Green Inlet and Princess Royal Island, 5/4/2024, National Geographic Venture
Aboard the
National Geographic Venture
Alaska
This morning we explored Green Inlet, a long and beautiful bay on the British Columbia shore. Steep, tree-covered hills met the salt water, and as we explored by Zodiacs and kayaks we discovered many bald eagles. All afternoon we enjoyed abundant, warm sunshine as we cruised north along the green, undeveloped coast of Princess Royal Island. Then late in the afternoon we saw whales! We saw distant blows and backs of several fin whales, and at least one humpback whale.
Berit grew up on the rocky shores of Marblehead, Massachusetts, where she explored the marine environment through changing tides and seasons, nurturing a love of natural history and marine biology.
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What a stunner of a day here in Victoria once the fog lifted this morning! Clear skies and comfortable temperatures made the various excursions all the more enjoyable. From an all-day tour to Bouchard Gardens, bike rides, secret gardens, and historical walks, our guests enjoyed their day in Victoria! Walking around downtown Victoria was a feast for the eyes with the beautiful arrangements of colorful and bountiful flowers. The flowers that lined the walkways of the Empress Hotel were spectacular! Downtown Victoria and the adjacent area have 1,600 hanging baskets of flowers adorning the lamp posts. We also enjoyed the beauty our dive team discovered under the sea. They came back with some spectacular footage of what lies beneath the waves. Beautiful kelp forests, crabs, and fish galore.
Today, National Geographic Quest spent the day exploring Desolation Sound. We dropped our anchor in Tenedos Bay where we spent the morning enjoying our excursions. Some guests got up extra early to do a long one-way hike. Others enjoyed a variety of hiking options and kayaking in the scenic bay.
It was a drizzly day here at Alert Bay, but it did not dampen our spirits! A family of frolicking river otters (Lontra canadensis) on the floating dock by our ship greeted us as disembarked. At the same time, sea otters (Enhydra lutris) swam along the dock trying to interact with the river otters! The first stop of the morning was the U’mista Cultural Center. Here, our guests enjoyed a short film and then were able to tour the museum’s displays and artwork. After the U’mista tour was finished, we made our way to the “Big House” for a welcome ceremony. There were dancers of all ages, which after the welcome ceremony, danced and explained the various dances. As we made our way past Hanson Island and Orca Camp, a viewing and listening research outpost, we saw a mega pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) and a pod of five orca (Orcinus orca). One of our naturalists downloaded an orca vocalization live feed app from the research station, and we were able to hear the orcas that we were watching!
