Sperm whales are found worldwide, and in recent years southeast alaska longline fishermen have had a number of encounters with sperm whales in the gulf of alaska. Whale watchingalaska inside passage, late sept college. Likliehood of seeing whales in september alaska forum. In addition to gray whales, watch for steller sea lions, sea otters, dalls porpoises, harbor seals, bald eagles, and other whales including humpbacks and orcas. May september is great for killer whale viewing in southeast alaska and june september is the time to see the humpback whales that return to the inland passage of alaska. Many of the nature tourist areas are mostly shut down by midseptember, like denali and katmai national parks. April 6, 2020 by the planet d it was a sad day when we pulled into juneau on our alaskan, princess cruise.
From eyepopping color shows to northern lights displays and rare fishing opportunities, read on to find out the top reasons alaska should make your travel itinerary this fall. Average temperatures for alaska in september current results. Southeast, south central, southwest, interior and far north alaska. You can jump to a separate table for each region of the state.
Why climate scientists depend on alaskas indigenous. Falling in the often overlooked shoulder season, visiting alaska in september is one of the best kept secrets aroundso, shhhh. September is a shoulder month, but can still be an excellent time for wildlife. Killer whales are present in alaska may thru september. Various species of whales migrate between the warm coastal waters of mexico and the frigid waters of alaska. The best time to see these majestic marine mammals is from june until august. The best time to whale watch is from april to november, when approximately 600 humpbacks inhabit the waters of the northern inside passage. In denali national park, further north, the average temperature significantly drops to about 7 degrees celsius during. From what ive read, whale watching is usually best out of juneau. Humpback whales, blue whales, minke whales, orcas, belugasall of them inhabit the waters around the state. With this said, you would expect it to be very cold in alaska. There are eight species of whales that frequent the cold and icy waters of alaska. Alaska whale watching includes where to see whales in alaska. From juneau to kodiak, these whale watching areas are popular among tourist and residents alike.
For the purposes of this web site, whale will be interpreted as being limited to the larger of the cetacean order of mammals known to the. Read this before planning your whale watching tour in alaska. Is juneau the place to book a whale watching tour or is there somewhere better like skagway. To download the full whaleplanner as a graphic, please just click this link and save the graphic on the next. Belugas are one of the three alaska whales that spend all their lives in arctic waters. Sperm whales awe and vex alaska fishermen, alaska department. What is one of the better mid priced tours to book dont want to be on a small boat because of sea sickness. Going on a alaska cruise in mid september is this a good time to see whales and what is the weather like at this time. They mostly stay in the same area for 15 weeks or more, mostly in glacier bay or icy strait. The beluga, humpback, gray, orca, bowhead, blue, right, and minke whales.
Daily boat tours to tracy arm rarely return without whale sightings and youll often spot many on a single trip. Turnagain arm and alaska wildlife tour from anchorage. Humpback whale nearly docks at alaska marina duration. What is one of the better mid priced tours to book dont want to. The carcass of a humpback whale washed ashore at kincaid park, which attracted curious visitors on monday, september 25, 2017. Whalers used to call them devilfish because of their fierce defense they put up when hunted. The gray whale is a baleen whale it is a filter feeder. Marine mammal viewing alaska department of fish and game. A summer whale watching trip in southeastern alaska will give you lifelong memories of wildlife encounters.
The most important region for whale watching in alaska is the southeast around the inside passage with its countless fjords, glaciers, lakes and mountains. Whale watching tours are offered in juneau and near glacier bay. It takes about 6 years until they gradually turn white. While you will see humpies from a cruise ship, booking a whale watching excursion in juneau or icy strait point will get you much, much closer. We will be doing the usual cruise itinarey, inside passage, juneau, skagway and hubbard glacier etc. The whale was previously spotted floating in knik arm. She stressed that fishermen report a gamut of experiences whales are present but not interacting with fishing activity, they approach some boats more than others, they hit one set and not the next, and they have. Gray whales congregated in small pods of about 3 whales, but the pod may have as many as 16 members. These gentle giants are around 49 feet in length and can weigh up to 29 tons, aka 58,000lbs. The dead whale was previously spotted floating in knik arm.
