ÃÀ¼§ÉçÇø

What an incredible experience with access to orcas like you will never get anywhere else. Do be flexible with the weather and how often you get out on the water. Safety first. But on land, there's so much to do. It's so beautiful. I'd go back in a heartbeat. And the team of all female scientists from all over the world was top-notch. Plus the house came with a free part-time house cat to keep us company."

ÃÀ¼§ÉçÇø and the Icelandic Orca Project, led by Dr. Filipa Samarra, provided an amazing, unique, meaningful, and really satisfying experience to all the volunteers. Based on the island of Heimaey off the southern coast of Iceland, Heimaey itself has a fascinating history that, with our free time to hike, provided amazing views of the lava flows that covered a significant portion of the island with the eruption in 1973. As weather allowed, traversing this archipelago in a zodiac and paralleling Orca pods for photo identification, acoustic recordings, and research provided a sensitive and compelling experience for viewing these amazing marine mammals. Part of the time, a team would also be based on a highly inspiring promontory with high-powered scopes to search out Orca pods or pilot whales and help guide the research craft to their locations. Similarly, team members in a lab would also review photos taken to identify pod members and classify sound recordings of the Orcas as well. Shared housing for the ÃÀ¼§ÉçÇø team was in a home in a small town where we all shared cooking duties, often followed by educational presentations by Filipa’s team members. The inspiring views and history, interaction with wildlife in a unique way, and the opportunity to meet a great combination of ÃÀ¼§ÉçÇø volunteers with a shared belief and commitment to the environment made this an amazing ÃÀ¼§ÉçÇø expedition. Just know you need to be comfortable in small boat travel on the open ocean and plan knowing you will be, at times, working in exposed natural conditions.

This trip is an amazing experience. Do not be fooled. Read the briefing notes carefully, as your experience is exactly what it says on the tin. You work alongside fellow expeditionists and the scientists on their projects. The accommodation is comfortable but basic. The weather will probably mean most of the time you are office-bound. If you have no scientific experience, you may well have to acclimatize to situations well out of your comfort zone. Full training is given but tasks are not always easy and it can be pressured if there is a lot of activity and you may wonder what you are actually contributing. If you can adapt to that or are willing to try, this trip will challenge you and will inspire you. It did me. The scientists are very knowledgeable and kind and patient in sharing that. Land and water stations work together to maximize the chances of seeing orcas. There are no guarantees. Organization can be haphazard at times so be prepared. A relaxing holiday it is not. But it is one you will never forget. I did see orca- twice on the boat and several times from the land station. The experience of these beautiful animals in the wild is both humbling and awe-inspiring. The knowledge and experience I have had has not satisfied my love of orca but has inspired me to go further, do more and learn more to build from this experience both for myself, my family and anyone who comes into my sphere of orbit.