Thanks for the kind words. On my trips to Alaska I stay in Petersburg (south of Frederick Sound). The tour operators out of Juneau don't travel to the Sound and the boats tend to be larger (more people). Early August seems to be the optimal time for whales. Here are some links to whet your appetite.
I normally stay for 7-10 days with an overnight in Seattle both ways. Alaska has a direct flight from KC to Seattle every day, then they have a daily from Seattle to Anchorage and back.
I rent a car so I can get around on the island although a car is not necessary depending where you stay. The B&B has kitchen facilities so you can cook for yourself. Petersburg population is approximately 3200, cruise ships can't get there (channel not deep enough) so there is no influx of 1000's of people.
The tour operator last year charged $375 for a whale watch trip. Its a full day, leave around 8:30-9:00 and return around 5:00. His boat has a heated cabin and enclosed bathroom, pack your own lunch. He can take up to 14 people, last year on the first trip there were 7 of us, second trip only 3 of us. He also does 4 hour trips to Le Conte glacier, its the southern most tidewater glacier in the US.
As you can probably tell I really like this location. Its not very "touristy" so its not crowded, a very laid back small town. If you have any questions I'll do my best to tell you what I know and have experienced. I think you would like it.
The tight cropped shots were just a bit of luck. I had my 200mm F2 mounted when the whale crossed in front of the boat, maybe a 100 feet out. Driver stopped the boat to see where it was going. Surprisingly it came towards the boat and swam under it from side to side 4-5 times then popped up behind us and continued to swim by the side of the boat for a few minutes, maybe about 15 feet out, far enough to get past the MFD of the lens. I had my 24-70 with me but no time to change lenses. I had no problem filling the frame.
Thanks for the kind words. On my trips to Alaska I stay in Petersburg (south of Frederick Sound). The tour operators out of Juneau don't travel to the Sound and the boats tend to be larger (more people). Early August seems to be the optimal time for whales. Here are some links to whet your appetite.
I normally stay for 7-10 days with an overnight in Seattle both ways. Alaska has a direct flight from KC to Seattle every day, then they have a daily from Seattle to Anchorage and back.
I rent a car so I can get around on the island although a car is not necessary depending where you stay. The B&B has kitchen facilities so you can cook for yourself. Petersburg population is approximately 3200, cruise ships can't get there (channel not deep enough) so there is no influx of 1000's of people.
The tour operator last year charged $375 for a whale watch trip. Its a full day, leave around 8:30-9:00 and return around 5:00. His boat has a heated cabin and enclosed bathroom, pack your own lunch. He can take up to 14 people, last year on the first trip there were 7 of us, second trip only 3 of us. He also does 4 hour trips to Le Conte glacier, its the southern most tidewater glacier in the US.
As you can probably tell I really like this location. Its not very "touristy" so its not crowded, a very laid back small town. If you have any questions I'll do my best to tell you what I know and have experienced. I think you would like it.
dale
Dec 26, 2017 at 02:08 PM
Previous versions of Dale Kirchhofer's message #14303521 « 850 for a whale watching tour. »
