Our group walked to the dock just before sunrise as we boarded our small boat and motored out of the harbor in Glacier Bay, Alaska.

Being the beginning of October, it was 30º, and Humpback Whales were starting to migrate south, but we were still hopeful we'd see one. We bobbed in the water for about an hour, and each of us began to lose hope before we saw a whale back in the distance.

I raised my camera and waited until a beautiful whale as it breached out of the water. Three more whales passed by us, but we only saw one jump throughout the trip. Seeing Humpback Whales is pretty unforgettable and is most common during the Summer in Alaska and the winter in Mexico and Hawaii.