Our Alaskan cruise was truly one of the most thrilling trips we have ever taken. The beauty of the landscape, the wildlife on land, and the marine animals were a large part of making the trip extra special. But out of everything we were able to experience, whale watching was the absolute favorite!
You will love viewing whales everywhere along Alaska’s coast. Whether you prefer humpback whales, killer whales, gray whales, steller sea lions, or even just bald eagles, summer months are the best time to do your whale watching. very few things are cooler than the first time you see tail slapping!
Other Marine Mammals
As a matter of fact, you will probably see other marine mammals and other wildlife species like sea otters, blue herons orca whales, black bears, fin whales, Dall’s porpoises, beluga whales, minke whales, blue whales, and even the amazing baleen whales anywhere from Alaska’s inside passage, in southeast Alaska, all the way to the Chukchi Seas which are north of Alaska and Russia.
Whale Watching Tours
Tour operators guarantee whale sightings almost everywhere in the gulf of Alaska including the open ocean. Some of the best oil viewings may be in the Arctic bay near Juneau which is in Glacier Bay National Park, particularly in the Kenai fjords national park area, and resurrection bay a straight that is 5 miles wide and 18 miles long near the northern mark most port of the gulf of Alaska.
The first wildlife viewing tour I took was near Mendenhall Glacier. It is awe-inspiring to see the world’s largest mammals breaking the surface of the water so close to the coast of Alaska! Tail lobbing, breath spouts, and even breaching above the surface are frequent, but the most commonly-seen whale behavior is simply arching in the water followed by a sight of the tail fluke.