ORCA Cruises
As part of an offical partnership, Fred. Olsen are proud to be working with marine wildlife charity ORCA, who will be sending teams of volunteers on a selection of Fred. Olsen sailings.
The conservationist team's objective will be to locate whales and dolphins, observe their behaviours, and to provide guests with a unique experience, offering you the opportunity to take an active role in marine science and conservation. The cruises will also enable ORCA to collect vital data on the species and numbers of marine life sighted and identify wildlife hotspots, feeding directly into the charity’s Cruise Conservationist Programme and its conservation work.
Pop along to one of their guest lectures, or find them on deck to ask them any questions you may have. With the help of ORCA, you may be lucky enough to spot several whale and dolphin species, whilst learning more about ORCA's conservation efforts.
As part of an offical partnership, Fred. Olsen are proud to be working with marine wildlife charity ORCA, who will be sending teams of volunteers on a selection of Fred. Olsen sailings. [ReadMoreMob]
The conservationist team's objective will be to locate whales and dolphins, observe their behaviours, and to provide guests with a unique experience, offering them the opportunity to take an active role in marine science and conservation. The cruises will also enable ORCA to collect vital data on the species and numbers of marine life sighted and identify wildlife hotspots, feeding directly into the charity’s Cruise Conservationist Programme and its conservation work.
Pop along to one of their guest lectures, or find them on deck to ask them any questions you may have. With the help of ORCA, you may be lucky enough to spot several mesmerising whale and dolphin species, all whilst learning more about ORCA's conservation efforts.
19 Ocean Cruises
Natural Wonders & Wildlife of the Azores & Madeira • T2425
Save to favourites- Relax in the soothing Hot Springs in the Furnas Valley
- Spot marine life from the decks of Bolette with ORCA conservationists
- View the stunning Crater Lakes of Sete Cidades
In Search of the Northern Lights • L2433
Save to favourites- Take the opportunity to see the magical Northern Lights in Alta
- See coastal scenery as Balmoral sails past the Seven Sisters mountain range
- Visit a husky yard to learn about local cultures and traditions
In Search of the Northern Lights • L2434
Save to favourites- Have the chance to see the Northern Lights in Alta
- Connect with the Sámi people and learn of their cultures
- Experience a train journey through Arctic landscapes
In Search of the Northern Lights • L2435
Save to favourites- Have the chance to spot the Northern Lights in Alta and from Balmoral
- Experience crossing the Arctic Circle and the ceremony held on board
- Spend time with a Sámi community and learn of local traditions
Easter Escape to Portugal's Unspoilt Islands • L2505
Save to favourites- Discover the legend of Sete Cidades crater lakes on Sao Miguel Island
- Embrace Portuguese traditions, like thermal bathing in Furnas Valley
- Spot a variety of marine life from Balmoral with wildlife charity ORCA
Scenic Scottish Isles in Five Nights • T2508
Save to favourites- Explore the rugged coastlines of the Hebridean Islands
- Discover the traditions of the Western Isles
- Get closer to nature with the help of ORCA
Scenic Isles of Scotland • S2512
Save to favourites- Sail past the Small Isles and along picturesque Loch Hourn
- Immerse yourself in Scottish traditions, like Ceilidh dancing & whisky
- Spot seabirds, dolphins, and whales from the decks of Borealis
Exploring Iceland in Eight Nights • S2513
Save to favourites- Discover Iceland's explosive geysirs and majestic waterfalls
- Immerse yourself in Icelandic culture like bathing in hot springs
- Cruise Eyjafjörður, home to many cetaceans and bird species
Wildlife & Culture of the Scenic Scottish Isles • L2509
Save to favourites- Explore the Scottish islands of Stornoway and Kirkwall
- Uncover traditions like Ceilidh dancing, cheese, fudge, and whisky
- Scenic cruise past the intriguing basalt columns of Fingals Cave
Scenic Scottish Isles in Five Nights • T2510
Save to favourites- Explore Stornoway and Tórshavn in just five nights
- Embrace Gaelic traditions like Ceilidh dancing or Harris Tweed
- Scenic cruise past the intriguing Fingal's Cave and Bac Mòr
Showing 1 - 10 cruises
Anna Bunney - Head of Education
Anna is the Head of Education for ORCA, and is responsible for coordinating the wide breadth of ORCA’s education and outreach activities. Although Anna’s day-to-day job varies considerably, her main responsibilities include developing and delivering all of ORCA’s training courses. These courses train members of the public to become citizen scientists, whether by training them to take part in ORCA’s dedicated ferry-based surveys, or by monitoring their local seas by using the OceanWatchers app.
Anna also manages our worldwide seafarer’s education programmes, which includes ship strike mitigation training. This work has led Anna to also lead on our exciting ship strike mitigation research projects in the Bay of Biscay and Alaska, helping us to understand how whales react to vessels so that we can provide appropriate advice to bridge crews on how to avoid this threat.
Anna studied Geography at university, where she focussed on wildlife conservation. Since then, Anna has worked for a variety of terrestrial and marine conservation charities in the UK, before landing her dream job at ORCA 9 years ago.
Anna has a huge amount of experience at sea, having travelled all around the world; from the UK and Europe to Alaska to Antarctica to deliver educational activities on board and collect vital data on whales, dolphins and porpoises encountered.
Steve Jones - Head of Partnerships
Steve is Director of Operations & Fundraising at ORCA, one of the UK's leading whale and dolphin charities. ORCA work with the cruise industry to identify important whale and dolphin hotspots around the world, collecting vital scientific data that is used to establish protected areas and safeguard these animals for future generations.
Steve started working for ORCA in 2017, but his passion for the ocean goes back to being a five year old insisting he was going to be a marine biologist! His work involves developing partnerships across the shipping industry, showing companies the changes that they can make to help protect whales and dolphins. Steve is also a keen photographer and a movie buff, so if you run out of whale and dolphin questions you can always chat movie trivia or compare camera techniques instead!
Kate Weston - Ocean Conservationist Coordinator
Kate is an Ocean Conservationist for ORCA, a whale and dolphin conservation charity. Kate’s fascination with dolphins began on holidays to West Wales, where she would sit on seawalls waiting for dolphins to appear. She has a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology and an MSc in Environmental Biology. She has worked in conservation worldwide, studying turtles in Mexico and Cape Verde and bottlenose dolphins in Wales, Florida and Australia.
In 2018 Kate began working for ORCA as a Wildlife Officer in the Bay of Biscay and later became an Ocean Conservationist travelling to places like Spain, Iceland, Portugal, the Canary Islands, and Norway. Kate is passionate about chatting to people about the issues faced by whales and dolphins, and ways in which we can help them. Come and find her out on deck, join her at a lecture or she’d love to grab a cup of coffee and swap whale tales! In her spare time, Kate enjoys photography, scuba diving, and going to musicals. But her favourite way to spend time is out at sea looking for whales and dolphins so wrap up warm and she’d love to see you out on deck!
