Whale Watching Tours in Alaska

All over Alaska you can find whale watching tours and see some of the varieties of Alaskan whales. The whales actually exhibit human characteristics as they live in family groups, help each other in times of trouble and talk among themselves. Alaskan waters have the largest concentration of humpback, orca, gray and beluga whales in the North Pacific. There are 17 species of whales in Alaska. Whales can stay underwater for a long time and not take in oxygen because of their inimitable respiratory system. They breathe through blowholes or nostrils on the top of their head when they come to the surface. The blowholes lead to the trachea and then to the lungs. Water can't get into the blow holes since they are covered by muscular flaps. The large size of a whale is due to the fact that water and not their skeleton supports their body. The whale's bones are light, flexible and spongy. Fat and oil in the bones heighten floating.

The beautiful inner passageway of Southeast Alaska is where you can find large populations of humpback whales. This area is protected from the open ocean and is said to be one of the best places in the world to watch these giant mammals. Many humpback whales gather here to eat the ample amount of herring and krill. Alaska Sea Adventures can take you to see these passageways safely.

Killer or orca whales live in Alaskan waters year round. This kind of whale can swim at a fast speed of up to 30 miles per hour. From late March though mid May gray whales are in the area of Southcentral Alaska and Kenai Fjords National Park. They are headed to Chukchi and Bering seas where they find northern feeding grounds. Hundreds of gray whales have been seen along the wild margins of the Pacific Ocean north of Sitka, Alaska. Humpback whales live in the waters of Sitka Sound from the middle of September to the middle of January. In Southwest Alaska there is an Island called Afognak. It is located 25 miles north of the city of Kodiak. During the spring different kinds of whales such as orcas, gray whales, humpbacks, finbacks and minke migrate through these waters.