Today was an amazing day! We woke up to National Geographic Quest cruising into Tracy Arm fjord. Eager to get a glimpse of South Sawyer glacier, we all took in the sights on the bow of the ship. After breakfast, we rode Zodiacs as close as we could to the glacier. We saw arctic terns, mew gulls, marbled murrelets, harbor seals, and shooters (chunks of the glacier that break free from the bottom and shoot to the surface due to the buoyancy of the ice). Arctic terns complete the longest migration on Earth! They are amazing birds. The chilly boat ride was accompanied by hot chocolate. It was great! Then we received a great talk on photo composition by our certified photo instructor. As we were leaving Tracy Arm, we saw icebergs, waterfalls, U-shaped valleys, and North Sawyer Glacier from the ship. The Global Explorers had a chance to paint. After dinner, we enjoyed another talk, this one about kelp and its importance. What a great day!
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 24 Jul 2023
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, 7/24/2023, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Lauren Boye, Undersea Specialist
Lauren is a steward of the ocean and is happy as long as she is near it. She has many years of experience working on and in the ocean. SCUBA diving is her favorite hobby and fish are her best friends. She also loves spending time on boats and watchin...
Read MoreShare Report
Alaska's Inside Passage
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
5/23/2025
Read
National Geographic Venture
Peril Strait and Sitka
Our last day of the voyage found National Geographic Venture cruising through Peril Strait toward the city of Sitka. This long and narrow passage lies between Baranof Island and Chichagof Island. Along the way we found a new place to land and go hiking on an island called Mennons, which none of the staff had landed on before! It’s always exciting to explore new areas to do various lengths and degrees of hikes! In the afternoon, we navigated through the narrowest portion of the Peril called Sergius Narrows, which we can only go through at slack tide because of very extreme currents at the tidal changes. Finally, as the ship approached Sitka, we were treated to an encounter with a small group of gray whales, which had recently been feeding in the area. What a finale!
5/22/2025
Read
National Geographic Venture
George Island and Inian Islands, Southeast Alaska
Today aboard National Geographic Venture , we explored the northern entrance to the Inside Passage. Our day began with a visit to George Island where we hiked to an old World War II-era gun emplacement. Later, we enjoyed a Zodiac cruise around the Inian Islands. The powerful tidal currents in this area create ideal feeding grounds for marine mammals, and we were fortunate to get excellent views of sea otters.