We provide a personalized experience, offering guided day tours and two. A journey into prince william sound is unforgettable. It is a jewel in alaskas varied geological landscape, littered with glaciers, mountains, lush forested hillsides, marine life, abundant bird life and sheltered waterways. Gateway to prince william sound phillips glacier cruises.
Pdf distribution of killer whale pods in prince william sound. North gulf oceanic society whale research, conservation. They have examined both the two pods of whales exposed to the oil in prince william sound as well as the other resident and transient pods which were not in. Book your tickets online for prince william sound, alaska. Prince william sound, alaska kayaking with ilene price. Minke whales spend spring and summer months in alaskas kachemak bay, glacier bay and prince william sound. This familyrun company operating out of valdez will show you the best glaciers, with great customer service along the way.
Wildlife viewing near prince william sound, alaska. You know how is when you get some hairbrained scheme in your head and ignore absolutely every piece of advise and research that could possibly squash your hopes and dreams, so it was with the clams. The tour boats provide not only a broad audience for the dissemination of our. As a result of the very rich waters of prince william sound, we are lucky to have an abundant population of humpback whales, some of which migrate here in the summer months to feed, and others which stay in the sound year round.
Prince william sound is a surprising jewel along the otherwise rugged alaska coastline between cook inlet and yakutat bay. Our beachable boats provide safe, fast, friendly, and dependable dropoff and pickup services anywhere in western prince william sound. Adventure awaits you in the beautiful and sunny san juan islands. British explorer captain james cook made the european discovery of prince william sound in 1778. Prince william sound article about prince william sound. Prince william sound pws is a mixture of glacierhewn fjords, rainforestblanketed islands, and rugged mountain peaks. This project is part of ongoing killer whale research in prince william sound and.
Dalls porpoise were found throughout the year in prince william sound, and used a. Prince william sound encompasses 3,800 miles of coastline, bounded to the east and north by the chugach mountains and to the west by the kenai peninsula. Prince william sound offers a visitor the exxon valdez oil spill, captain stan stephens cruises, bligh reef, cordova, eyak indians, clear cuts, salmon. Using a historical dataset 19782009, we constructed the first time series of estimated humpback whale abundance in western pws that is also one of the longest time series used in analyses of.
The prince william sound management area encompasses all coastal waters and inland drainages entering the gulf of alaska between cape suckling and cape fairfield. This longtime operator offers upclose views of glaciers, wildlife, mountains and the rugged beauty of prince william sound in one afternoonwhich plenty of people say was the. Prince william sound kayak center has been in business for over 30 years providing quality gear and the best fiberglass kayaks no plastic for adventures into alaskas prince william sound. Today, the 25,090squaremile 65,000squarekilometer passage southeast of anchorage, alaska, is the focal point of an ongoing political and environmental issue. Download scientific diagram late season attendance patterns of humpback whales in prince william sound, lynn canal and sitka sound. Like all of our other alaska tours, the humpback whale watching is excellent.
Rockfish, and salmon on a guided fishing trip through prince william sounds islands and the gulf of alaska. Late season attendance patterns of humpback whales in prince. The prince william sound kayak tour showcases the absolute best. Killer whale orcinus orca deaths in prince william sound. A quick trip to prince william sound opens up a wonderland of massive glaciers, dense spruce forests, and abundant wildlife to explore on our glacier and wildlife cruises. Individual families, wedding parties, groups of friends, photographers, educators, and other small groups can charter the boat for their exclusive cruise and enjoy a private wilderness experience. For more chugach national forest pictures visit our chugach national forest photo gallery. This islandspeckled sound named for an 18thcentury british prince is home to precipitous fjords, sheersided coastal mountains, numerous boomcrashing tidal glaciers, remarkable bird and animal life, and three very unique villages that guard the gates to. Cutthroat trout, dolly varden, and an array of salmon species are nearby.
