MS Mårøy

Join Orca Norway & Strmsholmen Seasportcenter's 6 day orca expeditions aboard an equipped liveaboard boat for up to 16 divers, MS Mårøy.

The trips embark from Skjervöy. Orca Norway offers pick-up service from Scandic Ishavshotel in Troms city to the boat in Skjervöy.

Dive Overview

The trips main focus is observing and swimming with orcas (killer whales). Theres estimated 1,500 orcas in Norwegian waters and hundreds of them come to northern Norways fjords between late October and early February following the herring migration.

Orcas in Norway are of the North Atlantic Type 1 ecotype, living in closely related pods and sometimes observed in aggregations of hundreds strong. They employ the so-called carousel feeding technique, where they herd herring into dense balls, then slap them with their tails to stun the fish and proceed eating them one-by-one. These fjords also get visited by great numbers of humpback whales, preying on herring using the lunge feeding technique, a true spectacle to be witnessed top-side.

Learn more about Norway here.

Accommodation Overview

The MS Mårøy features seven double cabins, each accommodating two guests in a comfortable setting. Three single cabins provide private accommodations for solo travelers. All guests share access to two toilets and four showers, ensuring convenience during the journey.

Dive Information

Orca Trips

Every year from the end of October to medio January, the probably largest gathering of killing whales in the world take place in Troms region, far north of Norway, due to enormous amounts of herring.

Sometimes as many as 50-60 orcas and humpback whales can be observed at the same time. We follow the orcas closely to watch them play and feed. When possible, we enter the water and swim with them. To be with these magnificent animals in their own habitat is an experience for life.

USEA -Undersea Soft Encounter Alliance - Academy

Supported by scientists working in the field of marine biology. USEA is a network for every divers, diving centers and operators choosing the way of soft encounters to interact with marine mammals and who first care about the respect of the wellbeing and the wild nature of marine mammals.

We operate from well equipped liveaboard boats with compressor, tanks and weights.

Opportunity to do scuba diving in the evenings in the bay (not with orcas) for well certified divers only. The divers need to have 30 dives with dry-suit before coming.