The morning sun found the guests of National Geographic Venture twenty or so miles into the main channel of Glacier Bay National Park. After a stop at Bartlett Cove to pick up our guest speaker, Park Ranger Michael, we were already nearing our first wildlife hotspot: South Marble Island. There we found hundreds of sea lions, dozens of puffins, mother otters with their babies, and a variety of other seabirds. Our next stop was Gloomy Knob, where we saw a record five bears and no less than thirty mountain goats, while humpback whales breeched on the far side of the ship. On the other side of Russell Cut, we had drinks in front of Margerie Glacier. As we pulled away she gave an epic calving, to the applause of all upon the sundeck. We ended our day taking photos of Lamplugh Glacier before slowly making our way out of the park. An unforgettable day.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 23 May 2024
Glacier Bay, 5/23/2024, National Geographic Venture
- Aboard the National Geographic Venture
- Alaska
Luke Manson, Naturalist
Growing up as a farm kid in the tiny town of Tonganoxie, Kansas, Luke Manson always felt a strong connection to nature. An avid traveler and hiker, he began his true passion of exploring the world’s oceans in the Columbian village of Taganga in 2011....
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A nice morning that only got better and prettier and sunnier! Truly a gift to bring guests here to witness the scale and diversity of ice and wildlife. South Marble Island had so many tufted puffins, and a few unexpected horned puffins, with sea lions and humpback whales galore. During lunch, we cruised up towards Margerie Glacier to view the impressive glacier and look for Arctic terns. Afterwards, we went past Gloomy Knob and saw mountain goats, looked for wildlife at Russel Cut (saw an osprey!), and ended the day with a stunning colorful sunset with an abundance of whales!