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Sticky PostingsQik
Experiments with Qik
Qik is a little piece of software that enables you to stream videos directly from your phone to the Web. Use it to stream engaging videos to your friends in Facebook, Twitter, etc. or as your camcorder to capture entertaining and special moments. With Qik you can stream engaging video live from your phone to the world or use your phone like a camcorder to capture entertaining, interesting and special moments. Go LIVE with your life by streaming anytime, anywhere—right from your phone. Be an eyewitness, capture those first steps, or whip up your own streaming video blog. There are just a million and one uses of Qik. This is one of the coolest Web things I have played with in a long time. Let me know what you think. ... Robert
Posted by Robert
on
Saturday, January 1. 2000 06:00
My Love of Technology![]() I can remember when I was 5 years old and had formulated a theory of how electric motors worked. I got as far as electricity, currents and forces but how the forces "knew" what to do was a mystery to me! So began a career in electronics. In the last 23 years I have been involved in product development, embedded software design, engineering management, technology and innovation management, marketing and business development. In short it has to date been a rewarding and fascinating time. As a self confessed techie, I love being involved in the latest and most interesting innovations, especially those impacting our everyday lives ... Robert
Posted by Robert
on
Saturday, January 1. 2000 05:00
Historic Photo Gallery
Edithburgh Dive Weekend 17/18th June '06
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Edithburgh Dive Weekend 3rd September '05 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Jennifer & Myself Diving 'The Lumb', 5th June '05 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Andy & Myself Diving 'The John Robb', 4th June '05 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Whyalla Cuttlefish Weekend, 15th May '05 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
Posted by Robert
on
Saturday, January 1. 2000 04:00
My Secret World Beneath The Waves![]() I have been a SCUBA diver for more than 18 years now and in that time have had the opportunity to dive extensively throughout South Australia. I've dived elsewhere and yes, tropical water is wonderful but my soft spot is for the dramatic offshore waters of Australia's Southern coast. It may be cold but the dramatic scale of walls, caves, ledges, kelp, dolphins, seals, reef fish, oceanic pelagics and the odd rather too large for comfort predator make for what South Australian diving stands for!! My favorite dive location is Allthorpe Island off the coast of South Australia's York Peninsula. My favorite shore dive is Chinaman's Hat, again on South Australia's York Peninsula. I wish I could say how many dives I have done but for 10 years I kept no record of my diving, an oversight I now regret, many hundreds I'd say at a pinch! I now teach others to dive and my enthusiasm for the salty realm is as strong as ever. ... Robert
Posted by Robert
on
Saturday, January 1. 2000 03:00
Underwater Hockey![]() I have been involved in this mad sport for nearly 20 years now and can be found at the bottom of the pool on a regular basis. We play weekly at the Adelaide Aquatics Centre with formally organised teams and games. After the game you will almost certainly find us continuing the proceedings at a nearby watering hole! Underwater hockey is very similar to field hockey in the way it is played with 6 players in the game per side and 4 players as interchange. We use a puck which, although looks like an ice hockey puck, is made of plastic coated lead. The hockey stick is very short, about 20cm long and is held in one hand. The entire game is played at the bottom of the pool while holding your breath! Underwater Hockey started in England in 1954, but it was not until 1984 that the first World Championships took place in Chicago , USA where Australia made a clean sweep in Men’s and Women’s winning in both team events. Australian Open UWH Championships were held in 1975. The Women’s UWH Titles commenced in 1981, with the Junior UWH Championships commencing in 1990. ... Robert
Posted by Robert
on
Saturday, January 1. 2000 02:00
