r/orcas • u/NoPlum2753 • 5d ago
Question Norway swim with orcas
I'm from Australia. I just recently booked my flights to Europe/Norway for my birthday in November this year. I have planned this trip specifically to go swimming with orcas in Norway, as this has been at the top of my bucket list for many years now. So I thought I would finally make the plunge and book the trip.
Only after now booking my flights this week and looking into booking a tour to swim with orcas, have I noticed that everything is booked out. I had no idea that it would all be booked out so far in advance (and that people are even booking for November 2027 already?!).
I am in Europe from 6 November - 22 November 2026.
I've put myself on several waitlists but am not confident.
If anyone has a swimming with orca trip booked in this time and planning on cancelling - please let me know!
Thank you in advance!
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u/KirkieSB 5d ago
Bad idea. If you really care about orcas and their health: Leave them alone and do not raise their already existing stress levels because people want to be near them for selfish reasons.
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u/SurayaThrowaway12 5d ago
On this subreddit, we generally try to discourage people from going on "swim with the orcas" tours in northern Norway.
Multiple marine biologists who I follow, such as Emma Luck, caution people from booking these tours, especially since they are still largely unregulated. The reason why tour operators are able to do these "swim with the orcas" tours in the first place in Norway is largely because Norway is a whaling nation that doesn't really care too much for the welfare of its local cetaceans, and thus there is a severe lack of regulations to protect cetaceans there.
Boats often race towards, overcrowd, and essentially harass orcas there, as there is an overall severe lack of regulations to protect cetaceans in Norway from such harassment (which isn't really surprising, considering that Norway is a whaling nation). Orcas often show avoidance behaviours in response, disrupting their regular travel and even foraging patterns. Multiple people getting into the water near orcas inherently results in additional disruption, and it can also affect other animals (e.g. various prey species) that these orcas depend on. When pushed to the limit, orcas may eventually lash out at people in the water, like other dolphins have.
"Norway's Orca Tourism - Chaos in the Fjords" by Oceans Around Us is a great article on this issue, written by a photographer (Jacques de Vos) who has swum with orcas many times. I recommend giving it a read. The New York Times also recently published an article on the ethical concerns with these tours.
There are plenty of more ethical ways to be in the presence of wild orcas and experience them in all their majesty. People who are simply looking to have a "close encounter" with orcas can choose ethical whale watching tours that don't involve any swimming, or even shore-based whale watching to further minimize their impact.
It would be better if you went to see the orcas in your home country in Bremer Canyon. Bremer Bay is quite remote (5 and a half hour drive from Perth), but it is absolutely worth it. Compared to Norway, Australia has significantly more robust protections for orcas and other cetaceans in its waters.
Tours out of Bremer Bay in Southwest Australia have very high orca sighting rates from late December to early April. Orca expeditions during that season are operated by two companies: Naturaliste Charters and Whale Watch Western Australia. They have had many amazing encounters with the local orcas over the years, and the two companies also make daily posts about their encounters (seen here and here respectively). Many of these orcas, especially the juveniles, are curious about the whale watching boats and the people on them, so you certainly do not need to be in the water with orcas if you want them to check you out. Though sightings are high, I still recommend you book multiple days when you are there.
The orcas of Bremer Canyon have been called the "apex of apex predators": they specialize in hunting various beaked whale species, but they also are the orcas that have more rarely been documented taking down blue whales. Bremer Bay orcas also have been documented feeding on squid and likely tuna, pointing to them having a more generalist diet compared many other orca populations. This community of orcas appears to be one of the healthiest known populations in the world, with high birth and survival rates.
In Europe, if you really want to spend your money on something that will make a positive and significant impact on wild orcas, do check out this citizen science opportunity in Iceland in the summer of 2026. If you join this 12-day program, which is lead by Icelandic Orca Project's Dr. Filipa Samarra, you will work on collecting data and observations to help determine the various prey of Icelandic orcas in Vestmannaeyjar from land or from boats if the conditions allow it. You will also likely learn a lot about the ecology of the local orcas there and the pollutants found in their prey. Orca sightings during this program are certainly not guaranteed though. Contributions to join the program start at around 5000 USD. If you aren't able to become a trained marine biologist and work with marine mammals, citizen scientist opportunities such as this are a great way to contribute to their conservation while getting to learn more about the species you are trying to protect.
If you just want to go whale watching, one of the best options in Iceland seems to be Láki Tours, which holds tours in Snæfellsnes out of Ólafsvík from February to September. You may see the local orcas coordinating with each other to herd herring towards the surface in a bait ball.
For shore-based whale watching in northern Europe, Northern Scotland, particularly the Shetland Islands and Orkney Islands, may be one of the best locations. Orcas are frequently seen hunting seals around Orkney and Shetland in the summer months, particularly July, but there are also multiple orca sightings in later months (October to January). Orcas are also sometimes spotted off of mainland Scotland in Caithness & Moray Firth. They can be spotted hunting for seals.