After a smooth night of sailing through the Chatham Straight and into the Icy Straight, we awoke in the secluded anchorage called the Hobbit Hole near the Inian Islands. Chella welcomed the day with a relaxing stretch and nourishing smoothie on the bridge deck. During our sumptuous breakfast, our expedition leader, Lee outlined our activities for the day. We would start with a cruise to find sea lions followed by a landing at George Island. Sounded simple enough, so we bundled up for what would be a day to remember.
We boarded our trusty expedition landing craft and headed out through a channel alive with strong currents. Along the shore, we spotted sea otters lounging in the kelp. We even spotted a female clutching a juvenile almost as large as her.
Nearby we found a large rock in the channel covered with bellowing Steller sea lions. Covering just about every inch of rock, they slept, rolled around, and tussled with each other to our delight. Pelagic cormorants were spotted lining the rocks and darting through the skies overhead.
On our way back to the ship, we found some humpback whales feeding in the channel. One breached several times before giving us a brilliant show of pectoral flapping. Another whale moved to the side of the channel and took a nap right in front of our boats. What a morning!
After relocating the ship to George Island, we set off for our explorations of the island. Long walkers found a large six-inch gun from a defunct military installation. Its rusting hulk serving as a stoic reminder of days past. Shorebirds wandered the rocky beaches, and as we hiked, kayakers nudged into the many nooks and crannies around the island as they explored the shoreline from an otter’s eye view.
During Recap, our undersea specialist, Colin, showed us some footage from his dive earlier in the day with our video chronicler, Steve. They explored the shoreline near the Inian Islands and found an amazing collection of sea stars, soft corals, sea lions, and jellies. It was a treat to glimpse the fantastic undersea world and learn about some of its creatures.
As we savored our dinner, Lee called us onto the deck to enjoy the many humpback whales that plied the rich waters around our ship. It was a fitting end to a spectacular day.
