Incredible Footage Captures a Diver Casually Swimming Along With 50 Orcas Underwater
The undersea world brims with life spectacularly interconnected. To get a glimpse of the wonders beneath the surface, a diver found himself floating with 50 orcas in Norway. The endeavor, brilliantly captured, revealed breathtaking scenes of underwater activity as fishing boats lined up attracting the killer whales to feast on herrings. It was a moment worth cherishing for the diver as he’d traveled far and wide to witness the spectacle and shared it with the world by posting it on the YouTube channel, Subimagery Production Sarl (@DiderNoirot).
The diver, Didier Noirot, a nature film photographer, had traveled 4,000 kilometers from France to Norway in a bid to watch the orcas and whales feed on small fish, according to the video’s description. Upon reaching, he then met up with a few of his friends in Skjervoy in northern Norway before sailing out on a boat crossing the fjords to make his mission possible. Noirot said he precisely picked the month of November since it is an ideal time to spot a large number of orcas as they feed on herrings escaped from fishing nets, per Newsweek.
He left his home country by van to reach the location in Norway. The diver said, "It is an 8,000 kilometers round trip from where I live in France...Six days travel one way...Once in Skjervoy, I rented a 46-foot sailboat...and sailed to look for orcas in the fjords. To help me, I asked three friends to join me for the trip." The beautifully captured video shows the orcas swarming up near the fishing boats, swallowing fish, and jumping out of water. Occasionally, a humpback was seen floating in between the group of orcas. It was rather overwhelming to see the rare sight of 50 orcas swimming so close together with several dorsal fins jutting out of the water.
Hundreds of seagulls flocked to the spot near the fishing boats in hopes of joining in on the feeding frenzy. The orcas surrounded the boats underwater, with their mesmerizing black and white patterns glistening in the turquoise blue. At one point, the video closed up on an orca, the only toothed whale species, swallowing a fish from under the boat. Noirot ended the video with a concluding note about prohibited diving activity around fishing boats at present. Naturally, the clip was a massive hit online, attracting over 270,000 views and dozens of comments from intrigued netizens.
One person (@Bigfishfun333) marked the moment with a thoughtful note, “The mass of birds, plus the mass of Orcas, plus the mass of gigantic whales....you won't see this much life even in a zoo, or inside a public aquarium! Wow.” Another (@UseADamnCoaster) echoed, “Humpbacks and orcas are some of the most amazing and gorgeous cetaceans we're fortunate to share the planet with.” Most of the people were very impressed by the creator’s feat and lauded him with elaborate notes of appreciation and love.
“Dear lord, I've never seen so many orcas together..it's like a dream ..look they open their mouth the fish just float in ..incredible to see,” wrote someone else (@pattimiller9157). Some users admitted that the mesmerizing scenes actually brought them to tears too. Orcas, as precious as they seem, are incredibly threatened due water pollution and increased fishing activities. About 3,000 orcas thrive in the Norwegian and Barents Sea and are sighted typically between November and January.
You can follow @DidierNoirot on YouTube for more videos.