Humpback Whales, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2917

Humpback whale bubble-netting groups arrived in Juneau waters last week. There are two main groups of whales with a combined total of some 20 individuals. These two whales surfaced after finishing a bubble-net. Humpbacks are mammals that surface to breathe air and their lungs are the size of VW Bugs. When they surface, the water covering their two blow holes gets vaporized by the air they exhaust at an estimated 200 plus miles per hour. Their blows can shoot up ten to twenty feet in the air and the fine mist sometimes hangs around long after the whales have disappeared under the water. I shot this image last evening (June 23) while the low angle sun highlights the ethereal nature of the fine mist. Thank you for visiting. Camera: Nikon D800, Lens: Nikkor 80-400–400mm f/4.5-5.6,  Digital capture, ISO 1200, F/8 – Copyright Mark Kelley 2015