Silversea whale watching cruises see blue whales

Cruising with Silversea is always a memorable experience, but never more so than on a unique whale watching voyage. Indeed, guests on board Silver Muse were recently treated to the spectacle of multiple blue whale sightings.

The blue whale may be the largest creature on Earth, but it is also among the most rarely seen and least understood. Scientists don’t even know where the whale goes to breed. Incredibly, four of these mighty whales were sighted by guests on the recent Silversea whale watching voyages.

Researchers from the marine conservation charity ORCA sailed aboard the two whale watching voyages, from Tokyo – Seward and Seward – Vancouver, concluding in June 2019.  The voyages gave them a unique way to monitor the different species, study population sizes and identify trends or changes that could impact on conservation efforts.

The Silversea whale watching voyages passed through some of the World’s richest whale feeding grounds and guests were encouraged to help with the species count.

In fact up to 150 Silver Muse guests rose with the sun each morning to help the count. They gathered out on deck and in the Observation Lounge to witness the abundance of marine life. Indeed, their efforts yielded a total of 1,076 marine mammal sightings, including blue whales, killer whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, minke whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins.

So rich was the marine life that over 420 Pacific white-sided dolphins were counted in a single two-hour window. 

“This crucial insight is key in helping governments around the World to create effective marine conservation policies, so that we can create safer spaces for whales and dolphins around the globe”.

Anna Bunney, the ORCA Education Coordinator

The data collected on these Silversea whale watching voyages will contribute towards conservation efforts and each guest received an ORCA Ambassador certificate to mark the achievement.

More information about Silversea’s voyages to Alaska and the Russian Far East can be found at their website.