Capturing the Moment

  Whale watching can be pretty spectacular in Southeast Alaska during the summer months. North pacific humpback whales, who spent the majority of winter breeding and calving in Hawaii, are now here in Alaska for a feeding frenzy. Bubble netting humpbacks in front of the Safari Explorer Close up! I could see the ring of bubbles hit the surface just before the whales burst up from below with mouths wide open. Tiny herring leapt out of the whales' mouths Depending on the prey that the whales are feeding on, their strategies can be vastly different. If they are feeding on krill they can simply swim through the water with their mouth open, using their baleen-filled mouths to filter out the food. Things really spice up when the whales are hunting herring, a small schooling fish. When hunting herring, humpbacks will occasionally work together in a group, herding the fish into a tight ball, using a cooperative method called bubble net feeding. This is what we were lucky enough to stumble u...

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...

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. ...

    The hunting trifecta is an almost mythical goal to set for a trip to Alaska. This natural spectacle includes bubble net feeding humpback whales, bears catching salmon, and transient orcas taking down a marine mammal. Just seeing these three animals on one trip would be considered a lucky success. So you can imagine how surprised the crew of the Safari Quest was this week…when we got the hunting trifecta! Orca High Resolution Pictures   First on the list was the hardest and rarest of the trifect, hunting transient orca. Also known as killer whales because of their ability to kill other whales, this family of orca was hunting dall’s porpoise. We watched the speedy porpoise kicking up a rooster tail of water moments before a huge orca would appear right on its tail. The orca corralled the porpoise and let the young orcas chase them. They made it look almost too easy. The chase culminated in an orca exploding out of the water knocking the porpoise sideways in th...

  Kayaking is one of my favorite way to get out and really experience Southeast Alaska. I have found waterfalls to kayak under, towering rock arches to kayak through, and wonderful animal encounters. Sitting at water level gives you such an intimate perspective for experiences all of these sights. This last trip provided one of these memorable experiences at a place called Halleck Harbor. That is the tip of my kayak in the foreground   Halleck Harbor was one of the few places where we were still having good luck finding the remaining humpbacks here in Alaska. It seems that most of them have headed south for the winter like all the cruise ships. Even though Halleck was way south of our normal cruising path for the Sitka to Juneau run we wanted to make a run for it just in case the whales were still there. It was a gamble that paid off huge!   Not only did people get to see whales, but they got great encounters while drifting out in the bay on small skiffs and on k...

Early morning look at Haleakala volcano's South side  Road 'round the West Maui Mtns, NW Maui Plumeria  One of the big adventures not often attempted here on Maui is the drive around the West Maui mountains. The road here can be driven by any type of car, however you need to be a confident driver as some of the turns are little more than one lane and on the precipice of a huge cliff. But like the more popular 'road to Hana' the sights along this drive are incredible. Huge canyons, distant waterfalls, tropical flowers, and ocean vistas try and pull your eyes off the road. One of my favorite scenes, Big Beach  My mom and I tackled this windy road after starting off the morning at the very end of the road, La Perouse Bay . Tucked back in the newest lava flows on Maui the road dead ends into a very beautiful but rugged bay where Admiral La Perouse landed his ship. Beautiful sandy beaches like Big Beach await travelers down in the Makena area with a few se...