What a day! A pod of five killer whales right off the bow started our morning as we transited Cross Sound. After breakfast, we alternated our morning explorations with hikes on George Island and Zodiac tours around the island. Some of us went on a long hike out to the WWII gun, while others enjoyed moderate and casual hikes with more interpretation of the flora and fauna of the rainforest. The afternoon brought us some amazing Zodiac cruises in the turbulent waters of the incoming tide, offering close views of the killer whales, a dozen humpback whales surfacing and feeding all around us, Steller sea lions catching and eating fish, scores of bald eagles in the trees and on the rocks, and sea otters in the calmer waters between the islands. We also visited the Tidelines Institute, a field school dedicated to experiential education and environmental leadership.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 24 May 2023
George Island, Inian Islands, 5/24/2023, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Bryan Holliday, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Bryan comes from Illinois, where he was visited by an American Robin at the age of four. This remarkable encounter began his lifelong interest in birds, which led him to study at the University of Illinois, where he earned his B.S. in Ecology and as...
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