Our scheduled for today was titled "Cruising for Critters" meaning we'd spend the day in passage from Glacier Bay down to Sitka and hopefully find something in between to keep us content as guests onboard. There were several items on the schedule. Yoga was in the morning followed by our scheduled massages. Then a poker tournament with Captain Dano in the Pesky Barnacle Lounge. And in the afternoon more yoga and then a few of the deckhands would teach us all how to tie the ship knots. In the moments between we expected to stare out the window and just cruise along - a book in one hand and cappuccino in the other.
Apparently the WHALES had another plan in mind! Our crew informed us that they hoped to see one or two but the majority had already migrated down the coast to warmer waters. Little did they know. . . .
Our first sighting happened just before lunch and the Captain came over the loud speaker, calling us outside from the poker tournament. We all hussled to the railings and watched in awe as far in the distance, we saw a humpback breaching the water's surface. As we sailed slowly forward the pod emerged from the water and gave us quite a show as they fed off the shore. I cannot describe the awe that you have at this moment watching these beautiful and elegant creatures skimming along the water. Then out of nowhere we see them begin to bubble net feed. They created a cyclone net of bubbles that scares the fish to the surface of the water. Then with all the fish condensed in a group you see four, five, six giant mouths piercing the surface gobbling them up. Each feeding is about ten minutes apart and you never know where they'll end up when they surface. We begin to watch the birds who swarm when then see opportunity rising below. They dive to catch fish a split second before the whales breach.
Hours passed and we weren't even aware. We watched them feed along the inlet and you could hear the soft puff of air as they exhaled reaching the waters surface and spouting mist into the air. We hear shouts from the aft of the ship as another humpback was spotted coming into the cove. He was on a mission for food and we could not get in his way! We speculated the reason for his coming to be the call of one humpback in the feeding group. He seems to be sending out the message of abundant food in this little cove - Dinner, get it while it’s hot!
Cocktail hour rolled around and we took a short break to refresh ourselves in the lounge. The whales humored us by waiting another ten minutes before surfacing. By that time we had grabbed a couple drinks and piled a plate with crab legs, fresh baked bread & artichoke dip and scurried back up to the top deck below the captain looking out from the bridge. Cheers to you Whales, you magnificent beasts! All in all not a bad day. Certainly not the uneventful cruising day we had originally expected.
The agent had great response to questions and coordinated well to create an itinerary that met our expectations.
Bob Sunshine
1 day ago
Very responsive to all questions
Teresa Cardoso
2 days ago
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
2 days ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
3 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.