A LECTURER from Kendal College co-led a three-week ocean research trip above the Arctic Circle to study orca and humpback whale behaviour. 

Sarah Neill teaches Marine Biology at Kendal College. She co-led the 'Sea Women Expeditions' (SWX) team with Susan R. Eaton. The team observed orcas and other whales in northern Norway to record data on their behaviour and communication from the 46.5-metre MV Vestland Explorer. 

The Westmorland Gazette: Sarah driving the zodiac about to a snorkelling spot. Credit: Waterproof Sarah driving the zodiac about to a snorkelling spot. Credit: Waterproof (Image: Waterproof)

They also collected environmental data to study the effects of climate change on marine mammals. The 34-member group was comprised of women, non-binary people, and indigenous two-spirit members. Two-spirit is a way to describe the third-gender role some indigenous north Americans play within their cultures.

The trip took the group 350 kilometres above the Arctic Circle in the northern Norwegian fjords. The SWX team snorkelled with orcas and humpback whales to collect observational behavioural data and biological and environmental data about the warming arctic environment. This work will be published in scientific and academic journals, and included women who are experts in marine biology, master scuba divers, lawyers, polar explorers and professional writers.

This has been a dream for Sarah, who lives in Grange, for a number of years.

"I fell in love with the sea at a very young age and everything that lived in it, I found it so mysterious, especially the deep sea, and this fascination has never really gone away," she said.

The Westmorland Gazette: Sarah co-led the team. Credit: Sarah's teammate Ashley Bugge Sarah co-led the team. Credit: Sarah's teammate Ashley Bugge (Image: Ashley Bugge)

"I saw an advert for an expedition to the Arctic and never dreamed I'd actually get a call-back.

"It's my lifelong dream to travel to the Arctic. When I see whales and dolphins in the wild, it feels like a rollercoaster - I've loved it since I was a kid,

"Actually being on the water with them will be amazing. I can't wait."

The Westmorland Gazette: Killer whale diving to the ocean floor. Credit: Sarah Neill Killer whale diving to the ocean floor. Credit: Sarah Neill (Image: Sarah Neill)

More companies have offered trips to the Arctic and the chance to swim with killer whales - but it is unknown what this is doing to their natural environment.

Shortly before she set off on the expedition, she told Polar Journal: "The impacts of snorkelling with free-ranging killer whales are understudied, there's a need to add to baseline data to document this snorkelling with orcas in order to better inform management policies and ensure the sustainability of these ecotourism ventures."