As most of you know, we are quite used to seeing orcas, but this is the first time we get to see them summer time. Also quite special to find them outside my hometown of Stavanger! On Saturday last week we ventured offshore in the calm weather to look for basking shark and pilot whales. When I saw seagulls on the horizon, I had hopes for something big pushing prey to the surface. And sure enough, there was something big […]
A 2 minutes video from the 2016/17 orca expedition, put together by CNN Greatt Big Story. Great edit and outreach, with over 4 million views in social media to date. Enjoy!
A video summary from spending three weeks in Senja Norway with Barba, the winter of 2016. For the background story, see previous blog posts from the expedition.
It was the second day of the Barba whale expedition in Hamn, Senja. The birds were flying next to a small cove in large numbers, and we could see the distinct orca dorsal fins slicing through the water. Tony and myself were approaching in the dinghy, wearing our wetsuits. Action time. The dinghy, used for quick and easy access as well as to venture into shallow waters. Although we had seen numerous humpbacks and orcas the previous day, we had […]
It has been somewhat silent on the Barba blog lately. Following 112 days out at sea we were all rather pleased to return to normal life following a couple of weeks of acclimatization. The Barba spirit remains intact, and we have been working behind the scenes with the aftermath from our greatest expedition to date. 50 000 photos or so have been sorted, with some being sent to magazines, sponsors whereas other have been hand picked for storytelling purposes in […]
Barba Stetind from Andreas B. Heide on Vimeo.
Yesterday marked 100 days living aboard Barba. 100 days that we’ve been co-habitating in a space about the size of a college dorm room. It’s been five of us for most of that time. And since our arrival back in Hammerfest (when Ivan left for home), four. It’s safe to say we know one another’s ways a bit by now, including whose socks and underwear those are drying next to the engine heater and who prefers what for breakfast (cinnamon […]
From the arctic adventure of the sailing yacht Barba - www.barba.np
It´s Sunday in Ny-Ålesund, and Barba is getting ready to sail out after one night in port here. Up until now, our Svalbard journey has been a rather comfortable one. We have visited the three main settlements on the island, namely Longyearbyen, Barentsburg and Ny-Ålesund. Each place has offered the comforts we usually take for granted. Internet, stores, sauna and the opportunity to meet with interesting men and women with stories to tell from the Arctic outposts.
Cruising in Stavanger from Andreas B. Heide on Vimeo.
This video was shot during an autumn sailing trip in the Stavanger region in southern Norway. It features the sail boat Barba and her crew on a typical adventure, exploring nature and interacting with the elements in spectacular surrounds. The journey began in the Kvitsøy archipelago with seal encounters and diving. Then we set off into the legendary Lysefjord, where we climbed the Flørli stairs and later completed a successful paraglider flight off one of the best-known landmarks in Norway, […]
Snorkling with Orcas from Andreas B. Heide on Vimeo.
Back in February, Terry Ward and I decided to take a little Barba reconnaissance mission to Vesterålen in Northern Norway. The goal was to learn as much as we possibly could about swimming orcas. Herrings the number into the millions gather in the area during the early winter months, and that in turn draws the attention of just about the entire orca population of Norway. Fin whales, humpbacks and other whale species also show up for the feast. As the […]
Barba-Easter-2014 from Andreas B. Heide on Vimeo.
A video from our easter sail of 2014. Presented by sailor and Barba enthusiast Mr. Martin Svangtun.