A Little About Me![]() I could could tell you a bit about who I am but I'm afraid the story would be obsolete before you get to read it. So let me give you a little of who I am at the time of writing this text. I am having a rich and adventurous life, full of "life experiences" as they say and it is my intention to keep things that way! I presently live in the quiet city of Adelaide in South Australia. Adelaide may be quiet to some but believe me, there is plenty here to keep anyone thoroughly engaged, enthralled and occupied! You might just have to put in a bit of effort to find it sometimes! My most recent passion has become the pursuit of excellence in teaching scuba divers. For me it has been a wonderful experience in bringing the brand new uninitiated into a world I have had many privileged years to be part of. Such a stark contrast from my previous life in the world of electronics, technology and computing. That all being said I am still a technologist at heart and keep my ears to the ground and my eyes out for the latest, the greatest and most fun new things to play with. Today's new ideas may seem like fun and folly for the early adopters but history has shown that the future depends on us. If it were not for our insatiable appetite for ever new and more complex things to fill our lives with then I'm sure we would all still be living in caves and wondering "is this all there is!!". ... Robert
Posted by Robert
on
Saturday, January 1. 2000 01:00
Saturday, February 14. 2026Aldinga Washpool![]() For nearly 20 years of my young adult life I made my way down Button Road, through the middle of the Wangkuntila Aldinga Conservation Park (Aldinga Washpool), to get to Silver Sands Beach. In all that time I never noticed the natural treasure all around me. At the time, windsurfing was everything to me and the ocean in the distance created a kind of tunnel vision, making me blind to anything other than the beach and the sea beyond. In fairness, my visits were invariably in summer, when the ephemeral wetlands appeared as parched grass and dry spinifex. From the road, the dried-out lagoon basins were simply not visible. Today I wandered through that very same parched grass and dry spinifex and, for the first time, I noticed the meandering course of Silver Sands Creek. I noticed the pools of brackish water persisting through the dry heat. I noticed the juxtaposition of waterless salt pans alongside the green of sapphire. Now that I know the treasure I have been missing out on, I will make the effort to visit again when South Australian winter rains fill the lagoons and Aldinga Washpool shows its wetland beauty. #aerial #Aldinga #AldingaWashpool #WangkuntilaConservationPark #drought #saltpans #abstract #texture #AerialPhotography Wednesday, February 11. 2026Close Focus Wide Angle![]() It's such a conundrum for me diving here at Port Hughes with both gorgeous mega and macro photography opportunities. I love big underwater vistas, so almost always I will go wide angle in the hope of capturing the huge schools of scad amid soft coral-adorned pylons. On occasion I have dived with divers carrying two full DSLR rigs (I'm looking at you, Yorko), but short of my own personal caddy, I think I'll stick with just one for simplicity. Still, I continuously keep missing out on the gorgeous macro life down here. When I found this beautiful short-tailed nudibranch, Ceratosoma brevicaudatum, on one of the pylons, my frustration was the same as always, leading to the thought, 'next time I'll dive macro'. Still, all was not lost as this little critter had positioned himself such that I could get my huge dome within a couple of centimetres and capture this image. This style of image is called 'close focus wide angle', and when a macro subject offers this, it is a wonderful opportunity to show them in the context of their surroundings. Perhaps it's the best of both worlds, keeping the sense of connection between critter and the environment it lives in. So will I go macro next time I dive Port Hughes jetty? I'm sure I'll consider it, but I'll probably go wide again as always. #CeratosomaBrevicaudatum #critters #scuba #diving #PortHughes #macro #CloseFocusWideAngle #nudibranch #seaslug #underwater #SouthAustralia #ShorttailedNudibranch #UnderwaterPhotography #ScubaDiving #UnderwaterMacro #MarineLife Tuesday, February 10. 