Icy Strait
As we filtered out to the bow during the early morning hours, the smell of sweet plankton tickled our noses. Plankton production in these waters attracts a myriad of marine wildlife. Near shore Steller sea lions were “jugging” at the surface using the cool air or warming sun to regulate their body heat through their flippers. Further out humpbacks cruised through the still waters. There was barely a breeze to be felt and as the humpbacks blew their breath would hang in the air long after the whales slipped below the surface. Black-legged kittiwakes, Bonaparte’s gulls and phalaropes also plied the waters in search of plankters near the surface.
As we continued to cruise Captain Kalbach decided to sail the ship through the narrow passage of South Inian Pass and happened upon sea otters rafting in the bull kelp along the rocky shore (see photo above). The fur, which has long been considered some of the finest in the world, consists of dense under-fur and long guard hairs. The sea otter depends on air trapped in its dense under-fur as seals and whales depend on blubber layers to keep them warm and comfortable in the cold Pacific waters.
During the afternoon we had the opportunity to go ashore and kayak at George Island. This island lays at the easternmost entrance to Icy Strait, called Cross Sound, an area where ocean currents are strong and bull kelp sways in the waves like trees in the wind. On shore we had the opportunity to hike in another magical forest of Sitka spruce and western hemlock. In low-lying areas where small bogs developed, large swashes of skunk cabbage grew in dense clumps. All along the large leaves we could see where Sitka black tailed deer had taken a little nibble. On the trails oodles of banana slugs slithered along on their slime trails. Most of us were pleasantly surprised when we heard about the courtship and breeding rituals of these unusual gastropods!
Those of us who kayaked or opted for the more leisurely Zodiac tour ventured around the islands’ shore and were able to gaze into the wonderful world of kelp and marine invertebrates. The water’s clarity magnified the multitude of colorful sea stars and chitons that covered the rocks and ocean bottom.
As we filtered out to the bow during the early morning hours, the smell of sweet plankton tickled our noses. Plankton production in these waters attracts a myriad of marine wildlife. Near shore Steller sea lions were “jugging” at the surface using the cool air or warming sun to regulate their body heat through their flippers. Further out humpbacks cruised through the still waters. There was barely a breeze to be felt and as the humpbacks blew their breath would hang in the air long after the whales slipped below the surface. Black-legged kittiwakes, Bonaparte’s gulls and phalaropes also plied the waters in search of plankters near the surface.
As we continued to cruise Captain Kalbach decided to sail the ship through the narrow passage of South Inian Pass and happened upon sea otters rafting in the bull kelp along the rocky shore (see photo above). The fur, which has long been considered some of the finest in the world, consists of dense under-fur and long guard hairs. The sea otter depends on air trapped in its dense under-fur as seals and whales depend on blubber layers to keep them warm and comfortable in the cold Pacific waters.
During the afternoon we had the opportunity to go ashore and kayak at George Island. This island lays at the easternmost entrance to Icy Strait, called Cross Sound, an area where ocean currents are strong and bull kelp sways in the waves like trees in the wind. On shore we had the opportunity to hike in another magical forest of Sitka spruce and western hemlock. In low-lying areas where small bogs developed, large swashes of skunk cabbage grew in dense clumps. All along the large leaves we could see where Sitka black tailed deer had taken a little nibble. On the trails oodles of banana slugs slithered along on their slime trails. Most of us were pleasantly surprised when we heard about the courtship and breeding rituals of these unusual gastropods!
Those of us who kayaked or opted for the more leisurely Zodiac tour ventured around the islands’ shore and were able to gaze into the wonderful world of kelp and marine invertebrates. The water’s clarity magnified the multitude of colorful sea stars and chitons that covered the rocks and ocean bottom.
