Ready to see some of the amazing heavyweights of the ocean? We climbed on board one of the whale watching vessels to see the humpback whales. While these animals are in Alaska, they create bubble nets, then swim up with gaping mouths ready to swallow the fish they had trapped. The mothers have already given birth to calves, or have been recently impregnated. Because of this, the whales are up here for one specific thing; dinner.

To participate in this bubble net, several whales work together while a single whale orchestrates the whole event. Once the fish are trapped, the whales begin to swim up, and swallow them. The birds above, take advantage of this and grab any fish they can prior to the whales getting their share. Watching these giant mouths rise from the water time, and time again is really amazing. If you are lucky, your boat crew may lower a hydrophone in the water, and you can hear their voices from below. It’s amazing to hear them communicate, then just prior to seeing their mouths on the water surface, all the noises stop.

Killer whales moving in their pods.While we were searching for some humpback whales, we came across two different pods of orca. They were amazing to see, and to know they were able to keep the same speed as the boat. At times, they were far away from the ship, and at other times they were right next to the boat. They appeared as if they were having fun being watched by all of us. We were able to see eagles, and seals too while exploring this amazing area.