Video Highlights from our 2018 Northbound Learn to Cruise to Alaska Trip
We love the Inside Passage. It has beautiful scenery and amazing wildlife. From our homeport in Bellingham, Washington, the Inside Passage is a maze of narrow channels, steep fjords, and a wonderland of waterfalls. Every year we offer this trip to people looking for a chance to learn the ins-and-outs of the Inside Passage, from the best anchorages to timing open water crossings, and tidal rapids. If you think this sounds like something you’d be interested in check out our Learn to Cruise webpage.
Watching whales in the Inside Passage
On the second day of one of our southbound Learn to Cruise trips, we came across these two humpback whales foraging near the shore of Dundas Island. As they foraged we stayed a respectful distance to make sure we didn’t disturb them, but we were close enough that with binoculars and a good camera lens we got to see the individual markings on their flukes (tails) when they dove. When they surfaced, we could see the baleen in their mouths that they use to strain the fish or krill that they were eating.
It was fascinating to watch. The whales would often surface close to shore and my guess is that they were probably using the rocks underwater to help school their prey. We stayed with the whales for 20-30 minuets before heading on to Prince Rupert. Besides these two humpback whales we saw two others, several harbor seals, lots of different sea birds, and many bald eagles.