Exploring Chatham Strait
We awoke in False Bay early this morning, unexpectedly early, barely-after-sunrise early, when our Expedition Leader Cindy Manning called us out of bed to witness an incredible event. At least a dozen humpback whales were bubble-net feeding with synchronized precision. In this remarkable phenomenon, the humpbacks coordinate their movements with lyrical sounds and flash their pectoral fins to disorient and corral their prey inside a curtain of bubbles, trapping schools of herring in a tight circle. The whales then lunge upward from the sea, their massive mouths agape, and swallow huge quantities of fish in a closely choreographed presentation. Again and again, the whales displayed their cooperative feeding strategy to the delight and amazement of the guests. At times the humpbacks were so close to the ship that binoculars became unnecessary, appendages and telephoto lenses were nearly useless. Hundreds of herring jumped frantically, attempting to escape this humpback feeding frenzy, but instead became breakfast for the whales one mouthful at a time. Although hardly unheard of, it’s rare to see bubble-net feeding so closely and so early in the season; but the whales must have been ravenously hungry after their long migration north from their calving grounds in the warm waters of Hawaii and Baja. This particular performance lasted more than two hours, long enough for some guests to visit the dining room for their own breakfasts and return for subsequent viewings.
After a short break in the action, some guests took a brisk walk with our Wellness Specialist Darcy Vander Bush, while others took the opportunity to squeeze in one last kayak outing. No one was disappointed. Kayakers glided nearly effortlessly over the calm waters, only to be mesmerized by four brown bears foraging along the rocky shoreline. Naturalist Jason Kelley surmised they were likely a mother and her cubs, one a young male, perhaps two or three years old. Since brown bears typically give birth to twins and their cubs remain with their mothers for several seasons, these were probably offspring from different years still staying close to their mother. Whatever the case, the four bears paid little attention to our kayaks bobbing in the water, and instead focused their attention on flipping rocks in search of food and browsing on the lush vegetation. A few kayakers were fortunate enough to watch river otters romping on a small spit of land, while others saw salmon jumping in a creek as bald eagles soared overhead.
All in all, the last full day of our trip really could not have been more spectacular. We will return home rich with memories and with dancing whales filling our dreams.
We awoke in False Bay early this morning, unexpectedly early, barely-after-sunrise early, when our Expedition Leader Cindy Manning called us out of bed to witness an incredible event. At least a dozen humpback whales were bubble-net feeding with synchronized precision. In this remarkable phenomenon, the humpbacks coordinate their movements with lyrical sounds and flash their pectoral fins to disorient and corral their prey inside a curtain of bubbles, trapping schools of herring in a tight circle. The whales then lunge upward from the sea, their massive mouths agape, and swallow huge quantities of fish in a closely choreographed presentation. Again and again, the whales displayed their cooperative feeding strategy to the delight and amazement of the guests. At times the humpbacks were so close to the ship that binoculars became unnecessary, appendages and telephoto lenses were nearly useless. Hundreds of herring jumped frantically, attempting to escape this humpback feeding frenzy, but instead became breakfast for the whales one mouthful at a time. Although hardly unheard of, it’s rare to see bubble-net feeding so closely and so early in the season; but the whales must have been ravenously hungry after their long migration north from their calving grounds in the warm waters of Hawaii and Baja. This particular performance lasted more than two hours, long enough for some guests to visit the dining room for their own breakfasts and return for subsequent viewings.
After a short break in the action, some guests took a brisk walk with our Wellness Specialist Darcy Vander Bush, while others took the opportunity to squeeze in one last kayak outing. No one was disappointed. Kayakers glided nearly effortlessly over the calm waters, only to be mesmerized by four brown bears foraging along the rocky shoreline. Naturalist Jason Kelley surmised they were likely a mother and her cubs, one a young male, perhaps two or three years old. Since brown bears typically give birth to twins and their cubs remain with their mothers for several seasons, these were probably offspring from different years still staying close to their mother. Whatever the case, the four bears paid little attention to our kayaks bobbing in the water, and instead focused their attention on flipping rocks in search of food and browsing on the lush vegetation. A few kayakers were fortunate enough to watch river otters romping on a small spit of land, while others saw salmon jumping in a creek as bald eagles soared overhead.
All in all, the last full day of our trip really could not have been more spectacular. We will return home rich with memories and with dancing whales filling our dreams.
