A breaching whale interrupted our lunch today, as the Sea Lion cruised the placid waters of Chatham Strait and Frederick Sound. Dessert in hand, we scampered up on deck to see an obstreperous humpback whale. Then, against the dark horizon line of a distant island, we saw a marvelous sight which was rather like a geyser field. Columns of steamy whale breath rose and subsided, beckoning us onward. After some cautious approaches, we drifted and watched nine humpback whales feeding cooperatively. This rarely seen behavior is called "bubble-net" feeding, which is when whales dive together, and encircle their prey by releasing bubbles underwater. The object of the hunt is a school of fish, which is corralled inside the bubbles. Then, the entire pod of whales dashed upwards in perfect synchrony, and with their tremendous mouths agape to capture the fish. We saw them as they suddenly appeared at the surface and slowly closed their mouths. Not all humpbacks have this sophisticated skill, which some liken to tool use. We were delighted, but it was fatal for the fish, who were swallowed in vast quantities by the clever whales. We all congratulated ourselves on our good fortune.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 11 Jul 2000
From the Sea Lion in Alaska, 7/11/2000, National Geographic Sea Lion
- Aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion
- Alaska
Sign Up for Daily Expedition Reports
Fields with an asterisk (*) are required.
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.