Swimming With Orcas in Norway

Olivier Morin, a photographer with Agence France-Presse, recently visited northern Norway to spend some time whale-watching and swimming in a frigid fjord with a group of orcas as they hunted for herring. The Reisafjorden region near the city of Tromso remains a “winter playground” for these whales, even as they are pushed farther north every year because warming waters force the herring ever northward in search of spawning areas that are the right temperature—37 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius). Although the orca population in the region is thriving at the moment, Norwegian authorities are considering some regulations to further protect the whales.

Read more
Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

Most Recent

  • Xinyu Cui / Getty
    • In Focus
    • 12:30 AM ET
    • 35 Photos

    Photos of the Week: Giant Penguin, Forest Tower, Glacier Battlefield

    A hydrofoil water taxi in Paris, the Rugby World Cup in Japan, a cyclocross challenge in England, Independence Day celebrations in Mexico, protests in Ecuador and Honduras, a whale rescue in Argentina, and much more.

  • Joe Raedle / Getty
    • In Focus
    • Sep 18, 2019
    • 28 Photos

    The Impact of Climate Change on Kivalina, Alaska

    The small village of Kivalina is threatened on several fronts by a warming Arctic climate, as the ground it sits on erodes, and the animals the villagers rely on become more difficult to hunt.

  • Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP / Getty
    • In Focus
    • Sep 17, 2019
    • 26 Photos

    Devastated by Dorian: Photos From the Bahamas

    Recent images of the hard-hit islands of the Abacos and Grand Bahama, as residents receive aid, recover what they can, and contemplate their next steps

  • Ulet Ifansasti / Getty
    • In Focus
    • Sep 16, 2019
    • 21 Photos

    Fires in Indonesia Blanket Islands and Cities in Smog

    Thick clouds of smoke and haze are blanketing much of Southeast Asia, due to largely illegal efforts to burn thousands of acres to clear land for farms and palm-oil plantations.

Most Popular on The Atlantic

  1. WeWork and the Great Unicorn Delusion
  2. Why Andrew Yang Matters
  3. A Secret 1950s Strategy to Keep Out Black Students
  4. The Real Danger of Booze-Making Gut Bacteria
  5. Why Some People Become Lifelong Readers
  6. When the Culture War Comes for the Kids
  7. The Question Posed by Trump’s Phone Call
  8. Greta Thunberg Is Right to Panic
  9. The Quiet Disappearance of Birds in North America
  10. A Step Toward Blowing Up the Presidential-Voting System
Back to Top