Whale watching on an Alaska cruise.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!"

 The excited outburst from one of my fellow passengers certainly captured the mood!

We were in Icy Strait Point, once a historic salmon cannery and now transformed in to a native Tinglit owned port near the town of Hoonah on Chichagof Island in Southern Alaska. Icy Strait point embodies so much of what makes Alaska such a great destination from native indigenous culture & history to spectacular scenery & wildlife.

 Today we were booked to go on a whale watching trip. We had already been whale watching a couple of days previously in Juneau with reasonable success but when pre booking our excursions I had taken my own advice that I regularly give to my clients. If you're looking for wildlife experiences then double or even triple your chances in case your first experience is underwhelming.

Wildlife after all does not adhere to your schedule!

 Whale watching in particular can be difficult so it's really important to listen to the guides on your boat as they are so experienced in looking for the telltale signs such as the footprints that they leave on the surface as they glide serenely below or the bubbles that they blow to herd their prey before taking a giant gulp. Seabirds too can be a good indicator as they often take advantage of whales feeding to grab something for themselves.

 Alaska is a great place to go whale watching as many species can be found in these waters and today we are in luck. We have found a humpback whale!

There are strict rules about whale watching, boats can follow but at a safe distance to protect the whales but there's nothing stopping the whale from swimming toward us which it does today so the captain kills the engine as he's required to do.

Today we're in for a show as the whale stays around our boat for an age as it dives showing off it's majestic fluke before surfacing again with a mighty exhale of water and air. This whale really is in the mood to show off today as it repeatedly crashes the surface of the water with it's fins and it's gigantic head. Eventually we all get what we're hoping for as it dives momentarily before leaping clear of the surface of the water, a full breach just metres away from us. What a treat, and it definitely justifies my decision to double up on the whale watching experiences. We didn't get this in Juneau!

We are treated to multiple breaches before we realise that another whale has joined the party. They swim together for a while taking turns to breach one after the other as we are utterly transfixed by the spectacle in front of us until eventually there are a few minutes of silence. Both whales went below and haven't resurfaced.

Is that it? Have they gone?

Suddenly an eagle eyed passenger shouts out "Here it comes" as he sees a shadow under the surface.

The ocean explodes right before our eyes!

Both whales hurl themselves fully clear of the water in perfect unison!

A synchronised breach!

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!

Squeals of joy and ripples of uncontrolled laughter are followed by stunned silence as they continue to synchronise their breaches around us. We could stay here forever but unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Our cruise ship is on a schedule and further ports await so we turn to head back to port.

As we sail away from them I turn to take one last look back and right on demand they give me one last synchronised breach as if to say goodbye.

Nobody really knows why whales breach but there are many theories from communication to cleaning and some scientists think they just do it for fun.

It certainly looked like they were having fun to me!

 This trip was booked as a cruise ship shore excursion. There are many cruise ships that operate in Alaska seasonally with a variation of 7 to 14 day cruises and represent exceptional value while giving passengers a unique opportunity to experience a spectacularly beautiful destination.

If you would like to know more then get in touch and we can plan your perfect Alaskan holiday.