Algae, Kenai Fjords Coast

Ron Niebrugge Alaska, Kenai Fjords, Photos, Travel 9 Comments

Algae, Kenai Fjords Coast

Neon green colored algae on the Kenai Fjords National Park coast, Alaska.

I’m sure this beautiful algae can be found in other places, but I have only seen it in a small part of one little cove along the Kenai Fjords coastline.  I don’t what causes it, or why it only seems to grow in this little area, but it sure looks cool! 

I first saw this spot four years ago, but it was in the middle of a bright sunny day.  I have always wanted to return on an overcast day, because the defused overcast light really has a way of bring out color in just about any subject.  Yesterday I got that chance as I joined Calvin Hall as he took his new boat on it’s maiden ocean voyage.  We had a blast – we spent most of the time watching what we estimated to be at least 6 humpbacks as they fed in a pretty little cove – and for most the day, we were the only boat there!

Comments 9

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    Author

    Thanks Richard,

    It does look like a thick green goo. Actually, it is kind of thin. I think it is the shape on the underlying rocks that makes it look a little thicker.

    Thanks,

    Ron

  2. What a cool picture! I love to see glaciers. They are so pretty. Did any of the whales breach?Eating Herring? That would be a cool picture,too. They say there are an over abundance of bears in Denali this year. Did you see that while you were there?They had to shoot one because it was very aggressive. There are a lot of bears everywhere this year, and most are not afraid of people.

  3. Post
    Author

    Hi Beth,

    Thanks!

    You know, funny you should ask – we saw one amazing breech in one of the most picturesque settings possible, but it came suddenly without warning, and even though we had our cameras in hand, we both missed it. Bummer.

    Many times a whale will breach multiple times – it is almost impossible to capture a photo of the first breech – it is the follow up ones that usually get photographed. We never saw another breech the rest of the day. We did see some nice diving tails and some feeding, and that will probably be my next post. Whales are really fun to watch.

    I didn’t see all that many bears in Denali this year, but I have read some of the reports and heard about that one that was shot. That was unfortunate. If anything, I saw far fewer bears then normal, and the same was true with the other photographers in the park at the time. A lot can change month to month.

    There does seem to be a lot more bears around the Seward area this year. I think the cold spring pushed some of them down out of the hills in search of greens, and they have found good eating closer to town and stuck around. Usually the south facing hillside turn green in the spring, and that is a great place to see bears, but this year they stayed snowy for a long time. Just my theory, I haven’t heard anyone else really say. There was an interesting article in the Anchorage Daily News about all the sighting of bears in Anchorage – black and brown.

    Thanks Beth, have a great weekend!

    Ron

  4. You & Janine have a great weekend ,too. I have already started to save up some money to come to Alaska. I have been eating ramen noodles for awhile!! I have also been tuning up my little S-10 pickup ,basically doing an overhaul on it. It was in good shape,anyway. But that’s a long drive. I’m not sure when my launch will be, but I know I won’t have enough money for this summer. I want to make sure I don’t run out of money. Since gas is just killing the normal American! But I’m aiming for next summer. Did you & Janine see the wildfires in California? Unreal!! Take care, both of you.

  5. Post
    Author

    Thanks Dave!

    Hi Beth,

    Yeah those wildfires in California are real sad. They Big Sur Coast is so beautiful. I was worried it would be bad this year – those winter rains make for great fields of flowers and green mountains, but all that dies and turns brown come summer leaving a lot of fuel behind.

    Sounds like you are doing a great job at planning your trip. It is safe to say driving to and around Alaska will be an adventure you will never forget – ever. A lot of people have done what your are planning and then never left Alaska, including my parents when I was young. Let me know if you have any questions.

    Thanks,

    Ron

  6. Really unusual color to see in nature – fascinating shot Ron. Quite cool with the mixture of neon green + blue in the water.

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    Author

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