Prince William Sound Glacier and Wildlife Viewing Cruise - July 2, 2008
A Day Cruise out of Valdez, Alaska

ALL Photos © K. Dewey, School of Natural Resources, Applied Climate Sciences, UNL.

This day cruise was conducted by Stan Stephans Cruises

The Stephens family and staff have been operating in Prince William Sound out of Valdez since 1971. Their captains have an average of 25 years of experience, and all of their staff are Alaskan residents anxious to share the culture, land and wildlife that make them proud to call Prince William Sound their home.

With Stan Stephens Cruises you can see amazing wildlife; whales, sea lions, puffins, seals, sea otters, eagles, goats, bears and more. They  inform you with stories about the history of the area. Topics include Alaskan Natives indigenous to the Sound, gold & copper mining, commercial fishing, the 1964 Alaskan Earthquake, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.  And of course you see the spectacular Columbia Glacier,  Southcentral Alaska's largest tidewater glacier.  All of the following photos were taken on July 2, 2008 on a mild sunny summer day.


 
The scenic Valdez harbor, home of the Stan Stephens day cruises. The end of the Alaska Pipeline in the Valdez harbor. 
Click here for a much larger version of this image.
   
Sea lions resting on a harbor buoy  Spectacular views of the snow capped mountains. 
   
Fishing boats in Prince William Sound  Fishing boats in Prince William Sound  
   
A whale begins to surface near our cruise ship  out come the cameras! 
   
A whale begins to surface near our cruise ship   Two whales begin to surface near our cruise ship  
   
A whale begins to dive from the surface near our cruise ship   Another whale begins to dive from the surface near our cruise ship 
   
Diving straight down, it remained submerged for 5 minutes.  Another whale begins to dive from the surface near our cruise ship 
   
A Puffin takes off  A sea lion colony 
   
Note the two sea lions barking loudly at each other   Note the very large sea lion in the middle.  
  Click Here for more of our Columbia Glacier photos and
much more information about this rapidly disappearing glacier.
Approaching the Columbia Glacier    
   
Another spectacular view of the mountains  A bald eagle as seen from the cruise ship 
   
Two fishing boats with snow capped mountains in the distance   A fishing boat begins to reel in its fishing net
   
   
   
A fishing boat's full net of fish, late afternoon Another fishing boat with its net cast out in the water