Some of you may have noticed that in Alaska we do not have many thunder storms. Well, the other day while we were viewing Aialik Glacier, I herd some one say that it sounds like thunder, then someone else said, “It is Alaska’s Thunder.” If you have ever herd a Tidewater Glacier calving you will agree that you hear it crack, watch it fall, then as it hits the water, it sounds like thunder! Although the calving creates large waves, the little Harbor Seals, that are sometimes on ice chunks, just sit on their block of ice and enjoying it. It looks like they are surfing the waves! If you enjoy Thunder Storms, or just want the experience of viewing a calving glacier,  Kenai Fjords National Park is the place to go!

It’s been a beautiful week in Seward to go out into the Kenai Fjords National Park. On our National Park cruise we have seen numerous wildlife sightings including puffins, eagles, sea otters, mountain goats, and stellar sea lions. There are have also been many black bear sightings along the coast. The days have been clear and beautiful and we hope to get more days like this throughout the season. One of the highlights of our National Park cruise is glacier viewing. Although there were a couple days where we had to go off course due to ice we got to view another spectacular glacier in Aialik Bay named Holgate Glacier. There have been many whale sightings as well, plenty of orcas and humpbacks in numerous locations. Last Wednesday we saw six fin whales offshore after departing the islands which was surprising since fin whale viewings are rare. On our Wildlife cruise around Resurrection Bay we’ve seen many of the same wildlife sightings as the National Park Cruise as well as clear viewings of the four alpine glaciers up in the mountains in Thumb’s Cove. On Wednesday for the Wildlife cruise we got to see three humpback whales alternately breaching and spyhopping. Best whale show so far this year!

As we cruised along on our National Park  route, we saw Humpback Whales everywhere, or so it seemed! You may not believe it, but almost everywhere we went there was at least one Humpback Whale to be spotted. We  were also able to catch a pod of Orcas putting on a nice show in Ages Cove out in the Gulf of Alaska, plus we saw a ton of puffins!.  All in all it turned out to be, yet another spectacular Cruise for us.

Yesterday afternoon, we received a report that stated that a whale spout had been seen just south of Resurrection Bay, so we decided to go a little off our course. As we sat in “open Gulf of Alaska, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded,” not by Humpback or Orca whales, but Fin whales! Talk about a spectacular, once in a lifetime experience! Eight of these magnificent animals shout off Forty foot spouts regularly. It looked like a Geyser show! Although we do not see Fin whales very often, you never know, they may still be out there waiting to put on another show just for you!

    As spring turns into summer, the Puffins return to their summer homes. This past week the Puffins have been sparse, but then yesterday, out of the blue, they decided to show off their bright colors. Although not all of them have returned, many of them have arrived and are making themselves at home with the other wild life of Alaska. If you are interested in seeing these magnificent birds, they finally here!

Although the seas were a little bumpy, we were able to make it all the way out to Aialik Glacier for the first time this ‘08 season on Sat. May 10th . We took a slightly different rout than normal, but we still saw an abundance of wildlife for so early in the season. Eagles, Sea Otters, Stellar Sea Lions, Mountain Goats, Bears (a sow with 2 cubs), and a little Humpback Whale were spotted along with hundreds of Harbor seals and a large group of Dall’s Porpoise’s, which made it a very successful first outing.

Our second day in the National Park was quite bumpy, and not as much wild life was seen as the previous day out on the water. The winds were high, and the waves were almost to large to make it to Aialikglacier so they detoured to Holgate Glacier, and they were “rewarded with one of the LARGESTcalving I have EVER seen!!” (quote by the Captain) They  were also able to see Puffins, Eagles, Stellar Sea Lions, Mountain Goats, and Bears.