Capturing the Moment

The whale action has been intense lately in Southeast Alaska. I've been traveling the waterways of Alaska's Inside Passage   on the luxury adventure cruise ship Safari Quest. I absolutely love getting people out with the humpback whales on our small skiffs. The low vantage point, almost water level, gives a whole new perspective of how big these animals really are. When you are in a small inflatable boat the size of a suburban, and you are surrounded by animals the size of city school buses you can't help but feel in awe of their sheer size and power. Today was one of those lucky days where we had so many close humpback whale encounters from the skiff, and the water conditions were so calm, that I was able to get a bit creative in my whale photography. We were able to position our skiff to view the diving humpback whale in between us and the Safari Quest. I always like to think about the backgrounds in my pictures to see if I can use anything to help tell more of a st...

daimarsphotos.com  It is time to say goodbye to Alaska for another season, and it said goodbye to us in epic fashion. The weather was beautiful, the seas were calm, there was a plethora of wildlife, and the adventures ran thick. Our guests were excited and eager to answer the call of the wilderness that only Alaska can provide.      On Baranof Island along a tranquil rocky stream we watched as 15 different bears spent time chasing salmon, or each other, trying to get their fill. A few times some of the younger bears looked like they were heading out way, but we remained safe and sound ontop of the river bank. www.daimartamarack.com   Back out on the water we had multiple encounters with feeding humpback whales. We watched from the bow of the Quest as the fading light of day backlit the blows of one group. Then the next day we sped off on our small zodiac skiffs to get a closer look at bubble net feeding humpbacks.    After the bubb...

   During our final trip of the 2017 Alaska season we set a course all the way from Juneau to Seattle. After we left Alaskan waters south of Ketchikan and entered the British Columbia section of the inside passage I didn't expect to get any mind blowing wildlife sightings, maybe a few whales or porpoise here or there. Then, just as I am finishing up a presentation I get the word that there is some kind of wildlife up ahead, small but numerous. I figured it was porpoise but in the back of my mind I was hoping it was a species of dolphins that we don't see at all in Alaska, and that is exactly what it was!   For some reason pacific white sided dolphins have always been one of my favorites. Their beautiful markings and contrasting coloration make them stand above other dolphins. Their tall falcated dorsal fin with its telltale patch of off white is like a beacon to identify them with. But despite their outside beauty trying to steal the show, it is quite often their ac...

Discoveries along the way Through a patch of devils club   One part of my job this season up in Alaska is taking guests out in the bush where there is no dock, no trail except those left by game, and no real destination or goal other than to immerse ourselves in the temperate rain forest and explore. We call this bushwhacking, and it is a favorite past time for people who live in and around the forest. You can blaze you own trails and find new discoveries on every trip. I don't carry a machete because I don't want to leave a trail of destruction behind us, but I do carry bear spray.    One big aspect of bushwhacking or hiking in Alaska is that you are walking through bear country. Luckily humans are not on the normal menu so it's not like bears are stalking you as you walk. If anything they want to get out of your path or just hunker down and hide until you are gone. I make plenty of noise so as not to startle any bears, and to make sure that moms with cubs ar...

  After four hours of waiting in front of the salmon river at Pavlov our patience was rewarded with the emergence of four brown bears all at once. A mother with two very big cubs came out near the river mouth at just about the same time that a lone female appeared from behind the falls. They all made their way to the shallow area of the stream just below the falls to look for their favorite snack, salmon.    Pink salmon were on the menu today, although there didn't seem to be quite as many as I remembered from years past. But there were still enough and quickly both the family and the lone bear were chowing down on fresh salmon sushi. It looked like the cubs were very well fed and probably just about that age where they head off on their own, although they certainly enjoyed being together for the time being. They would rush in and grab parts of the salmon whenever the mom would catch one. A few times she swatted them away but they held their own pretty well. Meta...

  Every week I get to visit a tidewater glacier here in Alaska. It can be very exciting because tidewater glaciers, those that flow all the way down into the ocean, have a tendency to calve. This is where big, sometimes huge chunks of the glacier fracture off and crash down into the ocean. The noise created by both the fracturing and hitting the water echo throughout the fjord in what locals call the 'white thunder.'      A famous quote up here is 'they speak to you in creaks and groans, and thunderous roars.'   We were lucky enough to see some calving at Dawes glacier during our last two visits. It is pretty southern as far as tidewater glaciers go, and very active. The long winding ride up to the glacier through Endicott Arm has been chocked full of ice bergs, hinting at the activity of the face of the glacier. The 200 foot tall face of the glacier never ceases to amaze and confound me that something like it could actually exist. The fact that it is a...