The special marine nature of Stø

Stø is a known whale safari site and the first whale safaris were arranged already in 1994. The village is situated close the edge of the continental shelf and a special underwater canyon called Bleik Canyon. In Bleik Canyon, deep cold water currents are pushed upwards, bringing nutrient rich waters to the ocean surface, which results in large plankton blooms in spring. This high productivity supports a great variety of marine animal species such as birds, seals and whales. The most common whale species in this area is the sperm whale. Sperm whale males aggregate here to feed on deep water squids and fish, which gives us an excellent starting point to experience some of the world’s largest animals

Whale safari with bird and seal watching

 We begin each whale safari by visiting the seabird cliffs and harbour seal colony at Anda Lighthouse. Some of the bird species you can expect to see are:

• white-tailed eagle
• cormorant
• kittiwakes
• white-breasted guillemots hund
• thousands of puffins.

When continuing offshore towards the sperm whales, we are sometimes lucky to encounter different whale species inhabiting these waters such as:

• pilot whales 
• minke whales
• killer whales / orcas
• atlantic white-sided dolphins
• humback whales

Our motto
Arctic Whale Tours’ main goal is to provide our visitors with a unique opportunity to observe marine animals in their natural surroundings and to spread knowledge about their behaviour and biology. We also support research projects and cooperate with different environmental organizations, such as IFAW (International Federation of Animal Welfare), WWF and ORCA-organization, by providing them with observation and photo-ID data that we collect on our safaris.

Whale guarantee
Because Bleik Canyon is such an important feeding area for the sperm whales, we have a high chance of finding them on each safari.  However, if we, contrary to expectation, do not see whales, passengers who are interested can join a safari the next day, free of charge, or then get part of their ticket refunded.

Months

January • May • June • July • August • November • December

Duration

Half-day (3-6 hours) • Full day (6-9 hours)

Vessel types

Large boat (50+ passengers) • Small boat (0-50 passengers)

Times and prices

We do between 1 to 3 whale safari trips every day in the summer season.  From late June to late July, we arrange midnight sun whale safaris. This is a late evening departure to experience whales, seals and birds in the midnight sun!

During the winter moths (November-January) we will arrange whale safaris to see killer whales, humpack whales and fin whales that come to the fjords to feed on herring.

Whale safari with bird and seal safari - 2012

Midnight sun whale safari with bird and seal safari - 2012

The price includes: whale watching with bird and seal watching, presentation before the safari, multilingual naturalist guide for the duration of the safari, light meal on-board, coffee and tea.

About our skippers and naturalist guides

Our whale watching team

Camilla Ilmoni 
Manager and Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the behalf of our team, I want to wish you all welcome to Arctic Whale Tours! We are looking forward to a new and exciting season 2011! This summer, our team consists of marine biologists, qualified nature guides and local fishermen! On this page we tell a little bit about ourselves. If you wish to contact us or give us feedback, please send an e-mail to arcticwhaletours@gmail.comand we get back to you as soon as possible.

Shortly about me: I started in AWT in 2010 but I have been working in the whale safari business for the last 7 years. I am marine biologists with a degree from Helsinki University and Bergen University. I am originally from Espoo in Finland but I have lived in Norway the last 6 years. My favorite place is Vesterålen and I feel very much at home in little Stø!

Lauri Pietikäinen 
Guide, Fisherman and Able seaman

Arctic Whale Tours’ guide and able seaman Lauri Pietikäinen has lived in the fishing village for 11 years.During his stay, Lauri has become especially fond of North-Norwegian coast culture and local nature has become a central part of his everyday life. For the past 5 years, Lauri has worked as a fisherman on board seine fishing boat MS Morgenstjerne. In addition to fishing, Lauri is equally interested in marine nature – the birds, the seals and the whales and enjoys sharing his passion for the local nature during the summer season on board the whale safari boat. Lauri Pietikäinen also likes writing and photographing – he has his own blog where he writes about fishing, nature and life in Stø. When the summer comes to an end and the autumn starts to fall in, you will find Lauri in the forest or on the mountains. Picking berries and mushrooms is namely one of his dearest hobbies. Lauri speaks fluent Norwegian, English, Finnish and German.

I am a marine biologist from Sweden and received my M.Sci. degree in Marine Ecology in 2003. After having worked for several years with marine and climate research in the Arctic and in Scandinavia, I am now running the small business company “Northern Lights Photography” as a biologist and nature photographer. As a photographer, I have won several international prizes, held art exhibitions. I also combine my photography with research on marine mammals and I am currently working with scientific photo-identification of cetaceans in the North Atlantic. I have published scientific articles about zooplankton, fish and seabirds and I have also worked as a whale watching guide for several seasons in Northern Norway. I am currently working as a marine biologist, guide and photographer for Arctic Whale Tours.

Isabelle Dupre 
Guide and Photographer

I met my first dolphins when I was 6 and it changed my whole life forever. I started to collect all information and pictures about those animals and it became a long life-time passion. I specialized ten years ago in ethology, which is the study of the behaviour and the social structure of an animal species and the interactions between the animals and their environment. I have been travelling on all the world’s oceans to study marine mammals, making articles and taking pictures of them. I have also been a whale watching guide worldwide and worked for two seasons for Arctic Whale Tours. I am also a keen diver and free diver. From the Bahamas to New Zealand, I like more than anything else to glide in the water and interact with the whales, dolphins and sea lions in their own environment. I have a M.Sc in ethology on the dominance and hierarchy of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). I started my PhD project in 2004 on the social behaviour and distribution of the humpback dolphins (Souza plumbea) in South Africa.

Risto Sakko 
Guide, Fisherman and Able seaman

Arctic Whale Tours’ able seaman Risto Sakko comes from the Finnish Lapland. For the past five years, he has lived in Stø, where he works as fisherman for most of the year. Risto knows the boats and the sea very well; he has especially broad knowledge about the waters and the nature close to Stø. Risto is a qualified tourist guide and he has several years of experience from Finland, which has. This seaman is an outdoor enthusiast and he loves to spend time in the nature outside his working hours too. Risto is fluent in Norwegian, Finnish and English. In addition, he can speak some French and Russian.

Facilities

Naturalist guide(s) as well as skipper • On board hydrophone • On-site visitor center / museum • Onboard research • PA system • Posters / displays / maps • Reading material available • Restrooms / toilets on board • Snacks / drinks • Support conservation • Use a code of conduct

We frequently

Listen to whales and dolphins • See a whale's tail • Watch whales only

Toothed Whales

Killer Whale / Orca • Sperm Whale

Other wildlife and points of interest

Occasionally seen: Killer Whale / Orca, Minke Whale, Pilot Whale, Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, Other wildlife species regularly seen on our tours: Harbour Seal, Puffin, White-Tailed Eagle, Shag, Guillemot, Gannet, Fulmar,

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