2026Wall of Scad![]() Underneath Port Hughes jetty there is a school of yellowtail scad, the scale of which rivals any location in South Australia I've ever dived. I distinctly remember my very first dive here many years ago and how it took my breath away. This is one of those locations full of amazing tiny creatures which draw you into the world of macro photography. It also has the large vistas of soft coral-covered pylons and those amazing schools of yellowtail scad cruising through them, demanding wide angles. The first time I dived here I was focused on the macro and the little things and spent much of the dive ignoring the nudibranchs and following the scad, wishing I had a wide angle lens instead. Most dives since I've gone for wide angle. Capturing good images of highly reflective fish is really challenging. It's like trying to photograph the dust on an old mirror in the dark. Too much strobe light and all you get is a blast of light right back at you with no detail. Too little strobe light and the details disappear into blue-green monochrome. Perhaps I should make my next dive here a macro dive and explore all the amazing tiny creatures that live here, but I just know that FOMO will get the better of me and that wall of yellowtail scad will just tease me for the entire dive. #YellowtailScad #scad #yellowtail #yakka #TrachurusNovaezelandiae #scuba #diving #PortHughes #SouthAustralia #underwater Thursday, February 5. 2026There be Dragons![]() We entered the water eager to see the condition of the headland reef and buoyed by recent reports of other divers who had seen the dragons. Snorkelling across the bay, we encountered a returning group of divers. Their disappointed question was, "Do you know where the dragons are?" We simply did not know, so we never made the returning group feel like they had missed out. We explored the very healthy-looking sea grass. We investigated the headland and into the western bay beyond. No dragons. We looped back again to explore the ledges and caves of the headland. Still no dragons. Then I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but only saw Andy offering wild gesticulations. He had found something. And then, there they were, not one but two beautiful weedy seadragons on the edge of the reef. South Australia is world-renowned as a destination for observing leafy seadragons, but the weedies, or common seadragons, are by far my favourites. Their striking patterns and gorgeous colours make them spectacular. It was a joy and a privilege to see and get to photograph these amazing critters. Despite the algal bloom, the two dragons we found seemed alert, happy, and only slightly annoyed at my paparazzi presence. Thank you, Andy, for your keen eye. There be dragons indeed. #PhyllopteryxTtaeniolatus #CommonSeadragon #WeedySeadragon #SecondValley #SouthAustralia #scuba #diving #underwater #photography Saturday, January 31. 2026New Blue![]() While looking for seadragons at Second Valley, we took the time to explore the deep undercuts and caves of the headland. You never know what you might find lurking in the shadows. Andy found the first one. I found the second. Two perfect, beautiful, juvenile blue devils within a few metres of each other. Both no larger than 10 centimetres in length, they looked in every way like miniature versions of the adults they will hopefully become. The usual behaviour of local juvenile South Australian reef fish is for them to flit and cavort in the shallows, carefree of their future lives. They are always a delight to see and correspondingly hard to photograph. Blue devils, as exotic and gorgeous as they are, seem to have been born in the same beautiful and grumpy skin that they will inhabit for their entire lives. Blue devils begin life as pelagic larval travellers. At some point – probably when they start looking grumpy – they find a nice little cave, ledge or wreck, and settle in for life. It is not uncommon to see the same individual over decades of diving if the environment has been kind. Given the precarious state of our gulf, and the toll the algal bloom has extracted, it was an absolute delight to see two brand new blue devils taking up residence and bringing colour back to Second Valley. #BlueDevils #fish #SecondValley #SouthAustralia #scuba #diving #ParaplesiopsMeleagris #recovery #underwater #photography Friday, January 30. 