Could I see whales in Tracy Arm Fjord?

[kgmoran]

I am sailing in Alaska in July and will be taking the small catamaran trip up the Tracy Arm Fjord - before the Solstice docks in Juneau. Later that day we are doing the Taku Lodge excursion. My question is - are whales ever sighted in the Fjord or should i try to get a short whale watching tour later in Juneau or in Victoria if i really want to see some whales. I really have no idea where whales are likely found and I couldn't find any answer to this question through search,

 

Thanks for your help!!

[Budget Queen]

It is likely you will get a brief view of a humpback. They are common to see. The other suggestion is to make an effort and always be on the look out on the cruise ship. I recently posted suggested areas for another poster based on their itinerary.

 

Victoria sighting stats are not 100% and the tours go out even when they know you won't see any whales. Juneau does have 100% sightings.

[RBKL]

We're doing the same two excursions from the Solstice in August.

 

Don't miss Brent Nixon's talks on board. He's great and very informative.

 

From what I understand in Juneau you'd likely see humpback whales. We did the Harv and Marv excursion and that's what we saw. We also saw them in Skagway as we were having dinner in Tuscan Grill and sailing away.

 

Not sure you'd have time to do a whale watching excusion and Taku Lodge.

 

In Victoria we saw Orcas. Not sure there are humpbacks there but we saw Orcas there. I think we'll do that excursion again. I understand it's a nice city but I want to see whales.

[Eaglecw]

No you’re not going to see any whales up in Tracy Arm Fjord. We did the small boat excursion up into Tracy Arm, it was the highlight of the cruise. On the way back to Juneau we did see a number of Humpback whales. My lovely wife and I spent a lot of time out on our balcony watching, we saw a lot of whales just out of Ketchikan. One night we were out on our balcony watching the sunset when we spotted a pod whales no more than 50 feet from the ship. I didn’t see anyone else out on their balconies, they missed great show.

[ikirumata]

We took a small bout tour to Tracy Arm and we saw whales on the way to and from the Fjord. Once inside the Fjord, we didn't see any whales. The trip's main focus was to see the Fjord and thus we didn't spend much time in search for whales.

 

I think that if you really want to see whales, its always a good idea to book an excursion specific to whale watching.

 

Have fun!

[Budget Queen]

For clarification- humpbacks are only going to be seen, about the 1/3 of the way into Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay. There is NO food closer to glaciers, and loaded with glacier silt. So the comments about were general, but the specifics are in my post.

 

Humpbacks are NOT "pod" whales, they are solitary, any "group" is temporary only pair will be mother and calf, with an unrelated male as an escort on migrations. Again, that "escort" is temporary.

 

Orcas are pod "whales" actually not even whales, but part of the dolphin family. The "pods" are family based, matriarch formed.

 

As I have mentioned, out of Juneau and Hoonah, humpbacks are seen 100% of the whale watches. Out of Victoria there are 3 southern resident orca pods, L,J,K pods. these are NOT seen on all the trips, and have hundreds of miles of range. I happen to have a vendor who discloses to me, if they are going to be seen, IF not, then I don't go out. I've been in Victoria, one trip waiting 4 days for them to get in range, which they never did that trip. I have spent a lot of time on Vancouver Island, whale watching both southern and northern orca pods. When a priority, I park myself there for DAYS and plan on multiple trips out, only way to hedge the bets. Clearly the more you go out the more you see.

 

It is best to have "realistic" expectations. I find many infrequent "watchers" expecting to see breaching, bubble netting, etc which are rare happenings. It's all about luck. :) Anything you see, is unique for you, those behaviors are a gift, and every trip is different. For some, like myself, it's addicting. I whale watch at least 15 times per year, something I've been doing for years and can't stop. :)

 

Enjoy the "ride", consider taking advantage of your opportunities and get the pleasure of a brief view at an animal the size of a school bus- in the sea. :)