Daily boat tours to tracy arm rarely return without whale sightings and youll often spot many on a. Seeing a colossal humpback whale take its deep, sounding dive with flukes flipping up above the surfaceor a killer whale leap in a spectacular, wavecrashing breachcan be one of the most breathtaking moments of your alaska experience. Blue whales are a member of the baleen family of whales, which holds the distinction for being the group encompassing the largest of the whale species. Situated as they are in one of the worlds premier whale grounds, juneau whale watching tours are a mustdo on any visit to alaska.
You also have a good chance of seeing minke whales, pacific whitesided. Alaska gray whale watching cruise major marine tours. Alaska s seafoodrich waters are the summer home of many different kinds of whales. Whale watching in anchorage starts with the belugas cruising in cook inlet. Juneaus whales are like snowbirds everywhere they spend the beautiful summer months here. How to see whales in alaska the best whale watching spots. We will be doing the usual cruise itinarey, inside passage, juneau, skagway and hubbard glacier etc appreciate all the advice and help from everyone who has posted on all the various topics in this forum. They can be seen near seward alaska in the waters of resurrection bay. So if you wanted to go bearviewing in katmai or visit denali and ride the shuttle. Alaska is famous for whale watching and if their beers are anything like their humpbacks, then you are in for a real treat. We are very interested in whale watching alaska whale watching in late september to mid october united states lonely planet forum thorn tree hi there, we use cookies to improve your experience on our website. Anchorage whale watching deals in anchorage, ak groupon.
For one thing, since this is more of a business hub than a tourist spot, hotels stay open year round, though they can offer better rates in september. The two lines that are often recommended on cruise critic are harv and marv harv and marvs alaska whale watching and orca enterprises juneau alaska whale watching orca enterprises. Its the only baleen whale that vocalizes, bellowing a peculiar song that can last up to twenty minutes, is repeated for hours and gradually changes over time. Spring and summer are ideal times for whale watching in alaska, particularly from the months of may through september. The whaleplanner september a whale watching infographic. Here, migratory humpback whales spend their summers feeding, and groups of whales work together to spin.
Unlike whale watching in the open ocean, the waters of juneau alaska are more restricted, which brings the whales closer together. From the boat, you may also spot orcas, seals, and sea otters. The tables give the normals for maximum and minimum temperatures based on weather data collected from 1981 to 2010 by the us. Taz whale watching tours offers two touring options each day, seven days per week may 28, 2016 through september 5, 2016. For gray and humpback whale viewing april and may are the best times but they are often seen all summer. Alaska had its hottest year on record in 2014, and for villagers in point hope who have hunted and foraged their meals for generations, climate change threatens their way of life. Telegraph cove on vancouver island, the orca capital of the world. Likliehood of seeing whales in september alaska message. From may to september, humpback whales that have migrated north from their winter feeding grounds feast on alaskas plentiful krill, herring, and bait fish. Across alaska, nearly all the whales migrate south between september and may, but some nonmating males do frequently stick around silver bay, in sitka, yearround. Beluga are special among all whales because they can turn their heads.
September is a time to meet the locals, who cherish the quieter season to explore their own backyard and experience a vacation close to home. But you must first go to where the whales are swimming. North pacific humpbacks leave their chilly alaskan feeding grounds in september. Best time to see whales in alaska alaska whale watching. Alaskan whales winter makin whoopee in hawaii pretty smart and summer havin babies and eating tons of fresh seafood in alaska. When we stepped out onto our balcony, we saw that the rain was coming down hard. Many of the nature tourist areas are mostly shut down by mid september, like denali and katmai national parks. For gray and humpback whale viewing april and may are. The humpback whale is one of the largest baleen whale species and a common though spectacular sight during summer months in alaska.