2026Spotted Piper![]() Despite the algal bloom, Second Valley has had some fantastic conditions for diving lately, with images and video circulating of crystal clear water and weedy seadragons. So Second Valley was yesterday's diving destination with my long-time dive buddy Andy. It was a hot day – South Australian heatwave kind of hot – which made the wetsuit donning something akin to being reforged in the fires of Orodruin. On surviving Mount Doom, the cool 22°C waters off the jetty were an exquisite delight! We tracked around the headland, noting how healthy the marine life seemed compared to deeper north into the gulf. Andy found two weedy seadragons, which made the dive perfect. We found two tiny little juvenile blue devils a few centimetres in length. My delight for the dive was this spotted pipefish – one of the syngnathids I rarely see and have never really captured a good image of. And I am still trying… #diving #pipefish #scuba #SecondValley #southaustralia #SpottedPipeFish #underwater Cows and Crabmeat![]() Yesterday was my first time back in the water here in South Australia this year, and boy did I experience a juxtaposition of diving worlds. From an Irish winter off the south-west coast of Kerry, where 9-degree water was the warmest place to be, to an Adelaide heatwave in the low to mid-40s and an ocean like bathwater. Yesterday's dive under Port Hughes jetty was like taking a 2-hour leisurely soak in a spa filled with beautiful marine life. As Port Hughes is part of Spencer Gulf, it has so far been able to escape the algal bloom currently ravaging our local Gulf of St Vincent. Thank you, Diana and Amanda, for such a wonderful start to diving here in South Australia again. Port Hughes has long been a favourite of local Adelaide divers and has one of the most prolific communities of cowfish that I know about. Here, both Shaw's and ornate cowfish are lining up for a seafood dish of their own. #cowfish #diving #OrnateCowfish #porthughes #scuba #shawscowfish #southaustralia #underwater Tuesday, January 6. 2026Dahlias in My Garden![]() What the southern Irish underwater world lacks in fish, thanks to decades of overfishing, it makes up for in gorgeous benthic life. Anemones thrive in the cold clear water here if sufficiently protected from the wild Atlantic and its storms. On deep walls down to well below 40 metres and on the protected sides of large bommies, the sight of these beautiful anemone gardens is wonderful. Quilt-work expanses of jewelled anemone are spectacular when lit up by torchlight, but my favourite by far are the dahlias (Urticina felina). Dahlia anemones may look like flowers – and indeed beds of them remind me of a well-tended garden – but they are in fact predatory animals that sting and capture passing prey. It's funny how if a species has no economic value and has not suffered collateral damage from other human pressures, it thrives. Since diving in Kerry, I've had first-hand experience of witnessing this effect. Still, the garden remains beautiful and I look forward to my next visit. #LemontounagherRock #CountyKerry #Ireland #winter #scuba #diving #DahliaAnemones #Urticinafelina Monday, January 5. 2026The Edible Gardener![]() This morning I had to thaw my frozen weight belt off the bench, knock the icicle stalactites off my buoyancy harness and de-ice the car before heading off for today's dive on Lemontounagher Rock (Lomán tSamhnach), near Puffin Island, Co Kerry. Despite the cold, the sea was calm, the surface conditions perfect for diving – and I really enjoy the camaraderie of sharing the icy conditions with like-minded, adventurous divers. Lemontounagher Rock has spectacular walls and ravines covered in dahlia and jewel anemones, and it was the inspiration behind the image title: a brown/edible crab (Cancer pagurus), tending a garden of dahlias (Urticina felina). This is my second Irish winter dive of the year. Yes, I got cold – very cold – and I ended my day out washing my dive gear outside in the falling snow. But despite the ardour of it sometimes, it always brings a smile to my face. #BrownCrab #EdibleCrab #LemontounagherRock #CountyKerry #Ireland #winter #scuba #diving #DahliaAnemones #JewelAnemones Thursday, January 1. 2026Home Away from Home![]() Two years ago Jennifer and I packed our suitcases, jumped on a plane, and left our Adelaide home to start a new life in Ireland. Thus fulfilling Jennifer’s long-time wish to return to the country of her birth and be with her siblings again. The premise was simple. Let’s give it a go for two years and then see how we feel. Two years would give us a chance to meet people, experience the seasons, and really get to know whether we would like our new home. Two years ago we landed on the doorstep of Jennifer’s sister and her husband. They welcomed us in, helped us integrate into the community, and generously shared their home with us until we eventually found a place of our own. Two years in, I have grown much closer to my Irish family and have become integrated into adventure, sporting, art, and music communities both locally and further afield. Our