Wildlife
Choosing Binoculars for an Alaska Cruise
How to choose binoculars for an Alaska cruise, what 8x42 means, why bigger magnification is usually worse, and how much you need to spend.
Updated
Writer, wildlife and natural history
Callum Vance
Marine naturalist, former expedition lecturer.
About Callum
Callum worked as a naturalist on small expedition vessels in Southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound before moving into writing. Their beat here is everything living: whales, bears, seabirds, salmon, and the ice and forest systems that support them.
They are careful to describe wildlife viewing in terms of probability rather than promise, because no operator can guarantee an animal.
Callum also writes the photography guidance on this site, which is really wildlife behaviour advice with a camera attached.
Relevant experience
- Four seasons as an onboard naturalist on expedition vessels in Southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound.
- Logged whale sighting data for a regional research programme across three seasons.
- Has guided visitors at Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm, Icy Strait and Kenai Fjords.
Articles by Callum
Destinations
What Glacier Calving Actually Looks Like
What glacier calving is, what it actually looks and sounds like from a cruise ship, how often it happens and how to be looking when it does.
Updated
Wildlife
Bear Viewing on an Alaska Cruise
How to see bears on an Alaska cruise, which ports offer viewing, why timing matters more than money, and what the realistic odds are.
Updated
Planning
Cruising Alaska in September
What an Alaska cruise in September is like, covering autumn colour, clearer air, fewer passengers, shorter days and the weather trade off.
Updated
Planning
Cruising Alaska in May
What an Alaska cruise in May is actually like, covering weather, daylight, wildlife, crowds, pricing and what is and is not open yet.
Updated
Photography
Alaska Cruise Photography Tips
How to photograph an Alaska cruise well, covering exposure for ice, whale settings, low light in fjords, gear choices and protecting equipment from rain.
Updated
Wildlife
Wildlife You Can See on an Alaska Cruise
A realistic guide to Alaska cruise wildlife, with sighting likelihood for each species, where and when to look, and how to improve your odds.
Updated
Destinations
A Day in Glacier Bay, Hour by Hour
What a Glacier Bay cruise day is actually like hour by hour, from rangers boarding at dawn to the afternoon transit out, and how to make the most of it.
Updated
Itineraries
The Inside Passage, Explained
What the Inside Passage actually is, why cruise ships use it, what you see along the way and how it differs from the open Gulf of Alaska.
Updated