It’s December. The boat is on the trailer and tucked up in the shed. The marine weather forecast is for 25 knot winds with 5 foot seas and the rain is pouring down here in Juneau. I should be be creating schedules and replying to emails but instead my mind has wandered to what the humpback whales are up this time of year.
Most of them, the pregnant ones, the cows with calfs, the breeding age males and females have left Alaska and are either on their way to Hawaii or already arrived there. They embarked on the 2,800 mile journey from Juneau to Maui around October/November time and will stay down there for most of the winter. I’m a bit jealous of that actually, did I mention it’s raining sideways here?
Of course not all the whales migrate to Hawaii each year. Some of them skip the trip completely and stay year round. There’s a good reason they do too. Once the whales start their migration they stop feeding and will only eat again when they return in May. The whales that stay here for the year feed throughout the winter and though next summer. Those whales must be fat and happy, luckily the nasty weather I mentioned earlier doesn’t seem bother them much.
It doesn’t bother me that much either as I sit at my desk dreaming of Hawaiian sunshine, calm seas and whales. I should get back to scheduling my tours for next summer. The whales might not be thinking of coming to Alaska just yet but the tourists are. So, send me an email or give me a call. I’m happy to help you plan your trip to Juneau, share local inside tips or answer any questions that you have!