Whale Watch Adventure

During Stephany's visit to Alaska, I decided that I needed to take her on at least one "touristy" attraction. Many of my friends and co-workers had gotten to see Southeast Alaska from the water, either by ferry or cruise ship, but I had yet to get out on a boat.

I decided that paying for the price of a whale watch would be worthwhile. I really wanted Stephany to get the most out of her trip, and I would also enjoy the chance to see Juneau and the Gastineau Channel from a different perspective.

I contacted of one of the local whale watch companies that had small vessels and good customer reviews, and made reservations. Even if we didn't see any whales, I was excited for the ride!

We set out from Auke Bay, and it didn't take long before we started seeing wildlife.

This sea lion found itself a nice resting spot:

Later, another one came close to the boat with an investigative nose up! 

Most of the whale watch was spent enjoying the incredible scenery. It would be the first and last time I got the chance to enjoy my surroundings from this perspective.

A close-up look at the Eagle Glacier:

The view on all sides of us was spectacular. The boat ride was worth it just for this.

At one point, I think I had to remind myself that we were there to look for whales.

 

At the start of our trip, we saw signs of whale activity, but they were too stubborn to give us much of a show.

 

That didn't mean there wasn't other wildlife to keep us entertained. 

 

This bald eagle put on a dramatic aerial display before swooping down to grab a fish. At one point, it went almost completely upside down as it scoped out its target. Of course, my camera was ready.

For a second, it almost looked like it was going for these boaters:



 That was one of the coolest things I've seen, before or since.

As if that wasn't a cool enough show, it wasn't long before we saw whales.

The most common whales in the area are humpbacks, but those who are lucky also have the chance to see orcas (killer whales). I was hoping for an orca sighting, but I knew the chances weren't great (the captain told us it had been a few days since they last saw one). Given those odds, we would be more than happy to just see humpbacks.

It took a little while, but we were finally rewarded with some whales. We spotted a baby humpback with its mother swimming along the surface together. Once we found them, it didn't take long before they put on a show.

Breaching baby humpback:

Pretty cool, eh? We were hoping the mother would join its calf in the breaching displays, but we had no such luck. Still, the show that the calf put on was good enough for us.

 

We continued watching the whales and their fascinating behavior for a while, until it was time to head back to port.

 

It was time and money well spent. The whales topped off an already awesome trip. Even though I was halfway through my summer, seeing Alaska from the water almost felt like I was experiencing it all for the first time. I was happy that Stephany could be a part of it, too.

 

I couldn't wait for whatever the rest of the summer had in store.