As we awoke to rain and fog, National Geographic Sea Bird was making her way toward the town of Alert Bay. As we cruised, we watched humpback whales fluking and lunging all around the ship. We spotted killer whales in our vicinity and watched as they approached us, swimming just off our bow. Steller sea lions called out to us from rocky points on the shoreline. We reached Alert Bay just as the first half of the day wound down. We went ashore and learned about the culture of the First Nations people here, of their plight and culture, past and present. As we left Alert Bay, we looked toward the horizon and new adventures.