Sperm whales of the Bleik canyon, Andenes
Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) — resident bachelor males; minke, humpback, orca, pilot whale in summer; harbour porpoise. Andenes / Bleik, Andøya (Vesterålen), Norway.
Best time: 1 Jun – 31 Aug (June to August). Where: Andenes harbour – whale centre and boat departures, Bleik – Bleiksøya boat trips, Stø (Langøya) (Norway). Time of day: Day trips sail from about 09:00 (2–5 h.
- Guide, ranger or boat needed
- Paid trip only
- Binoculars helpful
- Sound 4/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 1 Jun – 31 Aug. June to August (midnight-sun trips); males present year-round, winter trips run mid Jan–April in the right weather
Active from 15 May to 15 Sep (May to September) in a typical year.
Time of day
Day trips sail from about 09:00 (2–5 h; check the operator); midnight-sun sailings around 22:00–02:00 in June–July are the calmest. The engine-off listening stops are the window.
- Day trips: 09:00 → 14:00
- Midnight-sun trips: 22:00 → 02:00
What will you hear?
With a hydrophone: sperm whale click trains and creaks from 1,000 m down (the operators locate whales acoustically), occasional codas; above water, the explosive blow every 10–15 s at the surface and the tail-fluke dive; fulmars and gannets around the boat.
Binoculars?
Binoculars helpful. Sperm whales blow at the surface beside the boat; binoculars help find the first blow, the hydrophone is the event.
Where to go
- Andenes harbour – whale centre and boat departures — Whale-watching boats have sailed from here since 1989 and there is a whale museum at the harbour; the boats use hydrophones to find whales — ask to listen. Map
- Bleik – Bleiksøya boat trips — Small boats from Bleik village; puffin island on the way; the canyon edge is 10 km offshore. Map
- Stø (Langøya) — Alternative departure from Vesterålen's north tip, fewer boats. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
The canyon is 10 km offshore — boat only. The hydrophone-guided whale-watching boats from Andenes (sailing since 1989) and the small boats from Bleik and Stø; ask before boarding about listening on the boats' hydrophones or dropping your own at the drift stops.
Cost: Whale-watching trips from Andenes from about NOK 1,700 adult (2026); check current prices.
Free or no-guide alternative: No free way to the sperm whales — they are over deep water far out. The Andenes breakwater and lighthouse give harbour porpoises and, rarely, a distant blow; nothing to plan a trip on.
Field-recording notes
The Bleik canyon brings 1,000 m water within an hour of the harbour, which is why sperm whales are reliable here (90%+ success). Clicks are recorded through the operators' hydrophones or your own on a long cable at a drift stop — ask before boarding; the boats stop engines to listen, which is your window. Weather cancels often; keep flexible days. The Andøya rocket range and air station produce occasional jets. Norwegian whale-watching guidelines (distance, approach angle, time-on-whale) are followed by the Andenes operators; sperm whales at the surface are recovering from a dive and are easily driven down by engine noise.
Sources
Similar spectacles
Fin whales & sperm whales off the Côte d'AzurWith a hydrophone: sperm whale clicks and codas, striped dolphin whistles and the shipping lane behind. Fin whale 20 Hz pulses need a hydrophone with real LF extension.
Fin whales & sperm whales, Pelagos SanctuaryWith a hydrophone: sperm whale clicks and codas, dolphin whistles. Fin whale calls are infrasonic (about 20 Hz) and need a suitable hydrophone.
Conkouati-Douli: humpback whales and leatherback nestingBlows and breaches from the beach, humpback song on a hydrophone from a drifting pirogue, and at night the digging and heavy breathing of a leatherback on a wild beach with no lights for 50 km; chimpanzees pant-hooting from the lagoon islands at dawn.
Harbour porpoises in the Little BeltPorpoises are silent to the ear (their clicks are at 130 kHz) — a hydrophone with a wideband recorder gets the click trains; audibly, the sharp puff of a surfacing blow a few metres off the rocks at Røjle Klint, and the Old Little Belt Bridge traffic.
Bottlenose dolphins from the shoreWith a hydrophone: whistles, clicks, and burst pulses. Above water: blows and splashes very close to shore.
Baie de Somme: harbour seals & wader roostsSeal pups bawling and adults grunting from the sandbanks at 300 m, oystercatcher and curlew roosts, and spoonbills clattering in the Marquenterre heronry.
More: all spectacles in Norway · sperm whales · whales, dolphins and seals · Norway in June · Norway in July · Norway in August