In just one day in Alaska, I watch humpback whales breaching again and again. My wildlife guide told me he saw them every day.
Kachemak Bay, Alaska
My guide, Joe Chmeleck, who owns The Lodge at Otter Cover https://lodgeottercove.com/ was confident that in just one day I would see plenty. And he was not wrong. The first sign of humpback whales are the gulls circling above the water. This means there are whales fishing beneath the waves. And sure enough a whale breaches, using its powerful tail fin to launch out of the water. Whales need to breath air, resurfacing every few minutes and so once you've spotted one you can follow it. When they travel at speed, they stay close to the surface to breathe more easily. This is known as porpoising.
Breaching humpbacks
Humpbacks can be seventeen metres long and weigh up to 30 tonnes. Research suggests the slap of water they make when they breach could be a ‘social sound’, helping groups communicate over long distances.
