We awoke this morning to the soft whistles of marbled murrelets and then ventured out onto the bow to watch a handful of harbor porpoises pass by in the early morning light. The steep walls of Kelp Bay, sheathed in misty clouds and old growth forest, provided a dramatic backdrop as we reminisced about last night’s killer whale display and prepared for the day ahead.
After breakfast, we were formally introduced to the naturalists on board and prepared for our afternoon adventures by covering the basics of sea kayaking and bear safety. Then the crew turned National Geographic Sea Bird around and we headed north through Chatham Strait. With Chichagof Island to the west, we cruised along through mild Alaskan weather, enjoying sightings of humpback whales, Sitka black-tailed deer, bald eagles, scoters, and ravens along the way.
At midday we arrived in Pavlof Bay. After a quick lunch we suited up in our field gear and headed out for hiking, kayaking, and expedition landing craft adventures. The kayakers loaded up and paddled off to explore the bay by water while the hikers headed down the seashore in search of bears and waterfalls. While the waterfalls were easy enough to find, a bit of fresh scat was all we found of the bears. Nonetheless, we all enjoyed the chance to stretch our legs on the leisurely stroll along the forest edge, observing the intertidal zone and temperate rain forests in more detail.
Just when we thought the full day of wildlife and adventure was coming to a close, we were greeted by yet another pod of killer whales. We traveled further north alongside this lively crew of seven through dinnertime and then enjoyed our dessert outside on the decks as they swam by and sent misty sprays up in front of the distant snowy mountain peaks. After a beautiful sunset and a display of humpback whales feeding in the twilight hour, we ventured off to bed to rest up for tomorrow’s adventures.