Whittier is located at the head of passage canal on prince william sound, 60 miles southeast of anchorage via the seward highway and whittier access road. During your prince william sound cruise, we provide all the outdoor gear you need for excursions, including very stable and comfortable sea kayaks, rubber boots for nature hikes and beachcombing, rain gear for the occasional drizzly day, fishing poles and equipment, gold pans for trying your luck in the streams, and binoculars for wildlife viewing. Orca and humpback whales in prince william sound alaska on a paddlers realm sea kayaking expedition. Seasonal distribution of dalls porpoise in prince william sound. Its largest port is valdez, at the southern terminus of the transalaska pipeline system. Ever since eva saulitis began her whale research in alaska in the 1980s, she has been drawn deeply into the lives of a single extended family of endangered orcas struggling to survive in prince william sound. May and june tide charts for whittier, prince william sound. Commercially important for the fishing and oil industries, the sound is also prized for its abundance of marine and coastal life, its rain forest of sitka spruce and western hemlock, and its. View whales and sea otters on your way to the lodge and from the viewing deck during your stay. Prince william sound whale watching cruises are available out of valdez and whittier alaska and rate high amongst alaska cruise ship passengers and visitors alike. Prince william sound, large, irregular, islanded inlet of the gulf of alaska, s alaska, e of the kenai peninsula.
Killer whales of southern alaska north gulf oceanic society. Their blow is rarely visible and disappears quickly after exhaling. Cugatski zaliv is a sound of the gulf of alaska on the south coast of the u. Prince william sound, alaska department of fish and game. The commercial tanner crab fishery in prince william sound boomed from 1968 until the late 1970s, when the catch began to decline before the fishery was closed in 1988. After the last breath, the whale makes a slight arch of the back and tail stock as it begins to sound. Located 25 miles south of alyeska resort, whittier is a unique experience.
The area is very wet, making many, many streams and a few lakes, all of which of course provide fish habitat. Click the map to download a printable version that you can zoom and save. The prince william sound is filled with wildlife viewing opportunities. Additionally, this kayak tour enables us to approach even closer to glaciers and the locations where icebergs are created. Other settlements on the sound, which contains numerous small islands, include cordova and. Pws tanner crab fishery gives winter season a boost.
Science entwines with matters of the human heart as a whale researcher chronicles the lives of an endangered family of orcas. Simultaneously, the recovery of north pacific humpback whales barlow et al. From guided fishing to whale watching, tidewater glaciers, wildlife viewing, kayak excursions, hiking, and luxury wilderness lodging, weve got you covered. In prince william sound pws, changes in abundance of humpback whales megaptera novaeangliae, one of pwss primary marine predator species, have until now been largely unknown. Watch while gray whales chow down in resurrection bay this. Whale watching in prince william sound northern explorer. The tide charts below show the height, time and date of high and low tides for the next 30 days. May 14, 2020 major marine tours no longer operates glacier and wildlife cruises in whittier, alaska starting in 2019. Prince william sound travel alaska, usa lonely planet. Whale watching, and wildlife and glacier tours led by a marine biologist.
Explore prince william sound holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. The prince rupert area is home to some of the most spectacular whale watching in the world. Some of the most favored wildlife viewings are of whales. Major marine tours prince william sound glacier cruise. Prince william sound adventures has been able to view most of these species on the whale watching tours we provide. It is located on the east side of the kenai peninsula. Two types of killer whales inhabit the gulf of alaska. The whale moves faster while submerged and will resurface to repeat the same breathing and diving pattern. Prince william sound surprise glacier cruise family of four total 17 of us took the 6 hr tour. Alaska is fortunate to have eight species of whales that frequent the cold waters. In recent years ab pod has been seen less often inside prince william sound.
The ad11s have become an easy pod for tour boats to identify, having two. Whale watching is one of the top activities in alaskas prince william sound, where patient visitors are often rewarded with views of active orcas and humpback. Well take the boat for a beach landing so you can explore the beaches of prince william sound. Anchorage is alaskas largest city where many visitors start their alaska vacation. But the prince william sound adventure features the extra bonus of visiting the best location in alaska for sea kayaking with orca whales. A growing portion of the discoverys season provides customized, private voyages into alaskas prized seacoast region of prince william sound. Humpback whales average 4045 feet long but can reach lengths of up to 55 feet. Distribution of killer whale pods in prince william sound. Visitors must travel through the whittier tunnel, originally constructed for train travel, but converted in 2000 to handle both trains and auto traffic. When the first gray whale breached, it caught many of us off guard. Phillips cruises and tours, llc provides prince william sound glacier cruises to. View the majestic alpine and tidewater glaciers in college and harriman fjord while traveling in luxurious comfort aboard the mv klondike express, the fastest catamaran in alaska. A little online research, of course, indicated that clamming season was traditionally during the summer, but open year round no permit required.
