Chatham Strait and Hanus Bay
During this voyage, we have witnessed glaciers calving crystalline blue icebergs, cruised past waterfalls too numerous to name, paddled along misty coastlines adorned with Sitka spruce, walked through green meadows filled with colorful wildflowers, observed a brown bear at close range for an hour from a Zodiac, watched a pod of 50 killers whales swim in unison toward a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, and lingered with humpback whales until they disappeared into a sea of liquid gold at sunset.
So you would think there was no chance for a grand finale. Guess again.
This morning we awoke to a warm, sunny day in Chatham Strait with the water like mirrored glass. And through this water swam a group of humpback whales, affectionately known as the “bubble-net warriors.” Like our Captain, these 40-ton animals come to Alaska from Hawaii for the summer to eat. But unlike out Captain, they eat herring. Tons of it.
While we watched from the bow of the Sea Bird and listened to their calls with our underwater microphone, these great whales repeatedly broke the surface of the sea together with mouths agape. This behavior is called bubble-net feeding, and the humpback whales in Southeast Alaska are some of the few whales in the world that feed in this way. Over and over the whales came to the surface, their arrival signaled by loud cries from under water, and the wild clicking of camera shutters on deck.
This rare event was a fitting grand finale for an amazing voyage exploring Alaska’s coastal wilderness. The memories, images, and friendships we made during the week will, hopefully, last a lifetime.
During this voyage, we have witnessed glaciers calving crystalline blue icebergs, cruised past waterfalls too numerous to name, paddled along misty coastlines adorned with Sitka spruce, walked through green meadows filled with colorful wildflowers, observed a brown bear at close range for an hour from a Zodiac, watched a pod of 50 killers whales swim in unison toward a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, and lingered with humpback whales until they disappeared into a sea of liquid gold at sunset.
So you would think there was no chance for a grand finale. Guess again.
This morning we awoke to a warm, sunny day in Chatham Strait with the water like mirrored glass. And through this water swam a group of humpback whales, affectionately known as the “bubble-net warriors.” Like our Captain, these 40-ton animals come to Alaska from Hawaii for the summer to eat. But unlike out Captain, they eat herring. Tons of it.
While we watched from the bow of the Sea Bird and listened to their calls with our underwater microphone, these great whales repeatedly broke the surface of the sea together with mouths agape. This behavior is called bubble-net feeding, and the humpback whales in Southeast Alaska are some of the few whales in the world that feed in this way. Over and over the whales came to the surface, their arrival signaled by loud cries from under water, and the wild clicking of camera shutters on deck.
This rare event was a fitting grand finale for an amazing voyage exploring Alaska’s coastal wilderness. The memories, images, and friendships we made during the week will, hopefully, last a lifetime.