The dead whale floating in cook inlet has washed ashore at. From juneau to homer, youll find many opportunities to explore the spectacular seascape, from the open ocean to steepsided fjords. The first year the weather was just awsome and last year it was foggy, wet and cold. Save up to 75% on whale watching excursions from icy strait while on your alaska cruise. Following your pickup near the cruise ship pier, well get you over to auke bay, which is the prime time location to start a whale watching trip. Juneau exclusive whale watching excursion juneau excursions. Our gray whale watching cruise takes you through resurrection bay to the edge of the gulf of alaska in search of our returning visitors. See alaskan wildlife on this whale watching tour in hoonah that takes you out onto the waters of glacier bay and icy strait, where humpback whales arrive each year to feed before heading south for the winter. The best time to see alaska s resident orca whale pods are between early may to early june with whales being spotted during the months of june through september. Apr 06, 2020 whale watching in a very wet juneau, alaska updated. Alaska whale watching in late september to mid october. It can be, but not really in the may september alaska cruise season. Although the whales are present on into november, these are the better months because of the anticipated weather. Alaska s biggest cityrich with museums, shops and restaurantssees the least amount of change as august turns into september.
Whale watch alaska 317 west 12th, st, juneau, alaska 99801 rated 4. A forty minute cruise brings us to point adolphus, near the entrance to glacier bay national park and one of the most populated feeding grounds in alaska for humpback whales. Countless whales spend the summer near alaska shores feeding, and views of. Yes, thats a dead humpback whale floating off anchorage.
The hoonah whale season is roughly may to september. Though endangered worldwide, the most commonly seen whale in alaska is the humpback. Prince william sound in alaska is the summer habitat for gray, humpback and orca whales, making april through september some of the best months to whale watch. Jul 16, 2015 alaska had its hottest year on record in 2014, and for villagers in point hope who have hunted and foraged their meals for generations, climate change threatens their way of life. Whale watching in a very wet juneau, alaska the planet d. Whaletrips alaska the best tips for whale watching in. Blues and minke whales also feed in prince william sound during the summer. Most of our alaska grizzly bear safaris can still be enjoyed in september, and wildlife sightings are usually very impressive.
We will be cruising alaska in september and i am wondering what are the chances of seeing whales and in what areas they are likely to be. Whale watching tours, the taz near glacier bay, alaska. March 18th 2010 posted by susan judd to alaska activities, alaska trip planning, kenai fjords national park, seward alaska. Join us for our first tour of the season as we cruise through resurrection bay to the gulf of alaska in search of our returning visitors. Sitka whale biologist jan straley has begun studying these interactions between sperm whales and fishermen in the gulf of alaska. The past 2 years ive taken a cruise to alaska in sept. The best time to go to alaska for whale watching is between the months of april through september. Then, after your amazing experience whale watching in juneau alaska, its time to head to majestic mendenhall, the worlds only driveup glacier. Here, the protected inside passage waters are being constantly refilled by the northern pacific ocean with a supply of herring and krill, the major staples of a humpbacks. Whale watching in alaska is special since you can meet different species of whales here. Josiah patkotak fills out a report for the wildlife department after successfully striking a whale with his familys crew, patkotak crew, while senior wildlife. See alaskan wildlife on this whalewatching tour in hoonah that takes you out onto the waters of glacier bay and icy strait, where humpback whales arrive each year to feed before heading south for the winter. Noaa has received reports about the whale carcass every day since saturday.
Between may and september, humpbacks stay in the northern parts of the passage to feed. Average temperatures for september at cities, towns and parks throughout alaska are listed below in degrees fahrenheit and celsius. The best time for whale watching in alaska getaway usa. Today we were supposed to go dogsledding on a mendenhall glacier. If nature viewing is enjoyable to you, consider the bering sea crab fishing tour in ketchikan. In kantishna in late summer, all around the denali backcountry lodge, the blueberries are famously gigantic.
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