Although we awoke to foggy conditions, we had high hopes that the skies would clear. By the time the National Geographic Sea Lion reached its anchorage, our visibility had improved greatly. The sun broke through and the fog lifted, exposing a warm and very bright start to our morning adventure!
Our destination was the north coast of Baranof Island, in Hanus Bay, at a place called Lake Eva. There is an improved Forest Service trail here that meanders along a salmon spawning stream flowing out of Lake Eva, dropping several hundred feet over a mile and a half to the ocean. So right after breakfast we headed to shore, split into several different hiking groups, and explored up the trail through more of the Tongass National Forest. There was an aerobic hike and long interpretive hike that went to the lake, as well as several medium walks going as far as the small falls on the creek, above which the spawning salmon were gathering. Two and a half hours later, it was time to get back on board and head out to Chatham Strait and cruise, searching for wildlife on this beautiful afternoon!
Even though we had perfect conditions for spotting, we didn’t see much wildlife at first. But persistence paid off, and slowly we started seeing a number of humpback whales on the east side of Chatham along the shores of Admiralty Island. So the decision was made to cross over to that side of the strait, and hope for the best. As the National Geographic Sea Lion approached closer to the whales, it became obvious that there were many more animals than we first suspected, and they were lunge feeding at, and near, the surface for tiny crustaceans called krill. This food source is one of the staples for the humpbacks in this area. The krill are an enormous biomass that feeds many of the creatures in our oceans around the world. There are as many as 80 different species in the oceans, and about eight in Southeast Alaska!
It was an incredible show for several hours, with over a dozen whales in the immediate area, and more appearing in the distance as we watched this amazing wildlife spectacle. Time after time, the humpbacks would dive for a short period, sometimes only 20 seconds, release a “bubble ring,“ and then reappear at the surface, lunging upward to engulf large quantities of water and, hopefully, krill!
Soon it was time to return to the western side of Chatham Strait and enter an area called Kasnyku Bay, where we spotted some brown bears and enjoyed a magnificent waterfall. Another unbelievable day in Southeast Alaska!
