To understand why Read this article

For the most part day operators:

• have poor or no preparation briefings, no checks and no prerequisites for clients to be able to enter the water, creating not only unsafe situations for the people in the water but also high stress and unsafe conditions for the animals.
• often takes as many as 12 people per trip, some of whom do not have an experienced or qualified in-water guide or supervisor.
• have a matter of hours to ensure clients get the experience they pay for. This unfortunately places a lot of stress on the operator to deliver and results in animals being chased, harassed and very often overwhelmed by boat traffic. In Nov 2018 we witnessesd as many as 26 boats on a single pod of 9 to 12 orcas. Situations like this can last hours (for as long as there is  daylight), all boats chasing and trying to get ‘the best position or view’ which directly influences the normal behaviour of the animals.
• operate illegally. In recent years far too many operators (day, long-term, topside and in-water) are not registered in Norway and/or are taking guests to sea without the correct certification or training required by Norwegian law. This has resulted in the authorities taking action and some operators have been shut down.

To have the best experience we advise anyone planning to join to try and join at least an openwater freediving course with a recognised agency (for example SSI, AIDA, FII) before arriving. This usually takes two to three days and there are schools throughout the world – have a look at the SSI Level 1 course as offered by

No – many of our guests are scuba divers, have experience as swimmers etc. View our requirements section for more details. 

The water activities are primarily aimed at individuals who are confident in the water as freedivers or experienced snorkelers, including comfort with full dive equipment suitable for colder water. The reason for this is that we want to offer guests the best possible experience and therefore cannot directly supervise anyone during the dives who is not comfortable / requires constant assistance. If you would simply like to just be watching the animals and scenery in the comfort of our luxury catamaran, you are of course more than welcome!

Please refer to the question above. Short answer – MAYBE. Being a strong swimmer does not necessarily mean clients will be comfortable with snorkelling while using the required equipment for colder water. Therefore we urge clients to be have enough experience to join us in the water (either while snorkelling or freediving). Please refer to the requirements section for more information. 

Not at all. Some of our guests are perfectly happy watching the animals and scenery from the comfort of our yachts. In some cases a spouse might not want to dive or perhaps parents would like to bring their kids along.

The minimum age for all in water activities on our trips is set at 18 years of age. 

As we are observing wild animals who arrive only for a few months based on the migration pattern of spring spawning herring, there is never a guarantee as to when the whales will arrive, when they will leave or for how long they will stay. That being said, historically (for the last few years), the activity begins towards the end of October  and usually lasts into he first few weeks of January.

One of the most common questions we get asked 🙂

Although it goes without saying that proper winter clothing is essential, you might be surprised how little concern you will have with the outside or in-water temperature during your expedition.

With the proper freediving/snorkelling equipment (see below) you will be nearly oblivious to the water temperature when freediving / snorkelling in northern Norway. Arctic Freediving partner, freediving expert and guide Jacques de Vos has been in the water for hours on end during trips and will be happy to assist clients in choosing the right equipment for their trip.