Early morning found National Geographic Sea Lion cruising into Kelp Bay, a long, multi-armed inlet on the east side of Baranof Island. We had been cruising all night from Petersburg, traveling through Frederick Sound, and eventually turning north in Chatham Strait. The weather was good for Southeast Alaska – slightly overcast, with low-hanging clouds, but maybe a little more wind than normal.
Before breakfast we were cruising, looking for wildlife in the middle arm, which finally paid off with an excellent view of a brown bear feeding in a meadow near the proposed landing site for our morning activities. This was an area that had lots of activity: jumping salmon, a number of eagles and harbor seals waiting for those salmon to enter their spawning stream. There was a slight delay in breakfast, but soon the bruin disappeared into the trees, and we moved to the ship’s anchorage, finished breakfast, and started the morning landing. Several hikes were offered as well as kayaking in the calm waters at the end of the bay.
The morning flew by, and soon it was time to head back to the ship, eat lunch, and start our afternoon of cruising north up Chatham Strait to look for more wildlife. It was a little slow as far as encounters, with a few scattered bird and whale sightings along the way. We took advantage of this time however, by getting a couple of excellent presentations, one on sea otters, and another on glaciers. But eventually our persistence paid off, and we located a group of feeding humpback whales that put on quite a show for us, with views of a cooperative feeding behavior called “bubble-netting,” and several incredible breaches and tail-lobs!
Eventually the activity decreased and everyone returned inside to have another lovely dinner, maybe a cocktail, and share their day’s experiences with fellow travelers. Another full and wonderful day in this wild and awe-inspiring country!
