Chatham Strait & Lake Eva
Our extraordinary expedition through Alaska’s Inside Passage has taken us from the icy waters of Glacier Bay to the temperate rainforests of Baranof Island. We have run the gamut of wildlife encounters including wolves, humpback whales and brown bears. On a trip so full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, the most fitting way to end our voyage would be for an early morning wake-up for another spectacular wildlife encounter.
Early this morning, while cruising Chatham Strait, our Captain and crew suddenly spotted killer whales abeam of the ship. The whales were keeping pace with the ship at 9 knots with very little effort. The pod was spread out, but a few were consistently surfacing near the ship. Even when we changed course for distant humpback whales, the group continued to appear alongside National Geographic Sea Lion, even crossing her wake for a look at each side. As Captain Sinclair noted, “It was like we were part of the pack.”
Our next sighting was of at least 15 humpback whales in a large cove. Some were paired off, others in small groups. As we pulled in close and breakfast was called, several whales banded together and the game was on. Not long afterwards, we got our second viewing this trip of cooperative bubblenet feeding. The cry was even heard over the ships’ PA system via a built-in hydrophone. It was almost as if the whales had been lazily starting their morning off slowly and we had witnessed the very formation of an all-star team of skilled hunters. Nowhere else on the planet can this behavior be seen and we have had the fortune to see it twice in one week.
During lunch, Hotel Manager Michael and I jumped at the chance to investigate a little-explored dive site. With only one other exploratory dive at the site, we had a good idea of where the best wildlife was, but only a vague one at best. This time, we struck gold again. We were able to find several of the same reefs from a previous dive but this time there was a different cast of characters.
Gopher rockfish watched us with suspicious gazes and naive dusky rockfish inspected my video camera from only inches away. Nudibranchs were found feeding on hydroids and a massive king crab was seen in the cobble flats. But by far the most exciting find of the dive was several adult wolf eels. For the whole season we have not seen a single wolf eel, yet this past week we’ve had five. Today was the grand finale with a full-sized wolf eel out of its cave to be viewed in awe. With a 6-foot length and a jaw line like a vice, this fish is truly something to behold.
After starting our trip amidst the barren rocks of Endicott Arm, it seems fitting that our final hike would transit through one of the most impressive forests with very large trees. With a pink salmon-laden river running through it, the forest of Lake Eva is home to some staggeringly-large Sitka spruce trees. With diameters pushing 8 feet, these trees are prime examples of an ecosystem fueled by wet weather and marine nutrients.
As we watched pink salmon running the last trials of their lives, we wonder what it means to face the ultimate challenge. Not every salmon is going to make it to spawn. Luckily, those that don’t will fuel this forest.
