Kelp Bay and Lake Eva
Hearing the whine of the crane’s hydraulics before wakeup call means only one thing: Exploration. Early morning ship cruising was the perfect excuse to drop a Zodiac for an exploratory dive at the mouth of Kelp Bay. With an ebbing tide thwarting us from diving an already-named rock, we picked a sheltered and unnamed island for our foray into the underwater world. Under the watchful eye of sunbathing harbor seals, Photo Instructor Alberto and I descended to the bottom below. Exploring the rocky ledges we found a rare and elaborately camouflaged heart crab blending into the sponges and corals of a colorful rock overhang. Along the sand-rock interface we spotted several crimson anemones with more candy stripe shrimp than I’ve ever seen before. These small shrimps are also possibly the most colorful and beautiful shrimp I have ever seen. A true gem of the Pacific hiding in a pink forest of stinging tentacles. From now on this low island will be known as the Candy Shop in Kelp Bay.
The afternoon terrestrial activities at Lake Eva ensued under ever-clearing skies. Rare was a dry boot after the evening crossing of the lagoon, for the tide was a flood and water levels had risen. Along the swamped sedges a sow brown bear and her rambunctious cub sloshed along the intertidal snacking on all things un-salmon. The fish haven’t run just yet, but any day now they should. Until then we’ll be glad to watch the landlord from the comfort of a kayak under sunny, calm skies.
