Alaska is putting on a wildlife show right now. The rivers are filled with salmon, which brings out the bears and eagles. The inside passage is also filled with schooling fish like herring, which brings in the humpback whales. The only thing we were missing this week was the northern lights. Hopefully the clouds will part and give us a view before I take the ship down to Seattle in a week.
I run small expedition cruises onboard a 34 passengers cruise ship. We carry kayaks, stand up paddle boards, small zodiacs, and spend plenty of time taking photos of wildlife. Southeast Alaska and the inside passage is an amazing place to visit for this. If you have never been, it should be high on your list. I feel like this is the closest thing to an African safari as you can get in the states.
Check out some of these photos below to see a sampling of sights I was able to capture from just this past week aboard the Safari Explorer.
Feeding humpback whales working together in a coordinated behavior called Bubble Net Feeding.
I talked a few people into jumping into the zodiac with me to get a real close look at the whales.
Another close encounter, this time with our national bird, the bald eagle. I was lucky to have a pretty dramatic background and lots of colorful algae in the foreground to make this a very unique photo opportunity.
Eagle in flight
We were drifting in a salmon stream when this mom and cub popped out of the forest right beside us. A moment later a second cub came tumbling out as well.
This big male brown bear sauntered down the shoreline without a care in the world. He knew he was the top dog in these parts.
Another bubble net feeding group of humpbacks! The gulls would always give us a warning just before the whales would burst through the surface with their mouths wide open!
Down the gullet of a whale.
Like I said, Southeast Alaska is just amazing at this time of year. If you can't make it here, then I hope you can at least enjoy following along with my photos and adventures.
All my best,
Dai Mar Tamarack
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I was there a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately all I saw was rain... next time I'll hit you up for a ride on the Zodiac.
It does rain a lot here, but you do get those rare doses of sunshine amongst the grey. What were you doing out in these parts?
Adventuring. Exploring. I was in Valdez and Homer for about 4 days before heading north. I was hoping to see whales but I only saw crows.
Wow, incredible photos. I am excited to follow you and see the adventures you go on.
Thanks Sjarvie. Hopefully lots more to come :)