Capturing the Moment

www.daimartamarack.com   It has been a year since I have seen bubble net feeding in Alaska. But this show took us all by surprise. Last week we barely saw any humpback whales at all. We had a few far off tails from whales on the move. So when I spotted a group of several blows all together I made sure we altered course to give the guests a better look. Turns out it was a good thing that we turned because right after everyone walked out to the bow to see them we saw the circle of bubbles forming.   What followed next was awe-inspiring. The entire group of whales erupted from the center of the bubble ring, mouths wide open, tiny fish jumping everywhere trying to get away. This was bubble net feeding, and it was happening right in front of us. Not a bad start for day 1 of the cruise.    We stayed with the whales as they continued to bubble net feed 11 more times. I was also able to deploy our hydrophone so we could hear the bubble net feeding as well. The ...

The Five Fingers Lighthouse Bubble Net Feeding Humpback Whales   The summer season is starting to fade here in Southeast Alaska. The days are getting shorter and a cool, crisp, nip can be felt on the air. However some vestiges of summer can still be seen, such as the vast groupings of Humpback Whales in Frederick Sound. The food source must still be plentiful because we are seeing large groups of humpbacks using all kinds of feeding strategies to get their fill. The group we had onboard this week brought some nature luck with them as they got to witness the holy grail of whale watching here in Alaska, humpback whales bubble net feeding.  Synchronized Diving tipped us off to come in for a closer look   The cooperative teamwork of humpbacks to corral their prey using coordinated movements was first seen here in Southeast Alaska. However we had not seen it on the Wilderness Explorer all season. I was starting to wonder if we would see it with only four ...

Whale Pics at www.daimarsphotos.com   I had seen bubble net feeding humpback whales before, but never like this. I was leading a skiff tour in one of our small 12 person zodiacs when I spotted multiple whale blows out in the distance. I had planned on staying near the Sitkoh bay, where the Safari Quest was anchored, but the possibility of seeing whales from almost water-level was too much of a draw. I checked in with the guests who non surprisingly all wanted to go out for a closer look. Luckily it was a rare flat calm day in Chatham Strait so out we went. This shot and more for sale here .   I knew we were getting close, but I didn't know how close until I saw the ring of bubbles. We stopped the boat just in time to witness half a dozen whales burst through the surface of the water with mouths wide open . We found ourselves looking up at the whales as they towered above the skiff. They were still about 200 yards away but it felt like we were right next to them. ...

www.daimartamarack.com   This summer I have switched up boats in the UnCruise fleet from a 74 person vessel to a 21 passenger vessel. The smaller group size means a lot more personal encounters and even more flexibility. Take this week's whale extravaganza for example. While cruising through Chatham Strait we saw six or seven whale blows right next to each other before all diving down in unison. Shortly after the humpback whales simultaneously bursts up through the surface with mouths wide open through a ring of bubbles that they blew to trap all of their prey. This is called bubble net feeding and is amazing to witness. But with only 17 passengers this week we could take things to a whole new level. Feeding Humpback Whale   I made the announcement for people to head to the back, grab their lifejackets, and prepare to board the small boats. We have two rigid inflatable boats that can take 12 passengers each. We loaded these, along with everyone's camera, binoculars...