In Pursuit of the Orcas (3/3)

A spectacular backdrop of snow-capped mountains and northern lights sets the stage for Norway's ultimate orca "fjord show"

Getting real close to the whales

Each whale-watching trip is a real treat. In addition to riding on Captain Lund's passenger boat, whale watchers can also go for a fast, breezy ride on an inflatable rubber dinghy , called a rib. I jumped at the chance. 

My rib driver takes almost no time finding the whales thanks to calm water, dry weather and a call from a fisherman who points her in the direction of a known orca hangout in the fjord. The rib rides low in the water. When the engine is off everyone aboard hears the orcas breathing. Listening to them is breathtaking.

When the Leonora arrives on the scene, Lund and our rib driver start whistling to the whales. They know the whales often respond with their own vocalizations. Some passengers from both vessels join in, and then we all stop to listen. Soon the whales "answer" with an exquisite array of sounds from gurgles made by blowing bubbles through their blowholes to little squeaks. It ' s a magical moment.

Making music with nature

During my last day out on the Leonora, we came across three Dutchmen whale watching from their own rib and serenading the orcas. While one man played the didgeridoo, his two friends sang.

" That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, grown men singing to orcas," says an English woman standing next to me.

Back at the tourist center in Tysfjord I talked to the Dutchman "instrumentalist." He told me this is the fourth year he and his friends have come to see the orcas. When I asked what brings him back, the Dutchman simply answered, "On the water you live with them." Maybe it's like to be an orca.

Vocabulary Focus

exquisite (adj) ---especially beautiful or admirable

gurgle (n) ---a happy, bubbling sound made in the back of the throat

serenade (v) ---to play a piece of music or sing for someone, especially for a woman while standing outside her house at night

Specialized Terms

dinghy (n) --- 小艇 a small open boat