Eight Hours to Skjervoy and Back

Before you board

Check-in happens at the operator's own office, which sits on the front pier, and the instruction is to be there twenty minutes before the 08:00 departure. That is not padding either. Fifty people have to be checked in, briefed and fitted with thermal suits before a boat can leave on time, and a boat that leaves late arrives late at the only part of the day that matters.

Getting to the pier is your own responsibility. There is no pickup from accommodation, and in a Tromso winter at half past seven in the morning that means allowing for ice underfoot and for the fact that the walk always takes longer than the map claims.

Eat before you board. There are hot drinks and snacks on the boat through the day, but starting an eight-hour sea crossing on an empty stomach is a decision people regret somewhere around the second hour.

North, for two and a half hours

The boat leaves Tromso and heads north-east, and the first leg is a long one. Two and a half hours of Arctic coastline is not a hardship, but it is worth knowing in advance that the whales are not in the first hour.

This is the part of the day where the geography makes sense. You pass mountain walls dropping straight into the sea, small settlements clinging to the shore, and fishing boats working the same water for the same reason you are out there. In midwinter the light comes up slowly into a long blue twilight as you go.

It is also the time to sort yourself out. Get the suit on properly rather than heroically late, work out where the heated lounge is and where the sheltered outdoor corners are, and find out from the crew which side of the boat they expect to be working.

The whale area

The destination is the water around Skjervoy, north-east of Tromso, which is where the herring currently overwinters and therefore where the whales currently are.

The operator's stated aim is to be first into that area and to stay there for around two hours or more rather than turning for home early. Both halves of that matter. Being first means arriving before a dozen other hulls have moved through the same water, and staying long means being present when something starts rather than hoping to catch it in a thirty-minute window.

What happens then is not on a schedule. The crew look for birds and for disturbed water, talk to other boats, and position rather than chase. When they find something, the engines come down and the boat sits with it. Sightings can be brief or they can run for an hour, and no two days are the same.

The open deck, where most of the day happens

What is on board

A thermal suit is issued to everyone, along with safety gear, and it is the single most important item of the day. Standing still on an open deck in a wind at sea takes heat out of a person startlingly fast, and the suit is what makes staying outside for hours possible rather than a test of character.

Inside there is a heated lounge to warm up in, and people cycle between the deck and the lounge all day. There are toilets, and there is USB charging, which is less trivial than it sounds: cold flattens phone batteries quickly and a dead camera at the wrong moment is a genuine loss.

Hot drinks, water, snacks and food are provided through the day. What is not provided is transport to and from the meeting point.

Bring your own warm layers under the suit, proper gloves, a hat and warm boots. The suit handles wind and spray. It does not fix inadequate footwear.

The way back, and the rest of your day

The return leg is another two and a half hours, and most people spend a good part of it indoors and quiet. It has its own quality, particularly in the deep season when the sky does whatever it does in the afternoon and there is a real chance of aurora on a clear evening before you are back alongside.

Plan the rest of the day loosely. An eight-hour trip that depends on wildlife and weather is not something to schedule a flight against, and the standard advice from anyone who has run these boats is to leave the evening free.

The trip is weather-dependent and can be cancelled or moved for safety, with a refund if that happens. It can also be cancelled if too few people book. Neither is common, and both are better than the alternative.

Who this day does not suit

The operator is direct about this and it is worth reading before booking rather than after.

It does not suit children under four, wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments, anyone recovering from recent surgery, or anyone strongly prone to seasickness or motion sickness. Guests over seventy are also listed as unsuited.

Strollers, large bags, bikes and pets other than assistance dogs are not carried, and the boat is not a venue for a party group. If you have a mobility concern that is not clear-cut, contacting the operator before booking is better than finding out on the pier.

Before you book

The day, hour by hour

1. Meet on the pier by 07:40

   The operator's office is on the front pier. Check in twenty minutes before departure so the boat can leave on time.

2. Suit up and get oriented

   Thermal suits and safety gear are issued before departure. Find the heated lounge, the toilets and the sheltered spots on deck.

3. Depart at 08:00

   The boat leaves Tromso and heads north-east along the coast. Expect roughly two and a half hours of transit.

4. Arrive in the whale area

   The waters around Skjervoy, where the herring overwinters. The aim is to be the first boat in.

5. Two hours or more with the whales

   Engines down, positioning rather than chasing, watching for birds and disturbed water. Nothing here runs to a timetable.

6. Two and a half hours home

   The return leg south to Tromso, with a real chance of aurora on a clear evening before you are alongside.