The Orca Voyager!

Yesterday I got to go on a whale watching tour through the company David works for and had a chance to see what he gets to experience everyday as a deckhand! Our vessel was the Orca Voyager and we had just about 4 hours out in Ressurection Bay and the Ocean  for whale watching and viewing other sea life and scenery. So far, it was the best time I've had here in Alaska. When we woke up in the morning and heard rain pouring down, I have to admit I was a little irritated, the weather forecast had said that it was supposed to be sunny with a few clouds. But I really wanted to go on this tour and get a chance to see the whales and other things that are out there. So I just dressed as warm as I could in clothes that would stay dry. However, after grabbing a coffee and getting to the dock, the weather cleared, and the wind settled. It ended up being weather that the captain called "a mariners dream day at sea". So we checked in, boarded and waiting for departure! 

Waiting for the Voyage :)

Soon enough we were off and within 20 minutes or so we were out of Ressurection Bay and exploring.    The first bit of the tour, we didn't see much except for the beautiful mountain scenery. We got some really amazing binoculars for the tour and I had them around my neck the whole time at the ready! The captain did spot some otters, who are usually very friendly and love attention. But for some reason this day, they were shy, so after spending a few minutes looking for them, we headed farther our in search of whales. On the way out we saw a few mountain goats, who without someone pointing them out to me looked like patches of white snow. Theses goats are insane! They spend their lives scaling steep cliff sides! I even got to see one climb a little bit. Let's just say, I would not like to be a mountain goat in my next life. :)

It gets pretty windy out there! First part of the tour we were surrounded with snowy mountains!

We kept going farther and farther out. We saw a few blows made by the whales and the captian would take us over to that area to see if we could get a better look at the whales. For the first little bit, it was hard to find or see anything. But with a little patience, there it was! The very first humpback whale I'd ever seen! Sadly I do not have pictures due to the limited ability of an iPhone camera. But I saw a massive tail come out of the water and slowly slide back in. The captain turned the boat towards the whale and it was swimming towards us. He turns off the engine and everyone gets  really silent. Through the binoculars I just saw this ancient massive creature slowly swim, sticking it's dorsal fin out of the water. I mean these whales are HUGE! Then after a few shows of it's fin, it dives, giving us one last show of it's tail. It was so amazing! But, the captain kept onward. We went to a place where there was a bunch of rocky cliffs and beautiful blue green waters. We got to spot some seals and sea birds (Oyster Catchers?). The sea birds we saw can dive up to 60 feet into the water to feed. They're small and stealthy little birds and it was fun to watch them fly around dipping in and out of the water.

Handsome David with the Rocky Cliffs! It reminded me of the Goonies and I was waiting for a pirate ship to come out any minute!

The natural scenery the whole tour was breath taking. I think when I dreamed of coming to Alaska, the things and places I saw on this tour are what I had in mind. The most beautiful, pristine, clean, untouched, and absolutely amazing place I've ever seen. 

Another Cliffside

Happy to share this incredible day and experience!! 

We kept on going and going. I looked at the clock and we still had 2 more hours left! I got excited because I didn't want the day to be over so fast! On the way we saw a couple for humpback whales, mostly their tails dipping down for a dive. But the captain got a call from another boat that was out who had spotted some pods of Orca (Killer) whales. So we made our way over to the area they were spotted. Sure enough, there they were! It was so amazing to watch them, they were so close to the boat! It was a pod of about 5 or 6. There was a big bull (the male) and even a little baby who seemed to like to flick his tail out of the water and give us a little show. The captain explained to us that our here there are resident Orcas and transient orcas. The resident Orca's stay in the general area depending on where the food is. They usually feel on the fish. But the transient Orcas come from all over and are the Orcas who will feel on seals. So we watched these Orcas for about 10 minutes swim past out boat, listening to them breathe each time they came up. I got to see the faces of a lot of them, but my favorite was the cute little baby. The whole time it was such a neat feeling to be out there on the boat, away from our normal lives, getting a chance to watch these amazing creatures in their normal lives. It felt like a gift to spend the day in their home and they graced us with letting us see them! Again, I wish I could of got better pictures of them! But iPhones are the greatest for whale pictures! :)

Best pic I could get with my iPhone of the orca! Baldie included ;)

For the next hour or so, it was more and more soaking up the beautiful scenery. We spotted some more seals. These little dudettes are so cute. They look like little, well actually fat little sausages. They got up the rocks were lazily lounging in the sun. I saw some playing in the water splashing around, but mostly just snoozing in the sun. 

More Beauty!!!

Enjoying the day!

Enjoying the amazing beauty of Mother Earth!

Say "ALASKA!" Cheese!

The whole day was full of amazement and beauty! But we received two grand finales to the tour. On our way in some playful propioses made their way to our boat. These little cuties love attention and love to swim on the wake of the boat. They made their way to the front of the boat and the captian slowed down a bit. The captain said they can swim up to 25 miles per hour. So they swam in front of our boat for a few minutes popping in and out of the water. It was so cool to stand in the front of the boat and watch them swim! They are black and white so you can see them even when they're under water. The captain explained they love the noise so we were encourage to clap, whistle, and cheer them on! A woman who works for the company and has been on over 30 of these tours says it's the best show she's ever seen! It was definitely the most exciting part of the trip! 

Luckily I got some video of them playing!

The 2nd grand finale we got on this tour was one last sighting of a humpback whale. The whole day when we spotted whales it was usually it's tail fin or dorsal fin. This time it was their pectoral fin or side fin. This whale was sticking it's pectoral fin straight out of the water and smacking it on the surface of the water. The whale did this for at least a minute, smacking the water, raising it's fin back up, and smacking down again. I just stood viewing it, imagining the whale saying in some ancient wise voice "Thanks for coming, see you again later". It felt like it was waving goodbye to us as we were starting to head back into port. Then after a it's waves goodbye it dove, giving us on last full look at it's huge tail fin! 

The day was magical and showed me everything I thought Alaska would be. I was humbled by all the beauty of the scenery, wildlife, and pureness of this place. The day also reminded me that it is only May and I have at least another 5 months here! The weather, scenery, and wildlife viewing will only get better (as some of my local friends have told me!). I can't wait to go on another tour! I think next week, we are going on a longer tour that takes us around the National Parks, including glacier viewing! 

The day ended perfectly. It was sunny and the warmest day we've had here so far. We walked over to local's favorite resturaunt called 'Chinnocks' to have a bite and beer. To make the day even more perfect, they have my new favorite beer on tap (Kenai River Oatmeal Stout). We got a beer and some food and our new friends Rubye and Issac came down to join us! They are a super nice couple who grew up here in Seward and so are sort of like our personal Seward tour guides! 

I really couldn't of asked for anything else yesterday! It was perfect and all I can say is that I am so happy I made the choice to come to Alaska! Now everyone come book your tickets to come visit me! :) 

Lots of Love!!

Until next time, 

Jillian