experiences have been personal, rich, and rewarding, resulting in friendships I know will endure. I could not have imagined a better way to find my feet in this beautiful adopted country. As we close out 2025, now two full years here in Ireland, I want to thank everybody we have met who has welcomed this Australian into your communities. Thank you all for your support, for your generosity, for your friendships, and for the craic. As a result, I think we will be staying, at least for a while. Happy New Year to family and friends in all the countries we are connected to. May 2026 be awesome for you all! #Ireland #Australia #emigration #home #family #generosity #travel #community #friendship #landscape #aerial Wednesday, December 24. 2025The White Deer of Mallow Christmas![]() Throughout the year, the Annabella Roundabout in Mallow is a turning point in the everyday lives of Cork locals. On towards Buttevant or Charleville, or perhaps off to Kanturk, Banteer, or Rathmore. A right turn from Cork will take you into Mallow and perhaps on to villages beyond, such as Rahan or Killavullen. Once a year, though, when Mallow brings its Christmas spirit to life, a glittering white deer adorns this very public space. The history linking the famous white deer of Mallow Castle, of Queen Elizabeth I’s gift to the Norreys family in the late 16th century, and the obvious associations with colonialism have almost been forgotten. Today, the white deer of Mallow has been adopted by the people of Mallow and, through the spirit of Christmas, is seen as a symbol of goodwill to all. This Christmas, spend time with your family if you are able, love them from afar if you can’t, and take time to reset and prepare for the year to come. I wish every one of you all the very best. Happy Christmas. #Mallow #Christmas #light #ChristmasLights #festive #bokeh #abstract #deer #whitedeer Moments of Gratitude![]() Every time the massive body of a humpback whale surfaces next to me, the feeling is indescribable. There is surprise, there is fear. I feel awe, exhilaration, and joy. Finally, after the moment has passed and the sea returns to its untroubled calm, I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude. Combine these moments with one of the most beautiful seascapes in the world, and I realise how privileged this experience is, and how grateful I am to be here. #Norway #humpback #whales #Skjervoy #travel #adventure #seascape #fjords Monday, December 22. 2025The Teeth of the World![]() During our Norwegian adventure, the intimidating outline of Kvænangsfjellet, with its jagged nunataks towering over glacial couloirs, left me in awe every single time we passed beneath its looming presence. Again and again, I am reminded of the impossibility of truly sharing the experience of presence when the surrounding world is as dramatic, as rugged, and as beautiful as the Norwegian fjords. There are certainly much bigger teeth than the craggy canines of Kvænangsfjellet elsewhere, but this time, for me, I beheld the teeth of the world and was utterly spellbound by their majesty. #Kvænangsfjellet #Norway #Skjervoy #travel #tourism #fjords #moutains #snow Sunday, December 21. 2025We Like to Watch![]() Whale watching has become an industry in its own right. It makes sense to me. I feel it caters to a deeper need we all have to reconnect with the natural world. But why whales? Dolphins and whales have always held a special place in my heart. They epitomise the idea that intelligent beings, perhaps as intelligent as ourselves, can live in harmony with the natural world without trying to bend it to their own will. For some of us pursuing our own passions, chance encounters with these beautiful creatures have left their mark on the psyche. An encounter lasting only a few moments can become a lifetime memory, cherished and shared. I have been lucky enough to experience many such moments. For those who aspire, who have the resources, and who yearn to reconnect, there is a growing industry willing and ready to help create your own memories through whale-watching expeditions. I’ve been there and have had wonderful experiences. Still, my most treasured memories have been those unplanned encounters, where a dolphin or whale has noticed me through its own curiosity, and the roles of watcher and watched have been reversed, on the other fin. #whales #whalewatching #Norway #Skjervoy #travel #tourism #cetaceans #nature #orca Friday, December 19. 