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The Godtlund Family’s Memorable Visit with Hvaldimir, the Famous White Whale

Photo: Kristin Ågesen

The Godtlund family had a great visit this week. Then the famous whale Hvaldimir came for a morning visit.

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This weekend Hvaldimir visited Kragerø in Telemark.

According to the Godtlund family, the famous white whale arrived at Kragerø, where he greeted many people at the summer resort.

– He visited us at the cabin.

– We were sitting on the veranda with our morning coffee, then it sounded like something was moving close by, says father in the house, Johnny Waaler Godtlund.

CONTACT SEEKER: In the novel “Moby Dick”, Captain Ahab is obsessed with the hunt for a white sperm whale called Moby Dick. It is far easier to get quality time with the beluga whale Hvaldimir. Photo: Private

The 46-year-old says that Hvaldimir came tellingly into the fjord.

– He came and wanted to play, then he suddenly disappeared for a while, but reappeared an hour later.

Hvaldimir also spent time at the beach.

– There were several people who were out swimming. He swam around and was completely harmless, says Godtlund.

Eve Jourdain in the Norwegian Orca Survey confirms that Hvaldimir is staying in Kragerø at the moment, and that it is precisely the celebrity whale that the family has met.

– Never seen Hvaldimir before

Kristin Ågesund (40) was also on holiday in Kragerø. The whole family – both children and adults were equally enthusiastic when they saw Hvaldimir.

– It was very exciting. Hvaldimir swam around a boat by the jetty and we got very close, she says.

– We had never seen Hvaldimir before and had no idea where he was either.

But Hvaldimir wasn’t the only exciting thing going on:

– It was very exciting to see it, but had to run back to the cabin to see Norway win the football match, says Ågesund.

Kragerø Blad Vestmar mentioned Hvaldimir’s visit to Kragerø first.

FAMILY PICTURE: Caroline Wiker, Hedvig Wiker, Geir Wiker, Linda Godtlund, Geir Godtlund with Malin Godtlund on his arm. Photo: Linda Godtlund

Back in Norway

The white whale first appeared off the coast of Finnmark at the end of April 2019, and caused a stir.

The contact-seeking whale, which was equipped with a harness, was named “Hvaldimir” and received a lot of attention after it was suspected to be from the Russian Navy.

Since then, he has been observed in a number of Norwegian coastal towns, before he was seen at Hunnebostrand, roughly halfway between Strömstad and Gothenburg, in May.

Photo: Private

Although Hvaldimir is seeking contact, the Directorate of Fisheries warns against close contact:

– We especially encourage people in boats to keep a good distance to avoid the whale being injured or, in the worst case, killed by boat traffic, said fisheries director Frank Bakke-Jensen in a press release earlier this summer.

Here you can read more about Hvaldimir.

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Published: 30.07.23 at 16:50

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2023-07-30 14:50:07


#Morning #coffee #Hvaldimir #visited #cabin

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