The one

I never thought that one day, I would be able to take this kind of shot. This male killer whale was literally playing with the boat: popping up on its side, swimming under the bow looking at it... The picture was in my mind but to get it was another story... When I checked the pictures of this day at sea, I could not believe I finally had the frame that shows exactly where Orca and other marine mammals should be... They have to be free.

Aurora

Aurora borealis - one of the most amazing show that one can see.

These moments...

The year of 2015 has been mixed with good and bad news for cetaceans. The positive thing is that thanks to movies and photography, people are more and more aware of the fragility of these species and their habitat. Hopefully the new year 2016 will bring good news, let´s stay confident!

Hunt

Hunt along the shore

One more dive

Humpback whale during the herring hunt - Arctic Norway

Now or never

There is actually not so much words available to describe this shot. It was a very special moment: the wind was so cold that each drop of water coming into the boat (or on the camera...) became ice in few minutes. This is the North Atlantic and you have to manage to get the best of it, you can not give up when facing this situation.

Hunter

Night life

For a photographer, there is not that much time to sleep in Northern Norway: when the night is setting down, the northern lights are showing up. Watching this phenomena along the calm fjords of Norway is something that we can not describe, so it is simply impossible to go to sleep while the lights are dancing above your head.

Sunset or sunrise

Orca off the Norwegian coast

A symbol

It is still hard to believe that some people admit that keeping these animals in captivity is a good thing. Killer whales and other marine mammals should not be kept in a tank. The good thing is that more and more people are aware of this: things will change!

Playing time

A group of orcas just ended a hunt of a large school of herrings. For almost an hour, the group of 50+ killer whales was playing around the boat. These social moments are important for the structure and so for the well-being of the group.

Fragile

Predators but fragile: like many other species, killer whales are dependant of the status of their environment. They need preys to feed on and also good environmental conditions. Orcas use underwater sounds to communicate together and to hunt. Without enough preys and too much underwater noise generated by human activities, it is hard to be an orca! Killer whales or North Atlantic are still poorly known compared to other populations. We can hope that our knowledge will help us to protect this great predator (and to stop to put them in tanks!)

Time

The light is going down quickly but some reflects on the fins are beautiful. Endless moments.

Moment

Being alone with several dozen of orcas, few humpback whales and also fin whales is something very unique, especially when the orcas are actually looking at you when you are watching them hunting their preys... It was freezing cold but whatever, the whales were here. Engines are off, and it seems that the whales don´t care anymore about the tiny boat.

Blowing

Male Orca

Teaching

A female orca, with most probably its calf are having a look around... There are no words to describe this moment - even if you saw it 10 or 100 times... Nature has definitely a strong power to show you amazing moments and you can not deny it!

Male Orca

One more picture of a "fin" with a great memory. Alone on the water with 80+ orca is something very special. I could spend hours with different groups watching each hunts they managed on the schools on herring. Such a special moment to watch orcas, humpback and also fin whales interacting in the Norwegian fjords.

Wild feast

Herring hunt close to the shore.

Wilderness

Wild Norway

Cold landscape

Even with the absence of light, the wild coast of Northern Norway is impressive. Strong winds from the North #Sea and the #Arctic Sea had been digging this landscape for thousands of years. Between two winter #storms, the calmness is back in the fjord.