Every whale tour from Tromsø chases the same thing: the herring shoals around Skjervøy that draw orcas and humpback whales into the fjords from mid-October to the end of January. What differs — enormously — is the boat you chase them on. Broadly, you are choosing between three vessels: a catamaran (including Brim Explorer’s silent hybrid-electric boats), a small open RIB, or a large heated ship with an all-inclusive format.
Two travel formats — as important as the boat
Before the boat type, understand the split that actually shapes your day. Format 1: entirely by boat from Tromsø. The catamarans and the heated ship leave from the Tromsø waterfront and sail the whole way to the whale grounds — an 8–9-hour day with a civilised morning start (the Polar Adventures ship departs Front Pier at 08:00, Arctic Resorts’ high-speed catamaran leaves from the Rødne quay). Format 2: bus to Skjervøy, RIB from there. The RIB safaris skip the long sailing legs: an early bus — 05:00 from the Scandic Ishavshotel (Arctic Adventure Tours) or 05:20 from Prostneset (Green Gold of Norway) — drives you the ~100 km to Skjervøy, and the small open boat launches right at the herring grounds. That trade is the whole comparison in one sentence: a later start and a warm boat all day, versus a 5 am alarm, a ~12-hour day and the most time closest to the whales.
The short version
€196–234High-speed catamaran (€196) and all-inclusive heated ship (€234)
€299–318RIB safaris — the top of the range
≈3 hTime at sea on the Skjervøy RIBs — inside a ~12-hour day with a 5 am bus
8–9 hA full catamaran or ship day, entirely by boat from Tromsø
Side by side
|
Catamaran |
RIB |
Heated ship |
| Getting there |
Entirely by boat from Tromsø |
Bus at 05:00–05:20 to Skjervøy, RIB from there |
Entirely by boat from Tromsø (Front Pier, 08:00) |
| Price |
Lower — €196 (high-speed cat), live prices below |
Highest (€299–318) |
Middle (€234), all-inclusive with lunch |
| Closeness to the whales |
Good — hybrid-electric boats approach almost silently |
Maximum — small open boat at water level |
Good, from a higher deck |
| Warmth |
Heated panorama lounges |
Open boat — thermal suits, Arctic wind chill |
Heated throughout |
| Seasickness risk |
Lower — larger, steadier hull |
Highest — you feel every wave |
Lower — largest vessel |
| Day length |
8 h (Arctic Resorts) to 8–9 h (Brim Explorer) |
~12 h incl. bus transfer, of which ~3 h at sea |
8 h, departing 08:00 |
| Who can come |
The family-friendly pick |
Min. height 140 cm on both; from age 14 (Arctic Adventure Tours); max. 120 kg (Green Gold of Norway) |
Family-friendly, most space — but not open to guests over 70 |
The case for the catamaran
Two very different catamarans compete here. Brim Explorer runs hybrid-electric boats: on electric power the boat closes in on the whales almost silently, and between whale stops you sit in warm panorama lounges instead of standing in the wind — 8–9 hours, Tromsø return. One more honesty point in its favour: if weather makes the whale grounds unreachable, Brim converts the trip into a fjord cruise rather than pretending otherwise.
Arctic Resorts answers with speed: its high-speed catamaran (€196, from the Rødne quay in Tromsø) compresses the transfer to about 2¾ hours each way and spends roughly 2.5 hours in the whale grounds, inside an 8-hour day — all of it with a warm lounge and panorama windows to retreat to. Two extras stand out in this comparison: a second-chance guarantee for days without sightings (another try, not a promise of whales), and guiding that is also offered in German.
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Good fit if…
…you want warmth and the whole trip by boat from Tromsø, you are travelling with kids, your budget matters, or you value a safety net like Arctic Resorts’ second-chance guarantee — all without the physical toll of an open boat.
The case for the RIB
The RIB safaris skip the long sailing legs entirely: an early bus takes you to Skjervøy, roughly 100 km northeast of Tromsø, and the small open boat launches right at the herring grounds. The result is about 3 hours at sea — the most whale time of any tour type here — at water level, with nothing between you and the animals. Two verified operators run this format: Arctic Adventure Tours (€299) sails an open 10-metre RIB, with the bus leaving the Scandic Ishavshotel at 05:00; Green Gold of Norway (€318) caps its RIB at 12 guests, departs Prostneset at 05:20 and includes photos from the trip plus access to an orca documentary. Both offer free cancellation up to 24 hours.
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Not ideal if…
…you are prone to seasickness (a RIB feels every wave), you dread the cold (it is an open boat in the polar winter — thermal suits are typically provided, but it is still the most exposed option), or a ~12-hour day starting with a 5 am bus sounds like too much. Mind the limits, too: minimum height 140 cm on both boats, minimum age 14 with Arctic Adventure Tours, maximum body weight 120 kg with Green Gold of Norway. The RIB is the most intense option — that is its selling point and its price.
The third option: the big heated ship
Between the two sits Polar Adventures’ all-inclusive cruise (€234): a heated ship capped at 50 passengers, with an indoor lounge and outdoor viewing decks, departing Tromsø’s Front Pier at a civilised 08:00 for an 8-hour day — lunch included, the whole trip by boat. You give up the RIB’s intensity and the hybrid catamaran’s silent approach — in exchange for the easiest day of the three. One restriction: the tour is not open to guests over 70.
One thing no boat changes
No boat type buys you a guarantee. Orcas and humpbacks follow the herring, and every operator — catamaran, RIB or ship — is searching for the same shoals on the same days. In season, sightings are likely on all three. On a bad day, they are missed by all three. Pick the boat for the experience you want on the water, not for a promise nobody can keep.
