The Winter of Whale face!!
What an honor to spend so much time with these whales over the winter, to be snotted on, stared at and chattered to.
My first season driving whale watches was full of curious friendly whales. Operating with respect and love towards these magnificent intelligent babies, resulted in multiple occasions of being held hostage for long periods of time with not a single other boat around.
By being very observant and learning behavior of the individuals, speeds of my travel, noise of the engines, approach and keeping a larger than respectable distance gave the whales the ability to keep functioning in their home feeling unintruded on.
The love of these individuals and wanting to preserve their quality of life and being respectful in every possible way while visiting them in their home has been my number one priority.
Hoping to keep fighting for the conservation and protection of these beauties.
Thankful for all the mentors and research opportunities that have made it possible and there’s just so much more to learn from the ocean🫶🏼🐋
**all engines shut off well before 100yards, outta mad respect for these whales**
Here’s the underwater perspective of the encounter we posted, footage from a Whale Watch tour with Captain Shelbs @shelbs.nic & Crew member Alec @devineconservation 🐋🎤
🔊 The whale song, the eye contact, the curiosity they had and the amount of time they spent with us! It was an UNREAL experience ✨
#CaptanZodiacKona
#HumpbackWhales
#WhaleMugging
#WhaleSong
#KonaHawaii
A Story from the Wild Edge of America
What does it feel like to fall in love with a place so wild it changes the course of your life?
In this powerful story, Alec Boyd-Devine (@devineconservation ) shares his journey to the Tongass National Forest — the largest national forest in the United States — where mountains plunge into the sea and glaciers feed the rich waters of the Alaska’s Inside Passage.
From childhood memories visiting Denali National Park, Fairbanks, Kodiak, and Anchorage, to building a life in Southeast Alaska — this story captures:
- Driving north with everything packed into a homemade camper
- Taking the ferry on the Alaska Marine Highway System
- Buying a beat-up 18-foot boat with big dreams
- A 40-pound halibut
- A humpback whale surfacing just 25 feet away
- And a moment that sealed the decision to never leave
Now based in Juneau, Alec reflects on a life shaped by water, wild food, and the rainforest that defines this region — where places like Ketchikan measure rain in feet, not inches.
This isn’t just a fishing story.
It’s about home.
It’s about wild places that still provide.
👉 Head to the website to read the full story and experience the Tongass through Alec’s eyes.
💥If you’re in the Juneau area and want to hear more stories like these, join us at the 2nd Annual Beer Dinner.
This interaction is EVERYTHING 😍 And just wait until you see what was happening below the surface, our next post will blow your mind 🤯
hint: there’s whale song!!
Who was on Thursday’s tour with Captain Shelbs @shelbs.nic & Crew Alec @devineconservation ?!
#HumpbackWhales
#WhaleWatching
#KailuaKonaHawaii
#WhaleMugging
#HawaiiWhales
The Alaska Copper Ammo Challenge is a collaborative, hunter-led conservation effort.
This program is made possible through partnerships with hunting and conservation organizations working together to reduce accidental lead poisoning in wildlife — while keeping hunting voluntary and hunter-driven.
Partners include:
• Alaska Falconers Association (AFA)
• Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA)
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)
• Conservation Science Global
• North American Lead-Free Partnership
Together, we provide Alaskan hunters with information and discounted copper ammunition so they can try it and decide for themselves.
Interested in partnering or learning more?
📧 Email our project manager at [email protected]
Who’s up to the challenge?
It has been such a spectacular month:
•So many phenomenal muggings
•Whale face!! (My favorite)
•Three Day Whale Shark!
•Had the honor to be a part of a badass response team who successfully disentangled a humpback NOAA Permit #24359
•Sperm Whale Carcass~Sharks
•Even more muggins
•Lots of flying whales
•Ash and I post mug bliss
•FKWs Cascadia Permit #26596
•Sunrise Harbor Weather Watch
•New friends (Pippi of course)
•In my element (face to face with whales)
•Had some nautical weather #alive
For the absolute love and conservation of whales and the ocean 🐋🦈
We are excited to report that Colin Cornforth and a rapid response team from Captain Zodiac were able to deploy three satellite-linked tags on oceanic false killer whales last weekend. One of the individuals in the group matched to an encounter Mark Mohler had in February 2024 between Kaua‘i and O‘ahu, but it appears most of the others are new to our catalog. We know far less about the movements of oceanic false killer whales than the resident island-associated population, but they are the population that overlaps with and interacts with the longline fisheries offshore in Hawai‘i and on the high seas (the “Hawai‘i Pelagic stock”). The last time we tagged individuals from this open-ocean population was in October 2023 and every time we’ve tagged a new group they’ve done something differently, showing that we still have much to learn about this population. Two of the tags deployed are Wildlife Computers location-only SPOT tags, but one is a SPLASH10-F tag that also records dive behavior and more accurate Fastloc®-GPS locations. One maps shows the movements of the SPLASH10-F-tagged individual for the first five days, and the other shows the coordinated movements of all three individuals over a 2-day period.
Thanks to See Through Sea and Kaimana Ocean Safari for calling about the group and remaining with them until the team was on site, and to Deron Verbeck and Alec Boyd-Devine for photos!
Humpback whales use powerful tail strokes to gain speed before lifting their flukes and diving deep 🐋 Seen along the Kona coast with Captain Zodiac!
🎥 Video by @devineconservation
#CaptainZodiac
#KonaWhaleWatch
#HawaiiWhaleWatch
#HumpbackWhale
Save the Date: AK BHA’s 2nd Annual Beer Dinner 🍻
📅 Saturday, February 28, 2026
⏰ 5:00–8:00 PM (AKST)
Join the Alaska Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers for an unforgettable evening at our 2nd Annual Beer Dinner, hosted by Forbidden Peak Brewery and Red Spruce AK. This special fundraiser brings together Alaska’s hunting, angling, and conservation community for great food, great beer, and an even greater cause.
Enjoy a locally sourced seafood dinner, perfectly paired with craft beer, plus:
Inspiring storytelling
Exciting raffles
Strong community connection
🎁 Raffle Highlights Include:
Hand-carved duck decoys by Matt Robus (Mallard Hen & Long-tailed Drake)
Savage Arms 110 Apex Hunter XP Rifle (.270 Win)
Vortex Crossfire binoculars + Alaska Guide Creations harness
Knives from Alaska Bladeworks & Alaska Knifeworks
Gift certificates from Petro Marine, Western Auto, Juneau Docks & Harbors, Fishpond, Simms, Grundéns
Gift baskets from Barnacle Foods, Wildfish Cannery, Wild Rivers Coffee
AKTIS deer call
All proceeds support the Alaska Chapter’s work to advance science-based, stewardship-driven, and publicly engaged management of Alaska’s wild public lands and waters.
🎟️ Tickets and full menu details coming soon!
Save the date now and stay tuned for ticket sales, menu announcements, and more event updates.
@forbiddenpeakbrewery@redspruce_ak
