Humpback Whales

Nearly all of your sightings will be humback whales. Local numbers vary from week to week. Some will stay in our area year round.

The classic whale tail photo is always impresive. Each fluke is different just like a fingerprint.

Blows are visible for quite a distance. The sound is even more incredible!!!

Humpbacks spend their Alaska summers focused on feeding. When humpbacks lunge feed as shown above, their throat expands to take in huge volumes of water. Food is retained in the baleen as it expels all of the excess water.

Breaching whales are less common in Alaska than in their winter mating grounds of Hawaii.

Note: There are no resident pods of Killer Whales (Orcas) near Sitka.
Occassionally, a very small transient pod is sighted. Usually snacking on local marine mammals.