Like I said in my last post, Kachemak Bay saw the greatest number of whales in the Bay in many summers. What a show, with surge feeding, breaching and what I can only call "whale synchronized swimming".

A mother and young daughter caught the action one evening on their way across the bay. The young girl was jumping up and down as this whale passed.

Orca whales also made a visit and stuck around for the great return of pink and silver salmon that stretched from June into September.

I think reason for so many whales, and the fish they feed on, staying in the bay is that there was also a prolific number of the bottom-of-the-food-chain creatures that abounded in the Bay this summer. I saw more shrimp and little crab inside halibut, salmon, and pollock than I ever had. And the schools of silvery sand lance were everywhere.

The Bay lived up to its reputation as a rich environment this year.

It's been an incredible summer for whales in Kachemak Bay. They've appeared to have left the Bay now, but just a week or so ago we saw probably 100 humpback whales feeding on the way over to the cabin.

From Eldred Passage, all the way down the south side of the Bay to Seldovia, spouts, breaching, and soundings were happening. Here's a taste of what we saw...

A mere month later, that smack of jellyfish fish has grown just a little! What were 3-inch jellies have doubled in size. Ruth and I were fishing in Tutka Bay a few days ago and found this smack in the same place as the one in August.