Hello Everyone!

 

It’s been a long time… Many people have reached out to me over the past few months, asking for updates on Hvaldimir. So after a couple of weeks of thinking, I visited him a few weeks ago. I owed Hvaldimir and all the people who have helped me in the past to give a proper update.

 

So, here it comes… It will be long, but I hope it is worth everyone’s time to read it.

 

Hvaldimir has been staying in the same area for an extended period of time (since January 2022) around Flatanger kommune. He is using an expansive/vast site to live and explore.

 

On the first day, when I arrived, I found accommodation and once again met the nicest people possible who provided me with housing, a boat, and, most importantly, information about Hvaldimir.

When I arrived, I immediately realized that the location and the whole “set-up” were similar to Kines (Røsvik). (Hvaldimir has spent seven months in the Kines area)

 

This area is also quite secluded. There is a salmon farm close by (within one nautical mile) and a small salmon farm dock (which is closed off from the public) — the same set-up as back in the past.

 

I chatted with the farmers and learned that Hvaldimir spent some time here a couple of months ago. However, they emptied their nets, meaning it was lower activity level (humans and boat movements), so Hvaldimir went on exploring the surrounding fjords. He was away for a few weeks (maybe even one or two months) and returned to his current location roughly three weeks ago.

 

The farm, which Hvaldimir frequents, is still empty. There is no salmon in the rings. However, the farm will fill up again shortly. Some maintenance work is underway; therefore, the catamaran is out almost all day.

I have asked the farmers how life is with Hvaldimir. Does he disturb the activities?

They told me that there are some nuances when he can be in the way of certain activities, but overall it is OK that he is around.

I got the same type of answer multiple times before. There is no drama around the salmon farms.

 

I have spent three days at sea observing Hvaldimir, usually in the morning, no more than 2 hours each time. The salmon farm workers were kind and let me go in the farm dock during the evenings for another 2 hours of observation. At the pier, I had better chances to document his body and any injuries he may have. I will share all these photographs/observation reports with the Fisheries of Norway (Fiskeridirektoratet).

 

On the first day, we found Hvaldimir next to the catamaran. He was following around the boat, which was working around the rings. We observed him from a distance. At some point, I noticed that he left the side of the catamaran, he stayed in the vicinity of the farm (within 500-600 meters), but he was doing his own thing. He was probably feeding and floating on the surface for some time, so I assumed he was also resting. I was happy to see that he left the side of the boat and didn’t stick to it all the time like he used to.

 

I took pictures of his body, teeth, mouth, injuries he may have/had, and everything that could be relevant.

 

Overall, he is in good shape without any significant injuries. I was pleased to see that his teeth/mouth is in pretty much the same condition as it was the last time I saw him (10 months ago). There is no deterioration nor unusual coloration in his mouth. His body condition is also OK; he is not slender and he is in good energy.

 

He has a small rounded wound close to his mouth, but it is a superficial injury that is already healing.

 

I have noticed minor changes on his body since the last time I saw him:

– tiny piece missing from his dorsal ridge

– an already healed but most likely a bigger cut on his head (a scar left)

 

On the second day, when we found Hvaldimir, he got a “new” injury. Another superficial injury on his back (approx 5 cm long). I had taken photos of it being fresh and the following day when it had already started healing. Nothing problematic.

As Hvaldimir interacts with the salmon farm catamaran and sometimes the salmon farm equipment (chains, for example), he often gets minor injuries like this. Wild whales also get skin injuries/marks, mainly because cetaceans have no hands, so they use their mouth/teeth to interact with each other or anything in the sea.

 

During my visit, Hvaldimir caught a live crab (video in the post) and brought it up to the surface.

 

On the third day, when he approached our boat and Hvaldimir opened his mouth, it was full of mud/dirt. It caught me by surprise, but I took a few good photos of it.

 

Having a closer look at the pictures, you can see that the “dirt” in his mouth was most likely mud from the seabed, and he also had a small piece of shell (as it looks like) on his tongue.

Of course, it is possible that this dirt in his mouth could be algae from a chain, what he was interacting with. But usually, when Hvaldimir interacts with chains, you can see a yellow/orange/brownish coloration on his head and rust from the chains inside his mouth. This coloration from the rust is usually placed at the front of his mouth as he grabs the chain but does not swallow it.

 

If you look closely at the pictures, it is obvious that the mud is all over his mouth and at the back of his throat. Hvaldimir has been hunting for different types of flatfish before (also documented in our documentary movie). Flatfish live in the sand/mud at the seabed.

Therefore I got the impression that he may have interacted with something at the bottom and probably swallowed it as well. Hence we could see mud in the back of his throat. The tiny piece on his tongue could have been a shell, a mussel.

 

On the second day of my visit, he visited a small harbor near the farm, where he followed the catamaran the previous day (dropping off workers). There were a small number of people on the dock. I talked to the people about Hvaldimir, what to do and what not to do for the safety of all. Everybody behaved respectfully, and Hvaldimir returned to the farm after maybe 15 minutes.

