When is the hot season for the arrival of humpback whales in Juneau, Alaska? Naturally, inquiring minds want to know about the exciting arrival of the humpback whales. The answer is: they are here! We’ve been spotting them all whale season long. In fact, the humpback whales are here every year throughout the summer months. The season kick-starts from the beginning of May to September.
Why Do The Humpback Whales Come?
Because in the region of 5% of Southeast Alaska’s humpback whale population embark upon an annual odyssey to nourish themselves after a 3,000 mile migration. Courtesy of Juneau’s nutrient rich waters, which are teeming with herring and other baitfish, krill and plankton, the whales feast to their belly’s desire. And regularly, just like we do. But for the whales, it’s feeding time all day!
Although there may be more, as far as numbers go: 150 humpback whales have been officially documented, which abound in Juneau’s protected waters! And, because the Inside Passage of the Alaskan Marine Highway is a relatively narrow body of water, makes the whales easy to spot. It is estimated that the worldwide population is at least 80,000, with 18,000–20,000 in the North Pacific, about 12,000 in the North Atlantic and over 50,000 in the Southern Hemisphere, down from a prewhaling population of 125,000.
Humpback whales are migratory animals, traveling up to 3,000 miles from their feeding grounds in the cold waters of the Polar Regions, to their breeding grounds in the warmer waters of tropical regions. Often, in as little as 36 days! (Read more from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.) Specifically, the winter season sees the whales in North Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, Central America, Asia and Mexico. This is where the humpbacks propel the circle of life and nurse their young. Many then come to fill their bellies in the nutrient-rich waters of Alaska, Eastern Russia and British Columbia in the summer months.
Guzzling fish by the thousands!
Money-Back Guarantee
The Inside Passage in Southeast Alaska, served by the Alaskan Marine Highway, allows our captains and naturalists on board to easily locate and observe them in the protected channels of Juneau’s waters. By them, we mean 10 percent of the world’s ocean population of humpback whales. That’s a lot of whales! It is for this reason that we can offer our money back guarantee. If you do not see whales on your Juneau Whale Watch tour, you will receive 100 per cent of your money back. Giving you nothing to lose and everything to gain is what we do. See When’s the best time to see whales in Juneau, Alaska? and A typical whale watching tour
The hot season for humpback whales is now! Don’t miss it.
