We awoke on our first morning on the National Geographic Sea Lion to a beautifully clear Southeast Alaskan day. We quickly realized we were away from civilization and in wilderness country; we encountered a gathering of feeding humpback whales before breakfast was served. We were in Frederick Sound and spotted whales in all directions-as far as the eyes could see! The whales were bubble net feeding and lunge feeding on swarms of krill near the surface. We were also lucky enough to witness other playful behaviors such as pectoral fin slapping, tail lobbing, and even breaching! Our photo instructors were active on the bow helping guests capture the fabulous wildlife.
The sun was shining and we anchored in Hillock Harbor early afternoon. Kayaking, hiking, and zodiac cruising were all options for our first landing here in Alaska. We had a nice introduction to the local rainforest and learned a bit about the native culture that was once on the island. As the kayakers made their way around the bay, they noticed something floating away from the shore-kelp? No, a sea otter!
While the guests were busy with activities, the undersea specialist and her dive team did an exploratory dive along the cliffs nearby. It was high tide, so they spotted many intertidal animals when they dropped below the surface. As they dove deeper, they saw many different animal species including: sea anemones, sea stars, sea urchins, crabs, and a few fish. The highlight of the dive was finding the elusive stalked jellyfish-an animal that the dive team has been searching for months-incredible! Being able to show the dive footage to those who prefer to stay on land is a great educational tool; everyone was surprised by the color and beauty of the underwater world.
As we cruised back out of Frederick Sound, more feeding humpback whales were spotted. We were able to watch them from our dining room windows as we wined and dined. Today definitely set our expectations high for the rest of the trip. We scuttled to bed drained from a busy day and excited for what tomorrow will hold.
