Chatham Strait and Pavlof Harbor
Our first morning of the trip was indeed perfect as we awoke to two young brown bears wrestling and playing in the meadow of Saook Bay. We all got nice views and insight into the lives of the coastal brown bears of Southeast Alaska. The two looked to be siblings, likely 2 or 3 years old, and were spending as much time playing as they were foraging for breakfast. There was no sign of their mother, which is typical for bears of their age. Often when bears leave their mother, siblings will stay together for a short period before going their separate ways. After getting nice views of their playful nature, we decided to continue on our passage through Peril Strait in search for more charismatic fauna.
While cruising Chatham Strait, we found a calf Humpback whale breeching and displaying photogenic behavior on the surface. Indeed the mother was nearby, and we all got great views and photos of the calf’s surface lunges, pectoral fin slaps, and tail-slapping behavior. The two stuck close together, and while the boat sat idle, the whales swam all around, coming quite near at times. The mother was large and beautiful, probably about 40 feet long and 40 tons in weight. While her calf stayed near the surface, she would go down feeding, and sometimes return with her mouth agape in a lunge-feeding behavior. We all got good views of the ventral pleats of her lower jaw, her upper jaw with the sensory organs used for feeding, and both blowholes bursting 100 mile an hour breaths.
Bears and whales on the first morning of our expedition, we must be doing something right.
The afternoon was a great introduction to the forests of Southeast Alaska. Upon arrival to our afternoon location, we were greeted by another family of bears, this time a mother and two young cubs from a safe distance. Some of the group went for hikes along the creek and up to Pavlof Lake, while others chose a little aquatic exploration by kayak along the shores.
Meanwhile, the 2nd mate and I geared up with drysuits and camera equipment, and dove 70 feet down to one of our favorite sites in Southeast. The underwater world here is spectacular, from Giant plumose anemones to the Giant pacific octopus. Though the ocean may seem uninviting for swimming, especially for a prolonged period of time, with proper gear, the experience is rich with creatures great and small. In addition to the Giant pacific octopi, we also saw mating Helmet crabs, ornately covered Graceful decorator crabs, feeding sea cucumbers, and a variety of other colorful marine invertebrates.
With video camera in hand, I was able to film all these bizarre subjects and present them to our guests at this evening’s recap. It was a hoot, and perfectly complimented by Birgit Buhleier’s INCREDIBLE Crittercam footage of a nursing Humpback calf and bubblenet lunge feeding. This unbelievable footage is the first time these behaviors have been filmed from below the surface, and sheds light to the meeting of nature and technology. From start to finish, it has truly been another outstanding day aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion.
