Petersburg and Frederick Sound
Floatplane flights over the icebergs of the rapidly retreating LeConte Glacier, helicopter landings on the Patterson Glacier, hikes across the mystical landscape of muskeg and personal forays into the Norwegian flavored fishing village of Petersburg made for a morning full of enjoyment and exploration. Each of the wonderful choices were distinctive experiences only available in Southeast Alaska.
Another activity particular to Southeast unveiled itself late this afternoon. We were granted the extraordinary opportunity to view the cooperative feeding behavior of humpback whales- also known as bubblenet feeding! Around 4 PM as we neared Pinta Point whale blows were sighted and everyone headed for the bow. Captain Kalbach had been hopefully searching Frederick Sound for hours and a group of whales had been discovered corralling herring with nets of bubbles and feeding in this most unusual fashion. Once the hydrophone was in the water and we heard the trumpeting calls of the lead bubble-net making whale, it was evident that our experience with whales would be special. With a dozen whales explosively surfacing together on the starboard side, a juvenile repeatedly breaching to port and a translucent and colorful rainbow dead ahead, it seemed we had achieved Nirvana, Sea Bird style!
Floatplane flights over the icebergs of the rapidly retreating LeConte Glacier, helicopter landings on the Patterson Glacier, hikes across the mystical landscape of muskeg and personal forays into the Norwegian flavored fishing village of Petersburg made for a morning full of enjoyment and exploration. Each of the wonderful choices were distinctive experiences only available in Southeast Alaska.
Another activity particular to Southeast unveiled itself late this afternoon. We were granted the extraordinary opportunity to view the cooperative feeding behavior of humpback whales- also known as bubblenet feeding! Around 4 PM as we neared Pinta Point whale blows were sighted and everyone headed for the bow. Captain Kalbach had been hopefully searching Frederick Sound for hours and a group of whales had been discovered corralling herring with nets of bubbles and feeding in this most unusual fashion. Once the hydrophone was in the water and we heard the trumpeting calls of the lead bubble-net making whale, it was evident that our experience with whales would be special. With a dozen whales explosively surfacing together on the starboard side, a juvenile repeatedly breaching to port and a translucent and colorful rainbow dead ahead, it seemed we had achieved Nirvana, Sea Bird style!
