Juneau, Alaska
Our first port in Alaska was Juneau, the capital city. The ship was scheduled to dock but a change in plans meant we would be getting ashore by 
tender. On the ride to shore CJ and I learned from a crew member that another Holland America Ship was having propeller trouble and was staying at the dock. The ride was short and we were a bit early for our whale watching tour. Many of the ship's passengers were gathering for tours and the directions were not entirely clear. Eventually we were shepherded to a bus which took us to Auke Bay. The bus driver was a local and had a good sense of humor while telling us about the area we rode through.
At Allen Marine Tours a waterjet powered catamaran waited to take us out into Stephen's Passage to look for whales. As soon as we boarded the catamaran, I headed upstairs to get a seat. The boat has an upper deck with an open area for viewing and taking photos. Many other passengers also came up above but lots stayed down below in the more comfortable area. It didn't take long before the captain announced that whales had been spotted. The railings were soon occupied as people tried to see and take pictures. The humpback whales we were seeing have a distinct curvature to their backs as they head down into the water from the surface. Sometimes you get lucky and see the tail but not always. I always like to see the tail fluke as it drips water.
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Humpback whales tend to be solitary but they can cooperate. Several will get together to feed on schools of herring. The whales dive below and blow bubbles. The herring will not swim through the bubble column and the whales will "trap" them in a circle. Then the whales with come to the surface mouths agape while eating the herring. It's called bubble net feeding and is very exciting to see. We got to see three examples with the first group of whales. Several boats were encircling the whales watching the process. I got so excited that I forget to check my camera lens settings. The autofocus button was in the off position. Most of my pictures are out of focus but I did get lucky on some.
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After an hour the captain moved us to another location because we did have an itinerary to follow. Another group of tour boats indicated that more whales were active. Our boat joined the group and we were treated to three more examples of bubble net feeding. And then the exceptional occurred - a whale jumped completely out of the water. My head swiveled and I saw it all but my camera was late - just a picture of the splash. Everyone was talking about it and asking if anyone got pictures. I stayed at my place on the railing hoping but not expecting another "breach." My camera with a 100-400 mm lens was heavy and I let it down from my eye to rest my arms. That's when another breach occurred. But my camera was pointed in the right direction and I got two pictures. I was feeling very good about it but stayed at the rail. Another breach let me get another shot. The boat moved on and we did see more whales but no more breaches or bubble net feeding. What an exciting time we had and it makes me want to go back.
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