FAQ
answered by the number two most important man at BirdSafari a/s: Seaman –
Mr. John-Ivar Hansen
An experienced sailor and local man from Gjesvær, John-Ivar Hansen has been taken care of the boats and its' passengers for a number of years. On the plus 300 departures every summer to the bird sanctuary, John-Ivar answers a lot of questions.
Some questions are hard to answer and a few are - frankly - downright easy. The possibly easiest question ever asked was whether the seals can fly or not?*
Moreover, most of the things our guests wonder about are recurring. In fact, some people might find the answers to the frequently asked questions quite interesting, so here is a small collection of Frequent Answers:
1. Does the sea freeze in the winter?
No, because of the Gulf Stream the Barents Sea never freezes in Gjesvær.
2. Do people live in Gjesvær in the winter?
Yes, people fish, go to their offices, go to school etc and get on with
their every day life as usual.
3. Do you have polar bears in Gjesvær?
No, on mainland Norway there are no polar bears. You can run into a polar bear in Svalbard / Spitsbergen.
4. How far is it from Gjesvær/Nordkapp to the North Pole?
It is 2093 km from Nordkapp to the North Pole. In comparison, it is 2163 km between Nordkapp and Oslo.
5. How often do we cancel the bird safari because of bad weather?
Despite being in an area of gutsy wind and rain, we do not normally cancel any bird safaris. Because of our comfortable big boats and the protected area we are sailing in, 99 % of our bird safaris are run according to the schedule. It is an important part of our arctic lives to keep things going.
A lot of times, when the weather is not picturesque, the bird life is at
its best. In the land of the Midnight Sun we cannot guarantee sunshine
at midnight, however, we can always guarantee a
lot of birds.
(* No, they cannot fly). 05
Is
there something you do not know about Gjesvær and Nordkapp? - Ask
John-Ivar a question and he might answer you.
Last updated
August 12th, 2009