2025Moonlit Company![]() Finding the words is difficult. Every moment spent in the company of these magnificent animals holds its own special magic. Every moment immersed in the beauty of the Norwegian fjords is breathtaking. Deep into twilight, with a rising moon lighting snow-capped mountains, the orca keep us company as we make our way home at the end of another extraordinary day. There simply are no words… #Norway #fjords #orca #moon #moonlight #seascape #landscape #travel #Skjervoy #winter Sunday, December 14. 2025Dark Deep Down![]() It is well into an Irish winter now and, as much as I am looking forward to festive time with family, I am missing that deep, dark water off the coast of south-west Kerry. Here, with Richie and John, we are exploring the terrain off Doulus Head, out from Cahersiveen. It’s dark and it’s deep and it’s cold down here – but what a wonderful way to spend our time. Irish winter, and its storms, will probably keep us land-locked for now, but soon enough we will all get back down deep again. #scuba #diving #kerry #Cahersiveen #monochrome #torchlight #DoulusHead #Ireland Saturday, December 13. 2025Millpond Moment![]() A black-tipped blade broke through the smooth water ahead. The gently rising fin soon became orca – like a submarine breaching the surface. Unlike the submarine, the orca’s body surged forwards and down again as it slipped once more beneath the calm water. When the ocean is almost millpond-flat, any disturbance on the water is accentuated by the calmness around it. A blast of whale-blow mist, the rise and fall of a distant humpback or the smooth lift of an orca fin all become centre stage in the surrounding vastness. While not the excitement of other whale encounters, these solitary moments brought their own quiet joy. #Norway #Skjervoy #orca #fjords #travel #OrcinusOrca #ocean #sea #cetacean #MarineMammals Thursday, December 11. 2025Orcinus orca ater![]() A breathtaking moment in the presence of the ocean’s greatest predator – or was it? When I talk about being in the water surrounded by killer whales, I’m often asked, “Were you scared?” or “What if they changed their mind about the menu?” I can honestly say that not only was I completely comfortable swimming with these magnificent creatures, but every pass and every moment of curious scrutiny filled me with such joy that even the icy cold of the Norwegian fjords felt warm in their presence. There are two significant subspecies of orca: Orcinus orca ater, or resident orca, and Orcinus orca rectipinnus, or Bigg’s orca. Bigg’s orca have become infamous for their brutal attacks on marine mammals and, to my mind, they truly are the ocean’s greatest predators. Resident orca, on the other hand, live symbiotic lives with a single fish species – in this case, North Sea herring – and seem to enjoy far more complex and richer social lives than their brutish cousins. So whenever I’m asked what it’s like to swim with killer whales, I light up, beam a grin from ear to ear, and say, “It’s something quite special, and I can’t wait to do it all again.” #Norway #Skjervoy #orca #fjords #travel #OrcinusOrcaAter #OrcinusAter Tuesday, December 9. 2025Herring Salad, Orca Dressing![]() There is action below as the orca dip, dive, and circle. For every orca seen on the surface, there are two or more below—herding, corralling, and reining in the herring, keeping them packed in a tight ball like some giant underwater salad bowl. It’s too late in the day to get into the water with the whales this time. It’s too dark to photograph. It’s too dark, really, to even see what’s going on. Instead, with the sun lingering on the horizon and catching the sea spray, giving texture to the churning water and illuminating the misty orca plumes, we contented ourselves with the view as the herring salad was consumed. #Norway #Skjervoy #orca #herring #fjords #AnimalBehaviour #travel #feeding #baitball Monday, December 8. 2025Eire 80![]() Eighty years ago, a large whitewashed “80 EIRE” sign was cut into the rock at Malin Head on the Inishowen Peninsula, Ireland’s northernmost mainland point. This sign, along with more than 80 others around the Irish coastline, was created to warn Axis forces that they had entered neutral territory and to serve as a navigational aid for Allied pilots. Today, many decades after World War II, most of these signs have fallen into disrepair, with fewer than a quarter still visible. Malin Head’s unique position—and its long-standing role in maritime history, weather forecasting, and more recently, tourism—has ensured its upkeep and continued visibility. If you find yourself on the Inishowen Peninsula and the weather is clear, make your way to Malin Head. Walk out onto the rocks, pause by the old marker, and reflect on 80 EIRE and what it represented all those years ago. Then get back to your car quickly, before the weather changes its mind and blows you halfway back down the peninsula. #Ireland #InishowenPeninsula #TinyPlanet #MalinHead #Eire80 #travel Friday, December 5. 