It’s been an action packed day out here in Southeast Alaska. Our morning started out at the Inian Islands, an unbelievable place to spot wildlife. These islands are located in Cross Sound, one of the few narrow inlets where water from the open Pacific Ocean enters the Inside Passage here in in Southeast Alaska, which brings an abundance of life to this very narrow entryway. When the tides come rushing through this passage, there is significant upwelling, which stirs up nutrients from down below, along with a number of fish that find their way to the surface, making it the perfect location for hungry sea lions. We spotted many of these massive sea mammals diving down to catch halibut, cod, and rockfish, only to return to the surface and thrash the fish around until they are able to swallow it. Meanwhile, there were hundreds of gulls and eagles circling around trying to pick up any scraps that may escape from the sea lions’ mouths. It was an amazing spectacle, and one of the highlights of the trip so far.
Once everyone was on board, we enjoyed a delicious lunch and began sailing towards Fox Creek. Along the way, we spotted several humpback whales and made a quick detour to watch them before continuing with our afternoon activities.
Once we arrived at Fox Creek, we split into two groups—kayakers and hikers—and enjoyed a magnificent afternoon exploring Chichagof Island and Shaw Island. The weather was perfect, with blue skies and wisps of clouds flying by, providing the perfect background for photography of the spectacular snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance. It was an amazing day, and we look forward to many more as we continue our journey throughout the spectacular Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska.
