Silent Whale Watching by hybrid-electric ship

Our philosophy to Whale Watching and animal welfare centers around minimal disturbance and interruption. When we are whale watching we are in the natural habitat and the feeding territory of the whales and we should consider ourselves visitors. We can observe, but should not disturb the animals. We use our more silent, electric engine around the whales and we will not actively try to get right next to the whales. We will follow the whales and observe from a short distance and let the whales feed in peace. Often this results in the whales then come towards our ship by themselves. Read more about our whale-watching philosophy in our blog.

The captain & crew have multiple ways of finding whales. First of all, we know from experience and patterns from previous years in which area the whales like to be every year. Furthermore, the whales feed on the same herring that we eat. So finding where the fishing boats help! We even communicate with the fishermen sometimes to hear if they have seen the whales recently. Once we're at the right spot, you can find whales by looking and listening for their blows. Its also common to find a lot of birds flying overhead where whales are, as they like to eat the herring that is pushed to the surface by the humpback whales. Lastly, we can use modern technology such as radar and sonar to find 'obstacles' in the open water. The whales are large enough to be detected.

Whales are wild animals and sadly we can't guarantee sightings. While we try our best to succeed, it is entirely up to nature if we see whales on a particular day or not. We see whales on most days, however, seeing whales can be anything from 1 orca in the distance to a pack of humpback whales in front of the boat. We use our boat and equipment to improve our chances and our guides and captain are constantly on the lookout for whales. We invest in making everyone feel at home, from our warm and spacious lounges on the ship to the well-stocked cafe and stories and anecdotes that our guides will share with you. Please understand that we are therefore not able to give money back if we do not see whales.

It is impossible to predict exactly when the whale watching season will finish. Whales are wild animals and their migration is based on multiple variables. In previous years, the whales have generally been in the Tromsø region between the beginning of November and the end of January. However, sometimes they arrive and leave earlier and sometimes later. It depends partially on the migration of the herring and the feeding patterns of the whales. However, even after the herring has left, it is often possible to still see whales before they migrate south.

Over the last few years, the whales have favored a feeding area further north from Tromsø. Depending on the weather conditions, it takes between 2-3 hours to get to the area where the whales are. Because we want to spend an hour with the whales, this trip takes about 7 hours in total. Luckily, the scenery in Northern Norway is never dull, and there are lots to see and our guides will share interesting stories along the way.

The destination of our Silent Whale Watching tour depends on the feeding grounds of the whales. This changes a little from year to year. In 2018, 2019, and 2020 they have been around Skjervøy, about 2-3 hours cruise from Tromsø.

Yes, our Silent Whale Watching tour leaves from the centre of Tromsø and we will cruise out to the area where the whales are. There is no bus transport required for our Silent Whale Watching tour.

We do not use rib boats to get closer to the whales. Our boat is purpose-built for sightseeing and our design allows for a unique perspective from the ship. Moreover, the loud and diesel engines are also causing disturbance and pollution for the whales and nature which is not in line with our philosophy.

When extremely lucky, you can see hundreds. This is however rare display of nature. On a general day, we can see both killer whales and Humpback whales. On a good day we see groups of killer whales about 15-20 individuals in addition to 3-4 humpback whales

Generally, the whales are in the area of Tromso between early November and late January. However, in the previous 2 years, they have arrived from the south a little earlier in October already.

Definitely yes! Whale Watching provides memories for life for both young and old. While the trip lasts between 6-8 hours, our boats have spacious indoor and heated lounges. We have entertainment on board and our windows are floor-to-ceiling, making it possible to see the whales, even for the smallest ones!

While we can technically see Toothed whales and Baleen (whalebone) whales, we most commonly see the Humpback whale and orca (killer whale). It is also not uncommon to encounter smaller whales now and then, such as porpoises and Long-finned pilot whales.

Yes! We can offer charters with whale watching for both private groups, company trips, team building, etc. You can read more about booking a charter here.

Yes, we have a minimum of 8 guests for our tours. We always strive to do a tour on every day within the season, but sometimes there are too few people booked. In these cases, it is both financially but also ecologically unsustainable to do a tour with our ship. When this happens we will always offer you to reschedule your tour to another day if possible, or we provide you with a full refund.