One humpback viewed from Rotary Beach out near the south end of Gravina, near Black Sand Beach area.  

Humpback viewed from Harbormaster Condo windows, traveling north.  Five breaths, then gone.  No flukes, just the typical humpback back view.  Elusive as all viewings recently have been.

Humpback just north of Rotary, swimming south towards Mtn Point, very close to shore.

Humpback out near Blank Islands and along SE point of Gravina.

Annette Island in center, with most of the recent whale sightings on lookers right hands side of photo from Annette Bay to Gravina.

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Saw humpbacks on the north shore, just south of Rotary Beach from the deck of our apartment near Old Dairy Farm Road.  It appeared to be two humpbacks surfacing and feeding in a more concentrated area than previous sightings.  They appeared to be moving towards town, following the shore, more like their summer behavior.

Hanging out at Rotary Beach we saw a lone humpback on the southern tip of Pennock that lingered out in front of Rotary for an hour or so.

Also saw humpbacks way out by the Blank Islands and along the shores of Annette Bay.  

​No camera today.

Saw the first humpback between Spire Island Reef and Annette Island.  It stayed in the little bay for about 20 minutes feeding, then we left.  It wasn't showing much of it's flukes, just taking a breath or two, diving, then repeating.  Also saw a humpback near California Rock and the village of Saxman.  It was heading west to east across the channel, then SE down towards Mtn Point.  It two seemed to be lingering a bit more and less elusive than previous humpbacks recently.

Really need a telephoto.  My lens isn't long enough, and the autofocus is dead.  After the holiday we will upgrade.

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From afar we saw a humpback breach several times, then as we got closer, it breached two more times.  It also did quite a few big pectoral fin splashes on the water.  No pics, this thing was too far away, then...........it was gone.  The whales are seeming to hang out, then swim large distances to other areas, remaining much more elusive between surfacing than they did this summer and fall.

Solo humpback near Dairy Farm Road just south of Rotary heading south.  White flukes similar to previous post.  Same whale?  No pics.

Heading south near Rotary Beach at 20 knots when a very large humpback breached completely out of the water with absolutely no prior warning.  It was pretty shocking, to say the least, as previous to this we had not seen any activity in the area.  After the breach, it did a few tail slaps, showed its pectoral fins while feeding, then poof headed north through the Tongass Narrows at about 3-4mph.
We lost site of it when the Coast Guard boarded our boat, then saw it again on the opposite side of the channel.

Later in the afternoon we spotted a lone humpback way out by Annette Bay, but due to wind/waves, did not go out to look at it.

Click on photos for larger.  

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