Mist covers the hillsides; a lone figure is silhouetted against the sky. From the bridge of the ship she cups her hands to her mouth and repeats a call only the behemoths of the sea can hear. Aaa, ooh, ohh, rawhw, ooh…eeeh!� Drawn to her call as though they were in a trance they obligingly come. Like magnets that no force can stop they are attracted to the one they call the Whale Whisperer…� Bzzzz! NOT!

Maybe somewhere, someone like that does exist but its sure not here and it certainly is not me! Nevertheless, I do know where the whales are around SE Alaska and, as this is of major interest to many cruise guests, I thought I’d write a few words about the hot spots where whales are being seen this season.

As I write on July 8, 2006, I can see salmon jumping in Gastineau Channel, the body of water in front of Alaska’s capital city of Juneau. The sockeye are running which means anytime is a good time to spot killer whales. Some people object to the name killer whale and prefer “orca”. I like “killer whale” as these toothed whales are carnivores and among nature’s most elegant and efficient hunters. Here in Alaska they fed primarily on seals and salmon. Now that the salmon are abundant, pods of killer whales can be seen throughout SE Alaska and coastal British Columbia. The most reliable place for spotting killer whales is still Robson Bight along Johnstone Strait in British Columbia. Just south of Cormorant Island (home of Alert Bay and the world’s tallest totem pole); Robson Bight is a shoal that contains smooth stones upon which the whales enjoy rubbing their stomachs. Killer whales are unmistakable; when they surface their tall vertical dorsal fins look like rudders. The dorsal fin on large males can be 4-5 feet tall! They usually travel together in small groups or “pods” and hunt cooperatively. Toothed whales have only one blow hole so when they surface their exhalation is one vertical shot.

There are several species of baleen whales in the North Pacific but in Alaska, at this time of the year, humpbacks are most easily spotted. Baleen whales are “filter feeders” feasting on small micro-organisms like krill and plankton that they strain through the mesh-like baleen in their mouths. Having two blow holes their exhalation appears low and diffuse. Lucky humpback whale watchers may see the fluke or tail fin as the whale dives, or on rare occasions more gregarious behavior may be seen like fluke and pectoral fin slapping or breaching. Breaching is when the whale jumps entirely out of the water twisting and turning, producing an enormous splash!

The following are a few places where I have been spotting humpback whales;