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July 2022 A cruise exploring South East Alaska's Inner Passage is now officially one of our favorite photo shoots ever! Nothing could have prepared us for the abundance of marine life we would encounter. Our guides, Ron Niebrugge and Captain, Ben Swanson, did a great job of placing us in the center of the action. What a thrill to spend over two hours cruising along side a pod of 20+ Killer Whales. Family groups leaped and cavorted, splashing and swimming on their backs, or rolling and diving. The adults, ranging from 20-30 feet long, were often swimming with tiny (one ton) babies at their sides. I can only describe the experience as pure joy, for both the humans and the Orcas! Not to be out done, Humpback Whales put on a spectacular show as well. Working in unison, groups of 5 to 7 Humpbacks, have developed an incredible fishing technique known as "Bubble Feeding", It begins with a cheery wave of tail flukes, as several whales dive down in quick succession to search for a tasty school of herring. Once located, the Humpbacks literally blow nets of bubbles to encircle and confuse the fish. Finally, in a beautifully coordinated dance, the whales surge upward, in an enormous eruption of gaping mouths and spraying water. In this way they trap hundreds of fish in their baleen lined mouths. Truly, it's hard to describe the adrenalin rush one gets when six thirty-ton whales launch themselves out of the water yards from your boat! Encounters with Grizzly bears, sea lions, calving glaciers, and jaw dropping scenery all combined for eight days of pure photoing bliss.
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