 

The area is very remote, and people do not really “care” about Hvaldimir’s presence. I have not seen a single boat trying to “hunt down” the whale in a week. Of course, it happens that during his travels, Hvaldimir visits denser, more populated harbors, but he tends to leave busier areas on his own after a short while.

 

In this area, the main attraction is fishing. The tourists are all educated by the locals, whom they rent the boat from. They know what to do if they see Hvaldimir or other whales and how to be safe around them/him.

 

On the last day of my visit, we observed Hvaldimir feeding (swimming in circles and diving for extended periods, up to 12-14 minutes) approximately two nautical miles from the farm. We did not want to disturb him, so we just observed him with a drone and left the area.

We went to do a little sea bed exploration. The area is rich in sealife and all sorts of fish you can find here, so I was curious. The locals told me you could find pollock, redfish, halibut, flunder, seawolf, anglerfish, saithe, cod, mackerel, triglidae, lumpfish, wrasse, haddock, hake, cusk, ling, sea-trout in the area. Based on previous fecal samples, Hvaldimir has been feeding on cod and saithe, for example. You can find both fish here and different types of flatfish, including halibut. I have used my GoPro during our sea bed exploration, and you can see how rich the sea life is in the area. It gives Hvaldimir plenty of opportunities to explore, play, and feed.

 

Overall I think, Hvaldimir is doing quite well. He is not in immediate danger and is left alone by the people to do whatever he wants.

Every evening he rests under the catamaran of the salmon farm. Of course, it is not what wild whales do when it comes to resting. But I think he is pretty smart to use a catamaran for protection when resting. It gives him a safe feeling and also allows him to rest in a more relaxing manner.

This behavior was observed in Canada, exhibited by other average solitary sociable beluga whales by Catherine Kinsman, The Whale Stewardship Project.

 

On the first day in the afternoon (while observing the salmon farm activity from shore), I received a text message from a local saying that someone was swimming with Hvaldimir. I also got a short description of a Norwegian guy with a big beard. I realized that it must have been Sebastian, the director of Team Hvaldimir.

 

I keep informing people about the risks of swimming with Hvaldimir and highly recommend them not to do it for the people and Hvaldimir’s safety. I know Sebastian does the same thing. He doesn’t advise people to swim with Hvaldimir. Although he does it himself since One Whale feels that he needs this type of enrichment from humans.

 

I met Sebastian on my last evening at the salmon farm. We were both looking for Hvaldimir. As he usually spends his evening at the salmon farm dock, we both happened to be there simultaneously. Unfortunately, Hvaldimir was not there. He didn’t return from his afternoon exploration, so I happened to have a conversation with Sebastian.

I think we agreed to disagree, but it was good to talk.

I listened to his reasons why he swims with Hvaldimir regularly. I am 100% sure that his intentions are for the benefit of the whale.

My issue, though, what I have also raised to Sebastian is the consequences.

 

I have heard so many times before, when other members of One Whale organization have been swimming with Hvaldimir, that “I can do it because no one sees me.”

 

Not to mention the recent events regarding Freya the walrus, who was euthanized because she was considered a threat to humans.

First of all, I don’t see what makes the member of this organization different from any other human being who wants to swim with Hvaldimir, who is advised not to.

It is not my biggest concern.

 

My biggest concern is that people see other people (they don’t always know who) having seemingly pleasant in-water interactions with Hvaldimir. We all know and have seen that Hvaldimir can be pushy and agitated in the water towards humans. Especially towards humans, who cannot read the whale’s body language, and early signs of aggression.

What happens if one day, a person (who could be a teenager or an adult) decides to swim with Hvaldimir, and it goes wrong?

And Hvaldimir causes harm to the person. What happens, then?

 

Based on recent events (Freya, the walrus), I think we can assume that Hvaldimir would pay the price with his life for an in-water interaction that ends badly. Then, of course, there will be everyone else to be blamed.

 

He is on his way to larger and larger cities southwards. Due to the number of people, this is a threat because the more people are in one area, the less control we can have over his interactions.

But swimming with him needs to go wrong only one time. That can happen in a remote area, too, anytime. It takes one person who gets scared and doesn’t read his behavior/signs.

 

In light of recent events, it is DISRESPECTFUL towards the whale and IRRESPONSIBLE to enter the water with Hvaldimir. Whoever does it does not have Hvaldimir’s best interest in mind.

You can all think about that.

 

While certain people are trying to improve Hvaldimir’s life (for example, via social interactions), I think the circumstances around him (the country’s values, rules, and regulations) should also be considered.

His life should always be the number one priority.

 

EDUCATION is the best thing we can do to help Hvaldimir’s life and the likelihood of his survival. Educating people (from a distance, you don’t have to stand 24 hours next to the whale) is the best way to improve Hvaldimirs interactions with people and work towards his well-being.

Overall, I was happy to see that he continues proving to the world, for over three years now, that he can survive, feed, and try to live his life as best as he can as a free individual.

He is not suffering nor self-mutilating.

Instead, he goes and tries to keep his daily “pattern/routine” that he has set up for himself and proves every single day that HE CAN DO IT. This is above everyone’s expectations.

 

If you would like to learn more about Hvaldimir, watch our free educational documentary about him by clicking the link below:

 

 

Enjoy!