Swimming with Orcas: Enjoying the Northern Lights On A Weekend Trip From London

Viewing the amazing opening ceremony from the Vancouver Winter Olympics when the local favourite Orcas emerged from the stadium floor reminded me of a magic adventure we managed in a 3 day trip from London. Tysfjord in the north of Norway, is home to a pod of killer whales or orcas who follow the herring each winter to frolic in the clear waters near the famous Lofoten Islands. A lucky group of nature lovers is fortunate to have the opportunity to watch the whales feed and play from comfortable big boats. However the really adventurous are able to follow the whales in inflatable zodiac boats, and when the conditions are right enter the water in drysuits to experience what must be one of the most incredible animal encounters available in the world.

Donning your drysuit, with multiple layers of thermals underneath and a healthy dusting of talcum powder to ease the rubber over your head the adrenaline starts to pump. We travelled down to the waters edge in a little bus, 8 of us ready for the trip, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one trying to figure out what I would do if we actually found the whales. We had been primed for our trip with a lecture about the habits of what we came to know as 'our orcas', but when we saw our little zodiac boat covered in icicles the idea of dipping ourselves in the Arctic Ocean seemed really crazy. In the end, after 2 and a half bone-numbing hours of searching fruitlessly for the orcas, having a swim was a welcome relief. The salt in the water kept it to a balmy 5 degrees centigrade. We had been haring along the sea in the middle of winter and the windchill would have been significant - such that when I finally plucked up the courage to go overboard the water felt like a warm bath. It was amazingly clear and we saw starfish and multicoloured seaweed clinging to the rock.

Orca season in Norway occurs in the winter, where for several months the locals live in a winter wonderland, experiencing twilight with no direct sunshine. This alone is exotic enough for the average Londoner. However the hamlet of Tysfjord also offers snowshoe walks in the forests above the fjord and if you are really lucky you can view the northern lights or Aurora Borealis. We were roused from our warm and cozy cabin to trail in the snow down to the water's edge away from the light pollution and even at 2am it was so worth it. A band of green light danced across the sky, with other faint milky bands coming and going.

All in all it was a magnificent weekend, and doing it ourselves we kept to a reasonable budget - such that I would definitely consider returning the next year to take our chances at finding the elusive whales. Flying Norwegian air to Harstard/Narvik we caught the local bus and then ferry as directed by the team at Tysfjord. We stayed in a cosy cabin where we were able to cook our meals with ingredients from the local supermarket, significantly reducing the cost of a holiday in Scandinavia. For those with more money - there are warm and comfortable motel rooms available at the Tysfjord centre. If connections prove difficult, we had a lovely stay overnight in Harstad at the F2 Hotel, which is just across the road from the bus stop to the airport.