Today we awoke to mist gently rolling over the Kashavarof Islands, our destination for this morning. With the trees peeking through the mist, we were ready to explore by Zodiac and kayak. Whilst the tide was rising, we had enough of the intertidal zone visible, but the real treat was the wildlife with several mink, both river and sea otters, and an eagle with its fresh salmon catch. As we transited to our afternoon destination, we were entertained by Dall’s porpoises coming to investigate the ship and several humpback whales. Then it was off to Bushy Island where we broke into groups to bushwhack, wander in the forest, and explore the tide pools. Some brave folks then chose to jump of the Zodiacs into the cold water as part of the “polar plunge.”
9/10/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Pavlof Harbor
The day started with an exciting encounter. Before breakfast we observed a group of bubble-netting humpback whales. It was incredible to see them lunge and hear them breathing at the surface. This was coupled by a glorious pink sunrise. After breakfast we took Zodiac cruises searching for bears near Pavlof Harbor. Even though we did not find any (wildlife is always delightfully unexpected), the scenery was beautiful, and we watched many adorable harbor seals. After thinking the excitement of the day was done, we spotted a large group of whales from a distance. While approaching closer, we realized this group was also bubble-net feeding. Close to the shore, we observed these whales for hours. We even dropped the hydrophone to hear their haunting feeding call before they all lunged at the surface. It was one of the most incredible things any of us had ever witnessed. As if this wasn’t enough, at our sunset recap we got the call that there were killer whales around the ship. It was the most amazing ending to the most amazing day.