The early morning hours brought close-up encounters with bubble net feeding humpback whales and sunshine. The whales were cooperatively feeding in a group of at least nine-wow! After breakfast, we made a landing near a salmon stream in hopes of spotting bears. It must have been our lucky day because we had incredible views of coastal brown bears feeding in the stream. We even saw a mother bear with her two cubs. Just when we thought our day couldn’t possibly get any better, we ended our day with a small pod of killer whales. Today, we had a true Alaskan experience. We will all head home with a better appreciation and connection with nature.
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.
