Humpback whales, Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait, Alaska

Humpback Flukes and More Flukes...

These massive marine mammals winter in Hawaii and spend their summers feeding in Alaska. The best place to see them is in Frederick Sound, where hundreds of them gather. As they arc into their graceful dives (hence their name, humpbacks), they show their tails, better known as flukes. Each whale has a different fluke pattern, making them easy to identify.

Upper left, above and left: Poetry in motion. A group of humpback whales engage in synchronized swimming in Chatham Strait near Angoon

Above: Although visitors are not allowed to approach the whales closely, the whales often come to the visitors, as in the photos above, where whales swim under and around the boat. In the two photos above on the left, the spout or blowhole is clearly visible.

In a typical Southeast Alaska scene, clouds hang low over mountains as a whale sounds.

This humpback, its back terribly scarred by a boat prop, seemed especially attracted to us, repeatedly diving around the boat. [Note: the whale showed up again in 2006.]