Whale watching in May

[wa.mama]

Hi everyone,

 

We will be in Juneau in late May. Is it too early to see many whales? We don't want to spend a lot of money searching the seas (have done that in Hawaii and Washington) if the orcas are still frolicking in the tropics.

Has anyone gone on a whale watching tour in May with good success?

 

Thanks!

[wolfie11]

There were several posts about this a few weeks ago, but humpback whales are common in May. Orca sightings are serendipitous and not as common as humpbacks.

[Coral]

I have done 4 whale watchings in May - all 4 had plenty of whales but only one time had orcas. Orcas are there in May but they are often only appearing every few days or so.

[bellebaby]

We went with Captain Larry last year in early May. Extensive sightings of both Orcas and Humpbacks. Great fun.

[Lovincruisin1321]

Hi Coral: I sent you an e-mail.

[Budget Queen]

Yes May is a great time for Humpbacks, but out of Juneau, orcas only show up every 5-10 days on average and far less likely seen. If you are sailing round trip Vancouver or one way, the place I have had consistant sightings of orcas is inside Vancouver at Robson Bight. IF you go with a line that has a ship naturalist, they will be very informative for you on the previous week's sightings. IF a priority, get to Victoria and take one of their orca trips. I alway go on the zodiacs but they have boats too. Orcas overall are not common sightings, humpbacks are.

[MCManders99]

I was in Alaska last May during the end of the month and we saw plenty of humpbacks. Even saw them from our balcony right inside of Glacier Bay. Plenty of opportunity for pictures. No Orcas though. Someone on a Kayak excursion saw an Orca. But that was the only thing I heard.

[Budget Queen]

I highly recommend anyone who is willing to invest the time to ALWAYS get out on deck early your Glacier Bay sailing day, since you are going through PRIME humpback areas. Last trip- only 2 of us out and a repeating breeching humpback that we watched for about 30 min. since the ship was "stalling" waiting for entrance into Glacier Bay. Very very common to see them.

[Bucky3]

And just what would early morning be here? About what time would this be? 4AM, 5AM, Earlier? Thanks - look forward to your posts every day!

[wolfie11]

You should be out on deck about an hour before your ship is scheduled to enter Glacier Bay. Icy Straits and the lower bay abound with humpbacks. If your ship arrives at 6am you should be out by 5am. If you are coming from the north, your ship may not arrive until 10am, in which case you should be on deck by 9.

[Budget Queen]

Even earlier, I am out by dawn which was 4:30am in May and 5:30am in August. The entire area is loaded.

 

I have been on sailings where the ships just floated for an hour waiting at the entrance to Glacier Bay, you have long gone by the prime areas. Especially if you are coming from Skagway/Juneau, it is a short distance and the ships have plenty of time for making the transit. I still say, to max. out your chances be up at first light.

[jimcat]

Even earlier, I am out by dawn which was 4:30am in May and 5:30am in August. The entire area is loaded.

 

I have been on sailings where the ships just floated for an hour waiting at the entrance to Glacier Bay, you have long gone by the prime areas. Especially if you are coming from Skagway/Juneau, it is a short distance and the ships have plenty of time for making the transit. I still say, to max. out your chances be up at first light.

 

What time is first lite in the first week of June? How much daylight is there at that time? 12 hours? Longer?

 

Thanks

[Budget Queen]

In June you have way more than 12 hours of daylight. I went mid May- I had twilight at 4:30am, so will you. Dusk 10pm with extended twilight.

[Bucky3]

Thanks BQ! Since we'll be on Volendam coming from Skagway there probably isn't much point in even going to bed the night before Glacier Bay!! Sounds like nap time will be in order while we are IN Glacier Bay. Maybe the thunder of calving will have to keep us awake!

[wa.mama]

Always helpful to hear from the experienced folks!

 

So, is it exponentially better to go out on a whalewatching tour, or watch from your balcony with binoculars? We're trying to budget our excursions towards the most "bang for the buck" and haven't been all that impressed with whalewatching tours in the past, but then have never been to ALASKA!

[Capt. Larry]

Budget Queen is good isn't she. Sunrise in early June will be at or a few minutes before 4:00 AM. Sunset at or just after 10:00 PM. If it is clear at night it will hardly get dark. On June 21 (summer solstace) sunrise is 3:50 AM and sunset at 10:10 PM. This can make for long days watching for whales and other wildlife. If there is a naturalist onboard your ship find them. They should know more about the times the ship will be in the most likely areas for whale sightings. There are also some great areas for Pacific White Side dolphins. Sightings from the ship usually require a good pair of binoculars if you want a good look. Many posts on the boards about binoculars.

[Budget Queen]

Always helpful to hear from the experienced folks!

 

So, is it exponentially better to go out on a whalewatching tour, or watch from your balcony with binoculars? We're trying to budget our excursions towards the most "bang for the buck" and haven't been all that impressed with whalewatching tours in the past, but then have never been to ALASKA!

 

 

You can't watch from your balcony with any sure thing, You need a front deck, it requires that you constantly scan AHEAD of you and track. Side viewing cuts your chances by over 50%. So definately you need a tour in my opinion.

 

If you haven't been "impressed" with whale watching- where did you go and what did you see? For clairfication- NORMAL sightings are blows, backs and tails, nothing more. Cruise brochures are greatly enhanced with breeching humpbacks, very rare. I whale watch probably 10 times year, I have seen plenty of behaviors but it is only due to all my exposure.

 

The whale watching in Alaska of course includes some great scenic sailing and some opportunity for other wildlife. It is costly, so be sure it's for you. :)

[Coral]

Always helpful to hear from the experienced folks!

 

So, is it exponentially better to go out on a whalewatching tour, or watch from your balcony with binoculars? We're trying to budget our excursions towards the most "bang for the buck" and haven't been all that impressed with whalewatching tours in the past, but then have never been to ALASKA!

 

My friends in the Seattle area had better whale watching locally (San Juan islands?) compared to Alaska. It all depends on the day. Out of 5 whale watching trips in Juneau - one was outstanding and the others, just pretty typical.

[wa.mama]

Our other whale watching trips have been in San Juans, Victoria, and Hawaii and we've found that they're mostly just long cruises into nowhere, with the occasional spout in the distance. In Maui, we saw whales much better off of our lanai than on the tour, which is why I hesitated to book a tour........

 

but I did book one, with FISHES out of ISP. They'll do some salmon fishing on the way back, and only do one tour a day, so it sounds like it will be a good experience. what do y'all think?

[Budget Queen]

but I did book one, with FISHES out of ISP. They'll do some salmon fishing on the way back, and only do one tour a day, so it sounds like it will be a good experience. what do y'all think?

 

 

 

This is a great option. :)