Orca whale jumping in prince william sound youtube. Alaska whale watching tours best in seward, whittier. This whale can be tricky for whale watcher to spot, as they are small and easily hidden in a choppy sea. Our stock photos of prince william sound include photos of wildlife, recreation, aerials, glaciers and landscapes found in prince william sound and the chugach national forest. Initially i was skeptical about the tour, but it turned out one of our best tours in alaska. Tide times and tide chart for whittier, prince william sound. But the harbor is bustling again with a fishing fleet getting ready to harvest salmon, halibut and cod. Best whale watching tour boat on san juan island western. Seasonal presence and potential influence of humpback whales on. Since the 1989 oil spill, scientists have followed closely the killer whale populations of southeast alaska. Prince william sound activities eshamy bay lodge alaska.
Those affected were ab pod 35 members in 1984, part of the southern alaska population of resident fisheating killer whales, and the at1 transient marine. Last spring high tide at whittier, prince william sound was on thu 07 may height. On any given day trip youll likely see huge rafts of sea otters, horned and tufted puffins, cormorants, humpback whales, or even bald eagles. These baleen whales swim in a circle around a school of fish, blowing bubbles to confine the fish. More than two decades later, have killer whales recovered. Cruise prince william sound in alaska for a look at humpback, gray and orca whales.
I guide through anadyr adventures, a kayak company in valdez that has been offering tours since 1989. My 10yearold pointed toward the stern, mouth hanging open, as again and again the. Anecdotal reports and harvest records suggest black bear numbers may have increased substantially during the last half of the 1990s in western prince william sound s game management unit 6d. Humpback whales feed in a truly unique way called bubble net feeding. An orca pod in prince william sound is near extinction and the local herring fishery isnt back. In prince william sound, the presence of whales coincided with the peak of herring abundance, allowing whales to maximize the consumption of overwintering. During the period 19851990 in prince william sound pws, alaska, two groups of killer whales orcinus orca experienced unusually high mortality rates, but others did not dahlheim and matkin 1994. The following itineraries all start and finish in valdez, a beautiful coastal town in northeast prince william sound, nestled amongst snowcapped peaks of the chugach mountains. The beluga, humpback, grey, orca, bowhead, blue, right, and minke whales. Army during wwii as a port and petroleum delivery center, today whittier is home port for fishermen, recreational boaters, the alaska state ferry and a number of privately operated excursion and charter boat services. During the summer season, there are a number of great places to dine out in whittier. Features a photo gallery and natural history notes.
First time series of estimated humpback whale megaptera. Prince william sound wildlife viewing prince william. Your options include freshcaught local seafood and awesome blues music at varleys swiftwater cafe, the wonderful cuisine at china sea restaurant, gourmet westcoast fare at the inn at whittier, or the tastiest burger in town among other things at. Orcas killer whales, minke whales and mighty humpback whales frequent the protected waters of chatham sound literally on the doorstop of prince rupert harbour, where our whale watching tours are based whale watching takes place throughout the summer season with the best. Phillips cruises alaska glacier tours whittier prince william sound. From my tent on growler island in prince william sound i gazed at vast expanses of the alaska wilderness. Discovery voyages alaskas smallship cruise experts. This large semiprotected sound is surrounded by the coast mountains giving it exceptional scenery. When is the best time to see minke whales in alaska.
Distribution of killer whale pods in prince william sound, alaska 19841996 article pdf available in marine mammal science 173. Whittier is nestled at the head of passage canal and the closest place to access the waters of prince william sound. Exploring alaskas prince william sound foster travel. Prince william sound reached world fame due to the exxon valdez oil spill of 1989.