As most were getting out of their bed this morning a lone brown bear wandered the shore of Iyoukeen Inlet before heading back into the long grass and out of view. We were anchored in the sheltered cove that had a promising looking intertidal zone abutting old growth forest—both offering great options for exploration. Many joined our marine ecologists in the intertidal zone, quickly finding a wealth of diversity hidden under the algal blanket. The tide pools offered colorful anemones, sea cucumbers, urchins, sea stars, crabs, and snails. Everyone found their own treasures in amongst the many rock pools. Meanwhile intrepid explorers were meandering into the undergrowth following animal tracks into the depths of the forest while others chose to explore above the water by kayak or paddleboard. While guests returned to the National Geographic Quest for lunch the divers jumped in to take footage from below the intertidal zone. The afternoon was spent wildlife spotting from the bow while making our way south. As if we hadn’t seen enough for one day, our aperitifs were enjoyed in front of Kasnyku Falls and dessert was accompanied by a talk about the local humpback whale populations by Dr. Andy Szabo from the Alaska Whale Foundation.