Capturing the Moment

  Things are hopping here in Southeast Alaska at the moment, and by 'things' I mean 80,000lbs humpback whales! Frederick Sound in the middle of the Inside Passage seems to be the place to be. At one point last week we were surrounded by the leviathins. However one whale stepped up to really steal the show. So much so, that at one point a whale swam under our bow and hardely anyone took notice because they were still watching the showoff. Whale Photos   Once or twice a year I come across a humpback who breaches over and over again. I talk about these rare occasions during my photography talks. These repetitive breaches are a photographeres dream come true. It is still quite hard to determine where and when they might breach next but they give you multiple chances and you have some idea of what distance away they might be. Eventually everyone on the bow was able to snap at least a few pictures of this great whale as it breached away the afternoon.    I oft...

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...

Look Closely: Yearling and Mom  I started my Hawaii guiding season back in early November and I am pleased to say that I have been able to find humpback whales every week since then for our guests onboard. However, early season whales here in Hawaii can often come up for a few quick breaths and then dive deep for ages, never to see them again. The sightings are usually solo whales on the move, perhaps looking for the few other early season whales among the islands. But this week we saw a gathering of whales into what I think was the first competition pod of the breeding season.    The sun was getting low in the sky over Lana'i as we spotted two big blows and one smaller blow. We had just finished a wonderful snorkel in Honolua Bay and were planning on heading to calmer water when we stumbled across the whales. It is one of the beautiful things of living and working on a boat on the ocean, you never know what you might see next.   The smaller of the blows ...

Breaching whale in sunset colors whale pictures   As I finished up my evening presentation aboard the Safari Quest a crew member hurried in to tell me there is whale activity ahead. I let the guests know and hustled to get my camera and headed to the bow. It turned out to be a repetitive breaching humpback whale.    It has been unusually sunny and clear these last few days and we have been lucky with some pretty amazing sunsets. This night combined breaching whales with that magical sunset hour light. Usually once a season I get a whale here in Alaska that breaches over and over and over. This was that whale. All around the boat it breached as it made its way off into the golden setting sun. Alaska Sunset Alaska Moonrise  When we finally turned the boat to continue heading east I was greeted with another unusual sight for Alaska, a full moon rise. At first it was just a silver sliver behind the mountain tops. I was lucky to still have my camera ...

   One of the greatest spectacles in nature is watching animals work together to hunt. I have seen a pack of 13 lionesses taking turns to wear down a huge bull cape buffalo, and I've seen orca making an easy meal out of a speedy dall's porpoise, but something gets me every time I witness humpback whales bubble net feeding here in Alaska.    I had heard reports of a couple separate groups of bubble net feeders working southeast Alaska but until last night I had been unable to locate them. When I saw 4 or 5 whale blows very close together I had high hopes, and it paid off. We took the Safari Quest in for a closer look and sure enough, 7 whales erupted from the water in a tight formation as the surrounding birds flew in to grab the fish spilling out of the huge mouths of the whales.   We stayed with the whales for around an hour before having to motor on south but the entire encounter summed up the essence of traveling through Alaska. Hear we had these a...

Energetic Calf Tail Slapping  Mom's tail dwarfing her truck-sized baby   Over the years I have written about and photographed many mother and calf pairs, yet it always strikes an emotional cord when I see another. This is one of the highlights of humpback whale watching here in the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Waters off the coast of Maui, Hawaii. Newborn baby whales swim next to their mother, dwarfed by her massive size. They are the only humpbacks getting nourishment down here in the form of milk from their mother. So it is common to see an energetic calf swimming and jumping around a resting mom.     Baby Breach Adult Breach     Even though the babies look tiny next to mom, you have to remember that they are still about the size of a small pickup truck the day they are born. They grow quickly, so are less easily recognizable up on the feeding grounds of Alaska. But for now I am grateful to see all these calves playing around...

  I've spent years watching, researching, and photographing North Pacific Humpback whales from Hawaii to California to Alaska. Now for a change I get to go out on a whale watch in Brier Island, Nova Scotia on a different ocean to try and find North Atlantic Humpback Whales. While they are still the same species, (Megaptera novaeangliae), the Humpbacks in the Atlantic have quite a bit more white on their body than their North Pacific counterparts. Although I think the South Pacific population may be the most white of the bunch. The populations have been separated for long enough to develop some differences but only noticeable by a well trained eye.    We drove down from Digby to Brier Island to head out with Brier Island Whale Watch on a small zodiac tour. You have to time the two ferries right to make it to Brier Island on time, so we gave ourselves plenty of room for error. In fact so much time that we got to the shop early enough to go out on the first trip of the ...