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UN-CRUISE Blog  filter by category: Whales

The Whale Whisperer

Within days, the Safari Explorer embarks for Hawaii for the 2nd season of Hawaiian Islands Un-Cruise Adventures. She’ll leave her Seattle home and make way through the passages of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca towards the open ocean. It’s roughly 2600 statute miles and 10-14 days to Kawaiihae harbor on Hawaii, the Big Island. Crew is hoping to make it in 11. She will carry 6 crew members for the trip, with both Captain Scott & Captain Jeff at the helm.

Bubblenet Feeding Up Close

Video taken by Betsy Boyer, videographer

Reports from the boats indicate it's been a crazy good summer for seeing humpback whales bubblenet feeding. Many guests aboard our small yachts and expedition vessels in Southeast Alaska have been lucky to see this feeding phenomenon.

We just found this video clip today and it's AMAZING. This is from the Safari Endeavour's August 19 Un-Cruise Adventure. Watch THIS!

ORCAS! Watching the Wolves of the Sea

By Hannah Hindley, expedition guide, Wilderness Explorer

“Orcas!” The shout relays back from stern to bow, and the ship explodes in commotion: bare feet pattering; swimsuit-clad guests leaping from the hot tub to grapple for binoculars; throngs of adventurers clustering around the box of life jackets, straining to be the very first passengers aboard the skiffs that were still being lowered to the water for impromptu whale watching tours.

The Best Of...the Wilderness Explorer's Inaugural Season

By Julie, Expedition Guide, Wilderness Explorer

As the Wilderness Explorer winds down her inaugural season here cruising the Northern Passages and Glacier Bay, I decided to ask my fellow crew members to share some of their fondest memories of the summer for this week’s blog post.

In the Still of the Evening...Orcas Play

By Bethany, Expedition Leader aboard the Wilderness Adventurer

It was the first night of our Un-Cruise, and two hours north of Ketchikan, we shut down our engines and put the hydrophone in the sea.

Bubbles Up!

By Ruth, Steward aboard the Safari Quest

Last week we witnessed humpback whales bubblenet feeding. It was my first time and it was pretty amazing. We guessed the pod was about twelve in number as we counted their flukes diving back down into the water.

A Deckhand from Hawaii Discovers Alaska

By Mitch Kaufman, Deckhand, Wilderness Explorer

Gas. Check. Life jackets. Check. I’m on my way to pick up a group of hikers. As I throttle up the skiff, icy wind from the nearby glacier hits my eyes. A tear forms at the outer edge, clouding my vision for a brief moment. I flashback to the series of incredible sights I have seen in the past few days--the amazing and powerful orcas that breached just in front of the ship’s bow.

Wolves of the Sea in Action

By Jackie Hedgepath, Expedition Guide aboard the Wilderness Explorer

We had just completed a full day of activities: snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, skiff touring, and hours of humpback whale watching. The guests had enjoyed a delicious dinner and were settled into the lounge for the naturalist’s “Whales of Alaska” presentation. Half an hour later, word came in that we were approaching a pod of Orca whales.