2025A Golden Fluke![]() Some encounters on the water unfold quietly, almost before you realise you’re witnessing something special. Most of our humpback whale sightings began the same way: a sudden, explosive blow, that familiar hump rising into view, and then only the drifting mist of exhaled droplets hanging in the air. As the whales travelled, this pattern repeated itself with a steady rhythm, five or six breaths, each one spaced out as they moved along before diving and slipping out of sight for a few minutes. It was always their final surface appearance that drew us in. First the blow, then the curving hump, but this time they lifted their magnificent flukes high into the air before dropping straight down into the depths below. And in one of those fluke moments, the sun, the whale, and its rising tail aligned perfectly, turning that beautiful fluke into a brief, magical, shower of gold. #Norway #Skjervoy #orca # GoldenHour #fluke #travel #fjords Thursday, December 4. 2025A Light Show to Remember![]() There are so many compelling reasons to travel beyond the Arctic Circle in winter. Our reason was clear from the outset, orca, whales and their winter feeding on North Sea herring. All else is a bonus. On our first night in Norway, we travelled by ferry from Tromsø to Skjervøy, and that's when the northern light show began. For the hours we braved the cold on deck, we were enthralled, first with the lights of Tromsø shimmering over water, and then by the ethereal green curtains of light that seemed to emerge from nowhere, dance across the sky with abandon, then disappear without a trace. On and off all evening, from the ferry and then in the sky above us in Skjervøy, the light show continued. No single image could ever convey just how dynamic the Northern Lights really are. They dance and sweep and shimmer to their own rhythm. Sometimes the lights lingered. Sometimes they swept fleetingly across the sky. Sometimes they were like storm clouds shedding veils of ethereal rain. We came for the orca, the whales, and the herring, but that bonus of witnessing the aurora borealis will always be a light show to remember. #Norway #Skjervoy #aurora #AuroraBorealis #travel #fjords #FishEye Wednesday, December 3. 2025Norwegian Gold![]() Every day we headed out into a world different from the previous one. Some days blessed us with a beautiful sunrise or sunset; some were cold, grey, and drizzly. Some days the sea was rough and unwelcoming, while others were like being on a millpond. Most days were ultimately a mixture of all of the above. Regardless of the conditions, we only had eyes for that now-familiar tall dorsal fin or the tell-tale signs of whale blow on the horizon. In those moments when it all came together at once, orca, sunshine, and a quarrelsome sea, we knew we had found Norwegian gold. #Norway #Skjervoy #orca #GoldenHour #whale #MarineMammals #travel #fjords Friday, November 28. 2025Flip Flop Slap![]() From the corner of my eye I caught some movement not too far away and heard a loud slap as I turned toward the disturbance. There was white water thrown into the air, but not the mist normally accompanying a surfacing whale. Then up rose the magnificent fluke of a humpback whale. It lingered high above the water for a moment or two before coming back down again with an almighty slap, sending sea spray everywhere. I watched for a few moments, just taking in the spectacle, as the whale flapped and slapped some more, not thinking I had time for any photos. I was expecting this wonderful display to be brief, but a minute later the exhibition continued. Out came my camera and I got plenty more flaps and slaps before the whale gave one last slap, proceeded to roll around on its back for a while, then descended below the surface. A moment later the whale broke the surface with that familiar plume of exhaled mist before heading off on its way. There are all sorts of reasons why humpback whales slap their flukes, but this time around I am sure it was just for the fun of it. #Norway #Skjervoy #TailFlap #HumpbackWhale #Whale #MarineMammals #AnimalBehaviour
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