Elfin Cove
We were greeted this morning by rafts of sea otters drifting in the quiet waters of Idaho Inlet. A single humpback whale languidly passed by off our port side. Prior to breakfast we lifted anchor and set out to look for more whales. While traversing through South Inian Pass we came across about a dozen Sabine’s Gulls. These beautiful sea birds breed in the high Arctic and spend the summers at sea in the Southern Hemisphere. They are rarely seen in Southeast Alaska! The rest of our morning was spent visiting the small fishing village of Elfin Cove on the north end of Chichagof Island.
The summer home to a small fleet of salmon trawlers, Elfin Cove has a wintertime population of 15 people and a summertime population of around 200. The only way to visit this magical little village is by boat or float plane. Once you arrive, all travel is by foot along the boardwalk that snakes around the inner harbor. Our afternoon was spent watching several dozen humpback whales feeding in the waters off Pt Adolphus. This area is a favorite hangout for humpbacks and the group we saw was actively feeding throughout the afternoon. Several of them put on incredible displays of breaching, tail lobbing, and pectoral fin slapping. One young whale developed a curious interest in the Sea Lion and made several approaches within 30 feet of our boat. What an incredible experience to look down on the massive head of a humpback as it surfaced right off the bow! Several immature bald eagles joined the feeding frenzy as they tried to catch fish swimming near the surface. It was another incredible day at sea in Southeast Alaska!
We were greeted this morning by rafts of sea otters drifting in the quiet waters of Idaho Inlet. A single humpback whale languidly passed by off our port side. Prior to breakfast we lifted anchor and set out to look for more whales. While traversing through South Inian Pass we came across about a dozen Sabine’s Gulls. These beautiful sea birds breed in the high Arctic and spend the summers at sea in the Southern Hemisphere. They are rarely seen in Southeast Alaska! The rest of our morning was spent visiting the small fishing village of Elfin Cove on the north end of Chichagof Island.
The summer home to a small fleet of salmon trawlers, Elfin Cove has a wintertime population of 15 people and a summertime population of around 200. The only way to visit this magical little village is by boat or float plane. Once you arrive, all travel is by foot along the boardwalk that snakes around the inner harbor. Our afternoon was spent watching several dozen humpback whales feeding in the waters off Pt Adolphus. This area is a favorite hangout for humpbacks and the group we saw was actively feeding throughout the afternoon. Several of them put on incredible displays of breaching, tail lobbing, and pectoral fin slapping. One young whale developed a curious interest in the Sea Lion and made several approaches within 30 feet of our boat. What an incredible experience to look down on the massive head of a humpback as it surfaced right off the bow! Several immature bald eagles joined the feeding frenzy as they tried to catch fish swimming near the surface. It was another incredible day at sea in Southeast Alaska!
