Alert Bay in Queen Charlotte Strait, 9/20/2018, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Pacific Northwest
We began today’s expedition at dawn in the mist and rain-shrouded passages in the northern end of Johnstone Strait. After checking in with marine station Victoria, we headed into Blackfish Sound, on the lookout for wildlife. No sooner had we entered the seemingly placid waters when we encountered sea lions swimming, a solo loon, and at least four humpback whales diving and breaching.
We watched in awe from a safe distance and then moved on to the mouth of the sound where the flood tidewaters from Queen Charlotte Strait push against the existing tidewaters from Johnstone Strait. This is where upwelling occurs, and the food supply is rich, and we marveled at juvenile male sea lions congregating on a rocky nearshore. By noon, we approached Cormorant Island and our destination of Alert Bay, where we explored the Museum of the U’mista Cultural Centre and were treated as guests by dancers of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation.
Lynn is a marine biologist and underwater photographer whose passion lies in the intertidal zone. Lynn’s love of the ocean began when she was just four years old after experiencing a tide pool for the first time, and she received her first scuba cert...
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Today was our final full day aboard National Geographic Venture and it has been a perfect final end to an already exciting, adventurous, and fulfilling experience here in the Pacific Northwest. Throughout this trip we’ve seen so many extraordinary examples of pristine beauty in nature and today continued that trend. As we woke this morning guests were treated to one of the most vibrant sunrises possible, with the sky stretching bright pinks, oranges, and purples. Guests gathered on deck while some joined our wellness specialist, Ann Marie, on our sundeck for a stretch class with the best view available. After breakfast, we split into groups to explore Stuart Island through wooded hikes and breezy Zodiac tours. We continued our adventures this afternoon after repositioning to a nearby marine provincial park, the Sucia Island group. Here we trekked coastal hikes while also exploring on the water via Zodiac tours, kayaking, and paddleboarding. Our evening came to a close with a cocktail hour off the ship, celebrating our trip’s closure around a campfire on Sucia Island’s beach. Throughout this trip our goal each day was to be as open as possible to the world around us, immersing ourselves in the world of First Nations communities, dynamic marine environments, and iconic temperate rainforests. Our hearts are happy, our stomachs are full, and our eyes are already looking forward to more great experiences like this!
As we ghosted towards the harbor entrance in Victoria, BC, the sun seemed to rip a hole in the dark carpet of clouds that was stealing the light from this storied part of North America. The morning dawned cool, and the forecast was for rain, but by the noon-hour we were strolling the streets under blue skies. The temperatures were in the mid-sixties, and it turned out to be a rare October day in B.C.’s capital city on the far-western edge of the world’s largest temperate coastal rainforest! Customs were cleared with very little to-do, and at the civilized hour of 09:00, all were gathered on the dock to head out on our various activities. Some guests were headed to the Royal BC Museum where they were able to explore the region’s art, cultures, and history at a superb level of detail. Those who had signed up for tours of Butchart Gardens and several of the area’s amazing private gardens were treated to lunch on one property where the owner had amassed a considerable collection of automobiles and large-scale trains that spanned the property. Still others went on walking history tours with master recontour, Chris Adams, bicycle tours of the city’s most beautiful outlooks, and food-tasting tours that were far, far above the ordinary! With the opportunity to partake in so many different activities, there was a palpable excitement when guests reunited and shared their experiences of the day aboard busses that swept us off to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria for cocktail hour. And talk about being far above the ordinary, the featured exhibit, Symbiosis, at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, explores the role of fungal communities in forest ecology, and our emerging understanding of communication between the trees! A truly cutting-edge exhibit that blended technology with live mycelium that were actually participating in the making of art! I think it safe to say that none of us had ever seen its like, and it will remain in our memories for a long time to come. Tomorrow we cross back into the U.S. in Friday Harbor, WA, but the events of today have made it hard to leave this most amazing city on the edge of the world. Photos by Jeff Campbell, Sharon Grainger, Alex Rubenstein .
A warm sunrise greeted National Geographic Venture as we traveled south through the Salish Sea. Our destination was the Gulf Islands, a continuation of the San Juan Islands in Washington, except with this pesky little border dividing these two archipelagos that share many geological similarities. Rain came and went periodically as National Geographic Venture dropped anchor off the southwest corner of the island near Conover Cove, an idyllic harbor with shelter from the breeze rumbling up the Strait of Georgia. We weren’t the first guests to visit Wallace Island; it has been home to a variety of characters over the last 100 years, and has been part of the Lummi First Nations territory for many generations before. Over the last thirty years, the island has been set aside by the British Columbian government as a provincial park, complete with a maintained floating dock, numerous hiking trails, and a campsite suitable for kayakers on the north end. We dispersed into several groups to explore the island on foot and by kayak. While the rain came and went, it did little to dampen our spirits beneath the canopy of fir, red cedar, and madrone trees that cover the island. Having a hot shower to return to certainly doesn’t hurt either! In the evening we raised the anchor and continued south toward Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Famed for its gardens and British-inspired architecture, it’s also situated in one of the driest regions of the Pacific Northwest, receiving just a fraction of the rain on mainland Vancouver. Will the rain follow us to the provincial capital? We’ll find out tomorrow.
