We crossed the bar at the mouth of Endicott Arm in the company of a cow-calf pair of humpback whales, a retinue of marbled murrelets, a belted kingfisher, and a calling greater yellowlegs. All eyes were on the whales, as one might imagine. It was the beginning of a beautiful, calm, and mostly sunny and dry day. What brief rain we had was well timed, and our Zodiac rides at the face of the Dawes Glacier were the highlight of the day, if not the trip.
7/21/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Inian Islands
After navigating the Icy Strait overnight, we arrived at Cross Sound which placed us in the perfect spot to explore the Inian Islands. South of Glacier Bay National Park, the Inian Islands are an amazing place to view wildlife. The Pacific’s nutrient-rich waters enter the Inside Passage, which creates an upwelling of fish from the seafloor that sea lions, harbor seals, gulls, bald eagles, and others feast on during the day. In the afternoon, our Captain repositioned National Geographic Sea Lion near George Island, providing our guests the opportunity to explore the island by hiking, kayaking, or paddleboarding. In the evening, we had an amazing surprise when killer whales appeared near the bow of National Geographic Sea Lion . As our naturalists provided information about the killer whales our guests enjoyed them as they displayed hunting behavior, breaching, and fluke-slapping.
