Florian Stefan Schmidt

Expedition

Whale Sonic

Expedition

Whale Sonic

Responsibilities

Documentary

Photography

Research

70°01′52″N 20°58′17″E

About the project.

The Orca – the biggest member of the dolphin family - has been roaming the oceans for over 200 million years and there are ancient stories of indigenous folks about their connection

to these animals.

But in the last couple of decades, we started to study them, learn about their social bonds, hunting strategies, intelligence and the different ecotypes that exist around the globe.

Yet, after endless hours of recordings of their vocalizations, we still don’t know what they’re saying, only how they’re communicating.

With more advanced technology and new methods, we’re trying to decode their language and make the results openly accessible, as they are often times withheld from the public.

I had the honor of joining the Research of Orca Communication by the ETH Zürich in Sjkervoy - Norway for four weeks from November until December 2023 to help with the research and to film a documentary that showcases the hard work that goes into a project like this.

That's where the journey began.

The Orca – the biggest member of the dolphin family - has been roaming the oceans for over 200 million years and there are ancient stories of indigenous folks about their connection

to these animals.

But in the last couple of decades, we started to study them, learn about their social bonds, hunting strategies, intelligence and the different ecotypes that exist around the globe.

Yet, after endless hours of recordings of their vocalizations, we still don’t know what they’re saying, only how they’re communicating.

With more advanced technology and new methods, we’re trying to decode their language and make the results openly accessible, as they are often times withheld from the public.

That's where the journey began.

Method.

To conduct the research, complex large-baseline hydrophones - microphones you put underwater - were placed in the sea.

Dr. Jörg Rychen from the ETH Zürich and his team consisting of young researchers (mostly students) from all over the world,

developed their own version of hydrophones to fit them to their needs for the project.

These hydrophones were then placed in the water in the form of a large rectangular array. This allows to distinguish between different individuals by measuring how long it took the sound to travel to the different hydrophones.

And for the first time ever the sounds were going to be synchronized with drone footage filmed at the same time. Revolutionizing research on orca communication.

To conduct the research, complex large-baseline hydrophones - microphones you put underwater - were placed in the sea.

Dr. Jörg Rychen from the ETH Zürich and his team consisting of young researchers (mostly students) from all over the world,

developed their own version of hydrophones to fit them to their needs for the project.

And for the first time ever the sounds were going to be synchronized with drone footage filmed at the same time. Revolutionizing research on orca communication.

Challenges.

Even though the time and location of the project being optimal because of the million tons of hering that move to the northern fjords of norway to breed and overwinter, these factors also caused a lot of problems and challenges.

During winter, there were only 2-4 hours of sunlight a day. Massively reducing the time the footage could be captured.

The cold temperatures not only were harsh on the team but also lead to several failures of drones and equipment, sometimes losing valuable footage by drones crashing into the ice cold water and getting lost to the bottom of the ocean.

Trying to navigate and flying drones in freezing temperatures with limited space while waves make it hard to stand on the small boat, certainly was a huge challenge for the whole crew.

Not wanting to miss important moments on the filming side while working together on the boat with the crew and fixing equipment certainly was a huge challenge for me personally.

But due to the incredible team spirit and hard work of the whole crew, we managed to get through these challenges together and we were able to collect all the necessary data.

During winter, there were only 2-4 hours of sunlight a day. Massively reducing the time the footage could be captured.

Trying to navigate and flying drones in freezing temperatures with limited space while waves make it hard to stand on the small boat, certainly was a huge challenge for the whole crew.

Not wanting to miss important moments on the filming side while working together on the boat with the crew and fixing equipment certainly was a huge challenge for me personally.

But due to the incredible team spirit and hard work of the whole crew, we managed to get through these challenges together and we were able to collect all the necessary data.

Documentary &

Presentations

Documentary &

Presentations

As already mentioned in the beginning I was not only recruited to help with the research on the boat.

One of my main tasks was to film during our time in Norway and make a documentary about the project, which is still being worked on at the time.

While the big documentary is still being worked on, we already finished a shorter video as an application for the European Cetecean Society (ECS 2024).

This video not only got accepted to be shown at the ECS in Sicily, but also in the fifth International Orca Symposium 2025.

If you are curious, click the Link down below!

As already mentioned in the beginning I was not only recruited to help with the research on the boat.

One of my main tasks was to film during our time in Norway and make a documentary about the project, which is still being worked on at the time.

While the big documentary is still being worked on, we already finished a shorter video as an application for the European Cetecean Society (ECS 2024).

This video not only got accepted to be shown at the ECS in Sicily, but also in the fifth International Orca Symposium 2025.

If you are curious, click the Link down below!

Watch Video on Youtube