Capturing the Moment

    Fortune favors the bold…the early bird gets the worm…    Here at Uncruise it should read, ‘never let a little rain hold you back.’         It was a beautiful drizzly grey afternoon as we pulled into Steamboat Harbor in Southeast Alaska. We had just seen dozens of humpback whales out the window during lunch. The conditions in the bay were perfect for open paddle, but with whales just outside the bay and within striking distance of a skiff, I also offered up an impromptu skiff tour for the guests.      Folks looked outside as the rain drops gathered on the railings of the Quests. They peered around inside at the beautiful lounge, bartender mixing drinks, and the library upstairs looking particular cozy for curling up and reading a book. I got the skiff ready and waited for the incoming guests to gather up… and waited… and waited…      One brave guests showed up. And it w...

Breach of massive proportions   The humpback whales are here in force right now in Southeast Alaska. Frederick Sound seems to be the place to find them. These past two weeks have seen us skiffing with the giants, as well as getting breaches and bubble net feeding encounters as well.    It is so much fun to think that I may have seen these 40+ft whales back when they were tiny newborn babies in Hawaii. And by 'tiny' I of course mean the size of a pickup truck. If you like whale watching then August in SE Alaska is a great time and place to do it.  Bubble Net Feeding Close encounter on the skiff

Breach 1 of 4 Breach 2 of 4   This season working amongst the Hawaiian Islands has culminated in some incredible whale watching this past week. I was able to see almost every activity in the book including repetitive breaching, competition pods, and even a mother teaching a young calf. Breach 3 of 4 Breach 4 of 4    It is nice being on a bigger boat so when the typical trade winds kick up the whale watching doesn't have to stop. It almost always seems that the whales get a little more playful in the windy white caps. It certainly was like that on this day. This was right before three solid days of gale force winds descended upon the islands. Good thing we got this in when we did. Mom and Calf: Teaching Moment Mom and Escort   This once again proves to me that so far Maui in Feb-March is the funnest whale watching in the world. These humpbacks are just so acrobatic it is something not to be missed.

 I have been tackling the challenge of having humpback whales as a subject for my wildlife photography for the past three winters and it is finally paying off. Spending so much time with the whales has given me a greater understanding into how they spend their time here in Hawaiian waters. However some behaviors, like this breach, are still as unpredictable as the first time I saw it.   If you are a wildlife photographer looking for a chance to try to capture whales in action there is no better place than Maui during the winter. The waters are dense with whales and they are very close to shore. In fact if you go out farther than 600' deep you stop seeing humpbacks. Those two characteristics plus the fact that these humpbacks are some of the most acrobatic and playful whales in the world make Maui a one of a kind whale experience.  Scroll down quickly for the full effect of this 75,000lbs animal breaching out of the water.