Today began with a view of the Davidson and Rainbow Glaciers hanging down from the misty peaks of the Chilkat mountain range. A humpback whale swam by slowly in the morning light as we anchored and prepared for the day’s adventures. Some of us went ashore to Chilkat State park for a long hike through the temperate rainforest, while others traveled further down the peninsula to stroll through the wildflowers and kayak along the edge of Moose Meadows. After our morning activities, we went back aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird and headed south through the Lynn Canal. Our scenic afternoon cruise took us past a Steller sea lion haul out, Eldred Rock Lighthouse, and a pod of killer whales. We continued south through the evening to Chatham Strait, scanning for wildlife and watching the sun go down, seeing the last of the light fade on the surrounding mountains.
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.