Tracy Arm and Stephen’s Passage
Our morning operations took place in the Tracy Arm Ford’s Terror Wilderness. We loaded our fleet of Zodiacs bundled up in proper clothing for an outing to Sawyer Glacier. For our dedication to exploration we were rewarded with great weather and lots of falling ice. The sight of ice shooting up from below the surface of the water is a sight to behold and one not easily forgotten. Abstract shapes of azure blue ice radiated from freshly calved ice in a manner fit for fine art galleries.
After bubblenet feeding humpbacks, great bears, sea lions, otters, great calving and other amazing sites, the only thing we had yet to see were killer whales. Our week of superlatives ended with one of the most amazing combinations of light, water and wildlife of the season. “What else could we ask for?”
It takes something special to interrupt the Captain’s farewell dinner. Today we had oil-flat calm conditions and the most amazing predator on the planet, killer whales. We followed these massive dolphins into the golden reflection of a silently setting sun, their massive dorsal fins slicing through the still water with a predator’s precision. A short while later raucous laughter broke out on the bow at the sight of a glow over distant mountains. “Full moon coming on top of everything else. Total full moon. This is just too much” - Meg Presley, guest. For the last few minutes of light we holstered our cameras and simply opened our eyes and ears. Killer whales swimming in the light of the full moon. Is there a better way to end a trip?
