Meet the Herring Hunters

Each fall, orcas gather in the waters of the North Sea to gorge on massive schools of herring. Working with a coordinated strategy, pods of these highly intelligent hunters will swim under schools of herring and exhale huge air bubbles to separate their tightly packed prey, sending the small fish helplessly towards the surface, where they can be picked off.

Divers clad for comfort in the cool waters can join the hunting orcas to witness this ritual. Rather than shun contact, the highly intelligent and curious orcas will often approach and interact with their human observers. Adding to the excitement is the chance of appearances by humpback whales, which modify their primary diet of krill, and come to feed on the herring schools.

Caradonna and BigAnimals Global Expeditions provide a limited number of participants’ exclusive access to this annual spectacle. Departing from Norway's majestic Arctic coastline, a dedicated liveaboard vessel hosts a maximum of eight divers on a seven-day cruise of the fjords. By communicating with local fishing boats, ferries and other observers, the vessel is able to place divers directly into the most active hunts. While aboard, passengers may also be treated to nightly viewings of the northern lights.

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