whalewatching
OUR WHALES
There are over 85 recognised species of cetacean worldwide. Off Andøy in Vesterålen – northern Norway; we have 10 species. The whales are divided into two groups: odontocetes or toothed whales, and mysticetes or baleen whales. While toothed whales have teeth with which they catch and hold their prey, baleen whales have keratin plates in their mouths, which act as filters to retain small fish and crustaceans. Baleen whales are the less diverse group, with only 15 species recognised today, including the iconic humpback whale. The toothed whales include dolphins, porpoises, and the sperm whale! Welcome to the Whale Center and our Whale watching tours to learn more about our whales!
Artist: Ester van Hulsten
SPERM WHALE
The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales and one of our star species! Unlike other cetaceans, the blowhole (nostril) of the whale is on the front left of the head. This means we can easily recognise them at sea, even at great distances, because when they breathe the blow is low and leans to the left.
The head of the sperm whale makes up about one-third of its entire body length, it can be over 5 m long! It not only holds a massive nose that evolved to produce the loudest sound in the animal kingdom, but also holds the largest brain in the animal kingdom – with an impressive weight of 9 kg!
The Sperm whales are born in warm waters. Males migrate towards polar waters at the age of about 10. The sperm whales can be seen off Andøya year-round.
ORCA – KILLER WHALE
The orca is a toothed whale. They are very social and playful animals, and can often be seen interacting with each other. We see them in groups of usually around 10 individuals, although large congregations of dozens of animals have been seen.
They are the biggest member of the dolphin family. The orca are a resident species to Norwegian waters, and thus they are born, grow, reproduce and spend their last days in these waters.
HUMPBACK WHALE
The humpback whale is the most iconic of the baleen whales and one of the easiest to identify due to its extremely long pectoral fins (a third of their body length), the hump on its back, and the wartlike growths on the upper and lower jaws. They are famous for their aerial display, and it is common to see them breaching out of the water or hitting the water surface with their long pectoral fins or tail fluke.
Their song are audible up to 32 km away, and each song can be up to 20 min. in length! They can be seen here year-round.
PILOT WHALE
The pilot whale is a toothed whale and very social living in large groups. There are two identified pilot whale species in the world; long-finned and short-finned are seen off Andenes. The long-finned pilot whales are resident to the Norwegian sea and spend their lives in these waters.
They can be seen here throughout the year. We see them in groups of 15 to 40 animals. They often come up with the head out of the water – a behaviour known as “spyhopping” – and they may curiously approach us. In the summer months it is possible to see young babies!
FIN WHALE
The fin whale is a baleen whale and the second largest of all cetaceans after the blue whales, both in length and weight. They are found especially along the continental shelf of Northern Norway and up to Spitsbergen in Svalbard. During summer they are passing by these waters and we see them travelling and at relatively high speeds (up to 47 km/h). Their blow is tall (4-6 m), narrow and column-shaped, thus it can be seen at great distances.
They can live up to 130 years!
MINKE WHALE
The Minke whale is the second smallest and most abundant of the baleen whales. They are distinguished from other species because they have a white ribbon on both pectoral flippers.
Most Minke whales sightings occur during the summer months.
RISSO’S DOLPHIN
One of the easiest species to identify, as scars become white and accumulate over the years, giving them a unique aspect. They are often found in pods that range in numbers from 10 to 30 individuals.
Their dorsal fin is proportionally larger than in other dolphin species, and sometimes they are confused with orcas when seen at a distance. They have been seen almost every year off Andenes since 2017.
ATLANTIC WHITE SIDED DOLPHIN
The Atlantic white sided Dolphins are beautifully patterned with a narrow, bright white patch on the blanks, running backwards from below the dorsal fin to the flukes, becoming a yellow-brown blaze above a thin dark stripe.
They are seen in summertime. They are very active and can be seen jumping completely out of the water. Often interacting with each other with a lot of body contact.
WHITE BEAKED DOLPHIN
The most distinguishable characteristic of this dolphin is a short white beak. They are robust and have a black and white colouration. The white beaked dolphins are fast-moving, but some aerial displays are not uncommon. Most sightings here have been in the summer months.
They have been seen harassing whales to make them swim faster so they create a wake for them to swim in!
HARBOUR PORPOISE
The harbour porpoise is the smallest cetacean found in Norwegian waters. The head is rounded without a beak and the dorsal fin is triangular, which makes them easy to identify.
They can be seen year-round. They surface to breathe 2-3 times and quickly disappear underwater. Shy and in small groups it is easy to miss them!