Today is the first full day of our trip aboard National Geographic Seabird —we all woke up to a sunrise whose beauty rendered the whole ship quiet. We explored Tracy Arm and enjoyed a magnificent view of South Sawyer Glacier. Once our ship was positioned we lowered Zodiacs and set off to show our guests the treasures of this area; the face of the glacier, the landscape, and the various wildlife that we might (and did) find. We saw heaps of harbor seals, and a huge population of Artic terns being very vocal as they feasted on small fish. We spotted three mountain goats along the side of the fjord — and we didn’t even need binoculars. Afterwards we continued to search for wildlife and waterfalls. We closed the day with cocktails and laughter. What an absolutely fabulous day!
9/10/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Pavlof Harbor
The day started with an exciting encounter. Before breakfast we observed a group of bubble-netting humpback whales. It was incredible to see them lunge and hear them breathing at the surface. This was coupled by a glorious pink sunrise. After breakfast we took Zodiac cruises searching for bears near Pavlof Harbor. Even though we did not find any (wildlife is always delightfully unexpected), the scenery was beautiful, and we watched many adorable harbor seals. After thinking the excitement of the day was done, we spotted a large group of whales from a distance. While approaching closer, we realized this group was also bubble-net feeding. Close to the shore, we observed these whales for hours. We even dropped the hydrophone to hear their haunting feeding call before they all lunged at the surface. It was one of the most incredible things any of us had ever witnessed. As if this wasn’t enough, at our sunset recap we got the call that there were killer whales around the ship. It was the most amazing ending to the most amazing day.
