ARCTIC HERRING RUN

DESCRIPTION

Each winter, thousands of whales migrate from the warm waters of the mid-atlantic to the nutrient-rich waters of the Arctic to feed on millions of herring. Lying north of the Arctic Circle, Norway's Lofoten Islands become the winter feeding grounds of hungry orcas and humpbacks. This trip bring participants to not only witness the fabled herring run first hand, but also get into the water with the orcas and humpbacks to interact with them. 

We begin our trip in Andenes, a small town in the north of the Lofoten Islands. Given that it is wintertime in the Arctic, there are no more than six hours of daylight per day. We have our own zodiac boat in order to scope out the best feeding grounds and locate the orcas and humpbacks. Both animals have different tactics for feeding-- the orcas team up in groups to chase the herring into fish balls, while the humpbacks dive below and blow bubbles to corral them.

In the evenings, we chase the aurora over the islands, as the Lofotens have become a photographer's paradise throughout. We spend two of our days on land exploring the islands, travelling south to the tiny fishing village of Å. Small Norwegian fishing communities dominate the island landscape, along with dramatic rock cliffs and expansive ocean views. 

This trip is a spectacular, up-close-and-personal experience with some of the world's largest and most intelligent and agile ocean creatures. The experience is like no other.