Hailing from the north east of England and the mighty County Durham, I consider myself a northerner. There are however, varying degrees of ‘north’ with Durham coming in at a paltry 54 degrees north, you have a good way further to go until you hit 69 degrees north and Tromsø; over a thousand miles north and deep into the Arctic Circle - true north! It was five years ago this week that I last celebrated the Arctic, that I was last in my spiritual home, encircled by mountains and watching whale-filled fjords…
From Tromsø it is just a one hour boat ride and one hour drive to get to Senja - Norway's second largest island. Despite the Arctic pedigree, the remoteness and sheer wilderness of Senja, it is relatively accessible from a London airport at under a days travel. We arrived at Basecamp Senja under the cover of darkness and were immediately welcomed by our host for the week - Trude. Despite arriving under the cover of darkness, we were quickly immersed in all things Arctic raising a toast of aquavit beneath the pulsating, green sheets of aurora borealis overhead. Wave after wave of northern lights cascaded down in chutes having originated out of view, behind a tree lined hillside. Amped by northern lights our anticipation was only heightened when Herring fishing vessels spot-lighting their nets, unwittingly illuminated dorsal fins! Even silhouetted, the unmistakable shape of Orca dorsals busily worked around the nets - taking their share of the Herring bounty.
Between the cold, northern lights, aquavit and Orca, the Arctic quickly seeped into every fibre of our beings. Pre dawn and upon arrival we were already living up to our moniker ‘Orca finders of Arctic Norway’ given to us by our man in the Arctic, Tormod Amundsen of Biotope, on a previous 2013 Arctic trip. The over stimulation of our arrival and the anticipation of the daylight hours meant sleep did not come easy, we found ourselves chatting and dipping into our expedition whisky well into the early hours.
After a short sleep, sufficient to take the edge off the nights festivities, we were eating breakfast - or at least trying to. Not easy with Orca show-boating in the fjord, Humpback blows visible beyond them and a constant stream of birds - all visible from the breakfast table! Razorbill and Red-breasted Merganser passed in front of our basecamp windows, a mixed flock of gulls loafed over the fjord, with Glaucous amongst the Greater Black-backed and Herring. Then there were the eagles; White-tailed Eagles. At one point there was seven birds visible from our vantage point!
After breakfast we kitted up ready for the water. Basecamp Senja have two RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats) to allow for travel into the fjord and sea beyond. Of course, the open water means you are completely exposed to the elements, luckily Basecamp Senja also had this covered too - providing us with survival suits, buffs and goggles to protect our faces. At minus eighteen and with windchill added to that, the elements had to be respected! Our time on the water gained us close-to views of at least forty Orca, 2 Humpback Whales, Eider, Black Guillemots, Little Auk, Kittiwake and Shag.
Amongst the Orca sightings we had one inquisitive individual approach the RIB and then rotate upside down, exposing its white belly and it went beneath us. Spine-tinglingly awesome views. The Arctic does not relent and even after the day's barrage, a dusk walk provided still more; with two Golden Eagles soaring above us as we left basecamp.
After suitably celebrating the previous day's success, the second day on the fjord produced yet more whale encounters. In addition to the now expected Orca and Humpbacks we got views of Fin whale, loafing at the surface, the first and only one I have seen to date. I also saw my first ever White-billed Diver, whilst they are seen off the east coast here, I was delighted to see my first under cold, steely Arctic half-light and back-grounded by snow capped mountains...
It is five years this week since this trip, it has played heavy in my memories, especially given the very different time we now find ourselves in! I write this as travel corridors are closing, quarantines are imposed, negative Covid tests are as important as a passport and the world seems a slightly larger place once again. Still, I look forward to heading north again in the future. True north.
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