Seward Alaska Whale Watching.
Whales in Seward AK.; Wow, Seward Alaska Whale Watching Tours are a must
for everyone in 2011. Visitors to Alaska all agree that booking a sightseeing
cruise from scenic Seward into the Kenai Fjords National Park is the
best place to see what coastal Alaska is all about! See the Whales
of Seward Alaska including Humpback Whales, Gray Whales, Killer Whales,
Blue Whales and possibility the Bottle Nose or Minke whale.
Visitors to Alaska all agree that booking a sightseeing cruise from
scenic Seward into the Kenai Fjords National Park is the best place
to see what coastal Alaska is all about!
Amid the smells of the salt water and the thrills of the tidewater
glaciers you will get to share the sea with many as six species of
whales depending on the time of year that you travel. When you take
one of the ever popular cruises you will soon be enjoying watching
the whales as they swim and breach around the tour boat. You can get
the personal attention from a smaller tour boat. Or you can go one
of the larger tour boats with their outside observation decks or spacious
inside heated cabins. Some cruises have a National Park Ranger on board
who explains the habits and characteristics of the whales while other
have area experts doing the same.
Seward Whale Watching Tours.
The two most commonly seen whales in the park near Seward Alaska are
the Orcas (Killer Whale) and the Humpback.
The Humpback Whales in Seward Alaska.
The Humpback whale is a giant weighing in at up to 40 tons. They feed
on Plankton and krill, eating as much as one tone per day. Humpbacks
are best viewed during the months of May through September with the
peak viewing time from the middle of June through the middle of August.
Orca or Killer Whales in Seward Alaska.
Sometimes called Killer Whales, these are actually the largest member
of the dolphin family. They are 15-30 feet long and weight up to 10
tons with top swimming speeds of 30 miles per hour. They usually travel
in pods eating a varied diet of salmon, fish, squid, porpoise, birds
and seals. Orcas can be spotted year round in the Kenai Fjords National
Park.
Gray whales are the only large whale that can be seen regularly and
in large number along Alaskan shores. Their peak viewing time is April
and October in the Kenai Fjords National Park. Adults can reach 36
to 50 feet and weigh in at 16 to 45 tons. Newborn calves are about
16 feet long and 1,500 pounds. They are the only baleen whale to be
mainly bottom feeders. They feed by lying on their sides along the
ocean floor and suck up sediment filtering out tube worms, plankton
and mollusks. In the five months they spend in Alaska one whale will
eat about 396,000 pounds of crustaceans.
Minke Whales in Seward Alaska.
Although these whales are seen less frequently in the park the Minke
whale can be seen from May through September. They one the smallest
baleen whale, about half the size of the humpback whale. Adult whales
are 25-30 feet long and can weigh 4-5 tons. They are shy, slow moving
whales that travel alone or in small pods of 2-3 whales. They favor
icy waters and eat primarily herring, cod and mackerel. This whale
can easily swim along at 15-20 miles per hour.
Blue Whales in Seward Alaska.
Blue whales are the largest living animal on earth. They weigh up
to 150 tons and measure 70-80 feet in length. They migrate up to Alaska
from their warmer wintering ground in Baja and may be seen in the Seward
Alaska area between May and September. They can eat up to eight tons
of krill per day. They are found in shallow waters where the light
penetrates allowing an increase in krill production.
Fin Whales in Seward Alaska.
Like their blue whale cousins, the fin whale is best viewed between
May through September. Their food preference is anchovies, herring,
lantern fish, squid and capelin and they may supplement this diet with
krill (a small shrimp-like creature). Fin whales are most often seen
in the open ocean and usually travel alone or sometimes in small pods
of 5-6. Today the population of fin whale is estimated at 100,000 world-wide.
Their narrow V-shaped head helps distinguish the fin whale from the
blue whale. They can swim at top speeds of 23 miles per hour which
is among the fastest of all whales.
Remember to keep your camera ready while you cruise through Alaska’s
Kenai Fjords so that you will be sure to catch these wonderfully amazing
creatures in nature’s beautiful playground called Alaska.
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