside us feels like pure magic, an experience both humbling and deeply privileged.

Our first day out on the water in Skjervøy was filled with similar encounters: orcas, humpback whales, and even the elusive fin whales, the second-largest creature on Earth. This is a truly special place, both breathtaking and unforgiving, and I feel so grateful to be here.


#arctic #fjords #Norway #OceanLife #orca #Skjervoy #travel #GoldenHour

It’s a beautiful, cold but calm evening here in Skjervøy. The whales played coy all day, only deciding to join us in the late dusk, just when photography was no longer an option for my old equipment.

The sky, however, lit up on our way home with a rising moon set against snow-covered mountains, and a playful orca followed us back.

Here, the view across the Reis and Kvænangen fjords toward the island of Haukøya and the mountains of Finnmark is rounded out by a touch of the northern lights. Perfect.


#arctic #fjords #norway #oceanlife #orca #Skjervoy #Travel #aurora

Seven years ago, a good friend invited me to, and introduced me to, one of the most extraordinary places on Earth I’ve ever experienced: Skjervøy, Norway. This place, well into the Arctic, is as brutal as it is beautiful, and full of life.

My first experience of the Norwegian fjords around Skjervøy was filled with the wonder of humpback whales, orcas, shared experiences, and new friendships. On returning to Australia, I knew I’d be back.

Well, here I am again, with new Irish friends, a new plan, and already the Norwegian welcome from the marine locals has been amazing. Even though the days are very short here, only a few hours, we’re spending time with humpback whales, with the orcas, and with each other.


#norway #skjervøy #fjords #orca #swimmingwithwhales #humpbackWhales #marinemammales #oceanlife #arctic #travel #adventure