Inian Islands and George Island, Alaska
“Good morning! It’s another beautiful day in southeast Alaska.”
That was the call to begin another morning of exploration in this magical place. National Geographic Sea Lion was underway before breakfast after spending a calm night anchored in the shelter of Fox Creek. As we approached the Inian Islands we could feel the open Pacific Ocean as gentle swells rolled in between these small islands.
The ship was anchored near the Hobbit Hole and Zodiac explorations of the surrounding islets began. We sped through narrow passages accessible only by small boat. Our Zodiacs with their new 60 hp four stroke outboards were the perfect way to explore. We could cover a lot of ocean quickly while being very quiet when approaching and observing wildlife.
And it was wildlife that we did find. Soon the expedition staff radios were crackling with excitement of sightings of sea otters, flocks of sea birds, dozens of bald eagles and “the boys” – Steller sea lions!
Well I must tell you that the Steller sea lions stole the show! These are the largest of the sea lion species, and were hauled out on rocky outcroppings and in the water around one island’s north facing Cross Sound side. And the noise! There was no mistaking how they got their species common name. Occasionally one of these huge lumbering beasts on land would slide into the ocean and become instantly graceful, now in its element. And the one or two that approached Zodiacs to investigate, became even bigger close up with huge jaws full of really big teeth! But they were merely as curious about us as we were about them.
After lunch, we relocated to George Island for exploration on foot, by kayak and Zodiac. And our undersea specialist and buddy diver conducted the first subsurface photo shoot of the voyage at this location. The footage was fantastic and we all were reminded of how much life there is beneath the surface.
Just at Evening Recap time, isn’t it always the way, we came upon examples of ‘charismatic mega-fauna’ breaching, pec slapping and tail lobbing. The two humpback whales appeared to be involved in feeding behavior that resulted in a spectacular display for us to observe. So much for recap!
As we continued on our way and after enjoying dinner, we felt it was safe to start an evening presentation. But wouldn’t you know it, interrupted again – this time by killer whales! We observed the orca even as sunset was stealing our visibility. We also got to hear their vocalizations using our ship’s hydrophone. The chatter was distinctly orca, the largest of the dolphins.
So it was another beautiful day in southeast Alaska: 45 degrees and raining most of the day. Gorgeous!
