Whale watching - scary?

I am really looking forward to seeing the whales; however, I have always had a bit of a phobia about large looming objects in the dark (i.e. underwater, fog, walking at night in unlight areas.) Really gets my heart pounding.

I hated Poseidon Adventure (just because of the big wave coming over.) Hate movies where large boats come "out of nowhere" near small boats, etc. I think you get the picture.

Has anyone else felt these misgivings, or had problems with the reality of being near the whales? I've never been whale watching ... really want to ... have booked an excursion out of Juneau ... am I being silly?

Embarrassed:o

I dodn't like those things either, but have had no problem with whale watching. I just choose a large enough boat. My heart pounds with the mear thought of being next to a 40 ton animal in a 15 ft zodiac! Gasp!

Unless you're really "lucky" - the whales won't come close enough to the boat to look that large and looming - and you don't see the whole whale, just part of the head, the dorsal fin and then, for humpbacks, the tail flukes when they dive. So they don't look as big as they actually are when you're up on the boat.

We found we really needed binoculars or a long lens on our camera to really see anything at all so I wouldn't worry anout being too close. Good luck-sightings were not all that great the day we went.

VI...

We were on your cruise, and you keep saying that about the whales...Man, we saw many whales very close up and personal from the ship. Mostly in Glacier Bay...AND the Icy Straight. While walking on the deck I looked down and commented on the log floating by, and my husband said...hey you log just spouted! This was very close. We also had a whale breech very close right in front of our cabin (balcony). I guess we were just lucky, or just very determined. Did you see the whale following the ship?

As mentioned whales are usually a distance from the whale watch boats. If you get anxious, I would suggest you just look elsewhere for a time and I think the fasination will bypass any concerns you have. It is wonderful and exciting to see whales. :) But be prepared- humpbacks run about the size of a school bus and they don't follow ships. :)

Well...I don't think he was purposely following the ship, however...he was behind us for quite sometime, and all of us at the kids pool were enjoying the moment. It was great!

Like people, I guess whales are very different and have their own likes and dislikes.

On our whale watching trips, I have seen whales breech and entirely leave the water. They came roaring up, broke thru the surface, and them threw themselves over on their backs. The tour guides said it's their own way of getting barnacles off their backs.

We also got a VERY UP CLOSE and personal visit once off Cape Cod. The whale came over right next to the boat and passed by a few times. Then, he suddenly came up to the surface, rolled over on his back, and scratched his belly along the underside of the boat.

I've got great pics of both (somewhere in a box or in an album....have not looked at them in years :o )

In Alaska, Capt. Lary told me they have to keep 300 feet back from the whales. All I ever saw was a bent back and a tail fluke and after the first 2 or 3 of those, unless you are afraid of boredum. your pretty safe. I spent most of my time eating his smoked salmon treats. I'm sorry but one bent back looks pretty much the same as the next bent back to me.

The boats have to keep a certain distance away from the whales - but the whales aren't required to stay a certain distance away from the boats, so there is the possibility that a whale could come up pretty close on its own once the boat stops moving!