With grey skies overhead and fog surrounding our ship, we ventured north through the Chatham Strait. Just before breakfast, the ship slowed down to take on a visitor. The president of the Alaska Whale Foundation, Dr. Andy Szabo, came aboard to give us a presentation on the whales of Southeast Alaska. His talk was fantastic and timely given the exceptional humpback experience we had last night.
Later in the morning, we learned all about salmon from Berit, who thrilled us with a captivating talk. We heard about the different types of salmon, their many names, life cycles and where to find them.
During another delicious lunch we dropped anchor in picturesque Pavlov Harbor. The plan was to wait a short while so the tide could rise enough to let us kayak into the river. The bears apparently didn’t get the memo and arrived early, so everyone loaded into the boats and we set off to see them on shore. Two bears walked along shore towards the falls and were soon joined by a third. Together they caught salmon, mouthed each other, lounged on the rocks, and frolicked in the river. There was a film crew in the river working on a Discovery Channel show about bears. What better way to spend an afternoon than in the company of bears.
Later in the afternoon, our undersea specialist, Colin McNulty, went for a dive to explore the undersea life of this beautiful harbor. When they retuned, the captain took us on a cruise around the bay while we enjoyed appetizers and scenery on the top deck. It was a wonderful treat and a fitting end to another wonderful day in Southeast Alaska.
