The day began in Peril Strait, the very waterway that separates the islands of Chichagof and Baranof, both of which are famous for their density of coastal brown bears. Setting our guests out into Zodiacs to explore the temperate forest, our plans were delightfully interrupted by a group of bubble net feeding humpback whales that edged closer to the ship with every collective lunge. Eventually, when the feeding melee subsided, our guests went ashore to encounter multiple brown bears walking the forest edge in search of salmon. The evening culminated in a celebration of all that had been seen on the trip, including the day’s dive presentation by the undersea team presenting the giant Pacific octopus that they encountered that day.
8/1/2019
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National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
