This morning we woke to brilliant sunshine and our first glimpses of glacial ice floating past the ship! At Williams Cove, every kayak and paddleboard was in the water and those exploring the shoreline caught some great views of a brown bear. Weaving our way through Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness later in the afternoon, we found ourselves surrounded by dramatic glacial fjords and enormous wilderness that photographs and words simply fail to explain. Up close and personal encounters with mountain goats, harbor seals, and calving glaciers are experiences not many of us will soon to forget.
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.