Over the past month Major Marine Tours has seen twenty days (straight) of whale activity, more than enough to make the tourists and merchants alike excited, though not only have we just been briefly glimpsing an orca or two, but over the last few days we have also been fortunate to witness several accounts of humpbacks lunge feeding.  On the first account crew members, rangers, captains and tourists alike were stretching out of their seats to see what they supposed was the first and last time they would view such an event.  Though by the third, fourth and fifth lunge feeding frenzy, the gluttonous humpback became to be considered a local pig, known to captains and crew as Larry-The-Local-Lunge-Feeding-Humpback.  As well as rapacious whales we’ve always been blessed with gorgeous sunny weather and calm seas, all is well and good with MMT!

It seems like there were humpback whales around every turn on Thursday’s cruises.  We first spotted the massive animals near Thumb point, then spotted a large single humpback swimming near Caines Head.   Near Pinnacle Cove a cow and calf were spotted lunge feeding, a treat to see as the whales open their mouths wide and leap out of the water.  A black bear even made his appearance in Tooth cove. The cloudless skies and warm temperatures made for a spectacular backdrop to view Aialik glacier, as well as the rest of the beautiful sights in the Kenai Fjords.

Poor visibility and a low cloud ceiling can’t stop the Kenia Star!  Even with less than ideal weather conditions, the wildlife was out in full force today.  On three separate occasions we encountered humpacks including one fella who was, as the captain phrased it, a “breaching tail-slapping pec-waver.”  On top of our show-stopping humpbacks, we saw dozens of sea otters surrounding Aialik Glacier, a rare sight indeed.  Luckily, the otters were no where near the black bear we sited right on shore!

Great viewing of humpback whales displaced concerns about the foggy weather today.   Again we saw a baby humpback breaching.  This little guy is quite active with multiple breaches and lots of pectoral fin slapping.  We also saw lunge feeding where two humpback were coming up and feeding at the same time.    The other wild life was not bashful either with great views of puffins, stellar sea lions, mountain goats, and sea otters. 

It was foggy most of the day with clearings at certain strategic moments aiding our mission to view marine wildlife in the area.  Marine conditions were flat and ideal for Resurrection Bay and the neighboring Gulf of Alaska.   One of the baby humpback whales seemed to be attempting some sort of communication with us similar to our own familiar ”beam me up Scotty” as he leapt from the water.   Other wildlife sighted in the area included puffins, eagles, sea otters, and mountian goats.  Although some of the mountain peaks and alpine glacier views were obstructed we continued to Holgate glacier with optimistic spirits, and were rewarded with a full view of the massive ice block.  Despite the fog and less than favorable weather it was a successful day amongst the Kenai Fjords, with sightings of multiple species of wildlife, only furthering our belief that Alaska really is the final frontier. 

Today was a near-perfect day for viewing all types of glaciers, marine wildlife and birds.  The scenery was spectactular and it was a beautiful day out on the water.  We spotted whales on both the full day and half-day cruises. On the halfday trip we turned off the engines to watch some humpbacks, and two humpbacks came right across the bow about 50 feet away and surfaced one after the other.  We could all smell their breath…..ewwww! 

Sunday was a spectacular day out on the water, and both the half-day cruise and full-day cruise were blessed with excellent wildlife viewing.  The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky could be spotted, and sea conditions were a gentle 2-3 foot swell, providing a smooth ride all day.  The wildlife was a treat for all passengers including both orca and humpback viewing.  Also 3 seperate pods of Dall’s porpoises’ made their appearance playing in the bow waves.  The Chiswell islands were a treat with the gentle seas and all of the birds returning.  It was also a fantastic day for glacier viewing with huge calvings.  It was a postcard perfect day!

After a few days of bad weather and bumpy seas here is an update for the past few days.  We have been seeing a full spectrum of wildlife despite the bad weather.    The whale shows lately have been awesome with breaching baby humpbacks and pods of orca whales seen on both the half day and full day trips.  Puffins are also back in the area with good numbers being see both at Cape Resurrection and the Chiswell Islands.   Mountain goats are still pretty low with the nannys having their kids.  Also good numbers of stellar sea lions and sea otters being seen. 

The whales were everywhere today, and both cruises had excellent whale sightings.  Humpbacks spread out from Resurrection Bay all the way to the Chiswell Islands, providing a great show for passengers.  We even saw 3 seperate pods of orcas!  Bird enthusiasts also had a great day including lots of puffins amongst the Chiswells, and also a few Northwestern Yellow Warblers, which are rarely seen in this area. 

Although the weather was cloudy and wet, both the full day and half-day cruises had a special day out in the Kenai Fjords.  On the half-day cruise passengers were entertained by some playful Dall’s porpoise riding the bow waves as we headed toward Bear Glacier.  It was also a spectacular day for humpback viewing on the all day trip including 3 seperate pairs and one lone whale sighted.  It seemed like there were humpbacks around every turn. One energetic calf humpback was even breaching.  To finsh off the trip we were also greatly impressed with some sea lion water acrobatics near cape resurrection.