Whale Watching with Gastineau Guiding Company
Months before our departure we picked our excursions based on their descriptions on the Princess Cruises website. We could not have been happier with our choice! This particular excursion started with a minibus ride from our port in Juneau to Auke Bay, AK. Since we were running ahead of schedule we were able to stop at a beautiful location to view and photograph the Mendenhall Glacier with a lovely meadow of fireweed in the foreground and mountains in the background. As we travelled along our guide, Krichelle, gave us some history, details and points of interest on Juneau. Also, we got our snack packs-water, granola bar, chocolate and fruit leather.
When we arrived at the marina we gathered with our small group of 16 and headed to the boat-Sounder. We boarded, met Captain Toby and then got our safety briefing before leaving the dock. While motoring out Krichelle gave us lots of information about the humpback whales: their behavior, migration, eating habits, songs and identification methods.
Krichelle our naturalist 
Our ride
Once in the bay area it was not long before we spotted our first whale. During our time out we saw one whale stop activity to take a nap-who knew! We saw three whales who stayed together-a mom, her baby and an escort. At one point the microphone was in the water and we were able to hear one of them call out-absolutely amazing. The other captains were in constant communication keeping each other updated so we motored around from point to point to where the whales were coming out of the water.
This particular excursion included cataloging the whales we sighted by photographing them. Krichelle offered up the camera to whoever wanted to take pictures and I happily volunteered. As with everyone else on the boat I spent my time going from side to side and front to back angling to get the best picture. We learned the whales are identified by their tails-the fluke color patterns and edge. By the time we left we recognized a few of the whales we saw repeatedly-that definitely made it a more impactful experience rather than just watching them.
There are strict rules about how close the boats can get to the whales as well as how long they can stay in a particular spot. From our experience both our on board naturalist and boat captain were very focused on abiding by these rules in order to maintain the environment for the whales and other wildlife who live in the area. During our excursion we saw bald eagles, sea otters, seals, and of course the humpback whales!
When our time was up we headed back to the dock, got on our bus and headed back to the Coral Princess. I would highly recommend this company for your whale watching experience!!
Photos by Gary Dickinson
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