What a glorious day in Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness on our final day of this journey. We woke to beautiful clear skies as we passed Sumdum Glacier in Endicott Arm on our way to Dawes Glacier. As we sailed up the fjords towards the tidewater glacier, we were treated to spectacular waterfalls cascading into the blue water. Our first stop was a very low tide in Fords Terror. We could see rushing currents of the water exiting this fjord, making it impossible to proceed upriver due to the current. After lunch, we made it to Dawes Glacier, where we had our day’s activities. All guests were treated to a close-up view of this spectacular tidewater glacier with calving ice and plenty of harbor seals hauled out on ice floes. What a perfect way to end this epic expedition.
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.
