While guests hiked and kayaked around the still waters and groomed trails of Lake Eva, a gaggle of divers gathered a mountain of gear for a pioneering look at Southeast Alaska’s underwater world. The crew of National Geographic Sea Lion sprang into action to ensure that this “Live Dive” would be a success. Cables were routed and wireless feeds were tested all before lunch, signaling the countdown to “go time.” Once all guests were in the lounge, the show really began. Transmitting video hundreds of yards away from the anchored ship, a lounge full of guests, crew, and staff were transported 60 feet deep to a world seldom seen by anyone.
Using state-of-the-art technology and a lot of teamwork, I was able to bring our guests face-to-face with a live giant Pacific octopus found by Chief Mate/Dive Buddy Billy O’Brien. The number of people involved in this evolution owes to its impact: a good anchorage chosen by Captain Harris, a lounge full of happy guests introduced by our Expedition Leader Jen, a tender and Transmitter of Questions in the form of Deckhand Matt, plus dive buddies Izzy, Billy, and Andy. Without their help, this dive would be nearly impossible. Every person on this ship gets genuine satisfaction from delivering a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience for our guests and I have never seen any operation bring so many people together as our new Live Dive program. The enthusiasm is contagious and the secret is hard to keep.
Our expedition has come to a close, but the number of memorable experiences is hard to keep track of. For me it will be the outstanding sunset whales and northern lights of the first night. Each of us will find a meaningful moment and latch onto it for the rest of our lives. It may take a few days to decide just which event will be the most memorable, but in the meantime, we still have a few hours to let fate take its course and for nature to impact us all.
Instead of heading to the tempestuous outside waters and the edge of the Gulf of Alaska, we continued our track to the north and west through Peril Strait, that narrow, winding, current-laden channel between Baranof and Chichagof Island. Our final destination is Sitka but the voyage will continue to replay in our mental and digital slideshows.
