Today was certainly one for the books. We started the day with the intention of hiking around Pavlov Harbor; however we were unable to access land due to too many bears, which turned out to be an amazing problem. We ended up watching the bears catch salmon from Zodiacs for the morning. Our global explorers had fun with their Zodiac lesson. We continued cruising toward Sitka, spotting whales along the way. We ended the evening by building a human whale during recap.
9/9/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
George Island and the Inian Islands
This morning, we awoke to a quintessential Southeast Alaska day in Icy Strait, with low clouds, a little mist, and amazing opportunities to see wildlife. Several sea otters floated by National Geographic Sea Lion as we made our way west, but the real magic began when we saw four humpback whales. Calm at first, they soon began an incredible display of activity, including breaching, pectoral slapping, and tail lobbing. Continuing, we dropped anchor at George Island to enjoy hiking and kayaking for the morning. It’s fall in the forest and the variety of mushrooms on display was remarkable. Before heading back to the ship for lunch, the brave among us took part in our polar plunge by running into the ocean from the beach. They came out looking refreshed and ready to be warmed by a chili lunch! After a short repositioning, we anchored at the Inian Islands to spend our afternoon Zodiac cruising this special place. Never one to disappoint, the Inians brought us sea otters, Steller sea lions, bald eagles, scores of rhinoceros auklets, and even some humpback whales. We came back feeling enchanted by this landscape and the animals that make it home.
