JUNEAU, Alaska — Capt. Jack Cadigan didn't promise we would see a fascinating process known as "bubble-net feeding" while on a 31/2-hour whale watch off Juneau. I hadn't ever seen a whole whale in the wild, so just spying one would do.
We left Auke Bay about 8 a.m. on a twin-engine boat with an observation hull. And not only did we soon spot whales; we were about to see the ingenious team feeding.
Humpback whales have no teeth. Instead, they have hundreds of fringed plates lining each side of the upper jaw, where the fringe acts like a comb to scoop up prey.
The whales feed in many ways, but the spectacular behavior I was seeing involves groups of whales using bubbles to trap fish.
"One whale dives deep beneath a school of herring and blows grapefruit-sized bubbles in a large circle to create a 'net' that traps the herring," said whale biologist Jan Straley of the University of Alaska Southeast. "The fish are trapped in the center of the bubble net, with the bubbles below continuously moving upward and forcing the herring closer together until the whales surge to the surface with their mouths wide open."
Juneau and Sitka are top spots to see humpback whales, though bubble-net feeding is more often seen at Juneau. Straley also recommends Chatham Strait, Frederick Sound and Stephens Passage.
Farther south, senior marine mammal scientist Lance Barrett-Lennard of the Vancouver Aquarium in British Columbia also has whale-watching suggestions. "Humpback whales are now showing up where they hadn't been seen in 100 years," he said, attributing the increase in whales to protection. His top picks for viewing: Telegraph Cove is an easy spot to see humpbacks June through September. He also suggests southeast side of Moresby Island in the Queen Charlotte Islands and Namu in Fitzhugh Sound.
Information: alaskahumpbacks.org, alaskawhalefoundation.org. Adventures in Alaska cruise: (877-586-3466, whale-watch.biz, $189 per person.)