The morning was slow start since I was unable to do the day’s hike. Alan and I booked a boat tour of the Kensington Fjords National Park that started at 11:30am and lasted six hours. We were apprehensive because we had done a whale watching tour in Juneau and we didn’t get that close to the wildlife. Our worries quickly subsided as we witnessed Orcas surfacing within a better viewing distance than in Juneau. The views continued to be spectacular. We saw puffins, sea lions, harbor seals, humpback whales, dall porpoises, common murres, a black bear and the Holgate Glacier. The glacier was close enough to hear it cracking. Although we didn’t hike, it was a great day capped off with a fish and chips dinner at Miller’s Landing.
The humpbacks are on the right side of the photo and are bubble-net feeding. That is when a group of whales swim in a circle, blowing bubbles from their blowholes to create a "net" that encircles a school of fish or krill. The bubbles trap the prey, pushing them upward toward the surface, where the whales then lunge through the bubble net with their mouths open to feed. It was a unique display to witness; the gulls circled
At least five distinct humpbacks blowing out air.
Puffins can be seen in the middle of the picture on the rock ledges.
Stellar sea lions resting at their haul-out.
Black bear on the shoreline.
One of several glaciers seen from the boat.
Holgate Glacier, a tidewater glacier, is 5.3 miles long and reaches up to 500 feet above sea level.
Harbor seals “chilling” along the waters edge.
A fish cleaning operation just outside the restaurant where we had dinner.
