In front of us, clouds, fluffy as meringue and smooth as a China cup, flow over the rounded, low mountains of the Inian Islands like line-hung silk sheets in a gentle breeze. Behind us, white caps grate the surface of Cross Sound into a frenzied froth beneath which a five-knot tide-driven current threaten to pull any unsuspecting drifter out into the Pacific. Next stop… Japan?
Between these juxtaposed scenes, three inflatable landing craft float lazily along a dense line of kelp, watching a pair of sea otters. Mama otter floats on her back, gently holding her pup on her belly, kicking with webbed hind feet to maintain distance. Both watching these strange nine-headed, nosey creatures bobbing by.
In the Zodiacs, those nine heads giggle and wow, nod and smile as they learn about the tensioned balance of kelp, urchin, and otter. One woman looks to the driver and whispers, “This is life changing. Thank you.”
