While we make our way to Alaska, we get to explore the beautiful coast of British Columbia, in Canada. What a prelude to more northern latitudes! We see all the diversity along the shorelines, which gradually decreases into more specialized forms of life. Forests here have Pacific yew, Western red cedar, Sitka spruce, Western hemlock and a few other species of conifers. Some of the understory species of plants will be lost as we travel north.
Some of us ventured into the heart of the forest, by bushwhacking through non-existent trails, and found our way in an adventurous manner. After the enjoying our time ashore, we embarked our Zodiacs to explore. The bright sunny day made everything look and feel simply wonderful.
The underwater world of higher latitudes still remains a mystery to most visitors to British Columbia and Alaska. Today we were able to share the marvelous forms of life that inhabit the cold waters of Lowe Inlet. Very green waters are an indication of high amounts of living organisms, and therefore we could find stunningly beautiful creatures. Equipped with dry suits and a video camera, we brought back images of some of these things to share for recap.
Alaskan king crab walked placidly over the silty bottom. The crimson anemone, with its colorful brilliance, usually hides one of the most beautiful creatures of the region; the candy-stripe shrimp. This little shrimp rarely exceeds two inches of length, but with the use of a macro lens we could appreciate the transparency of its body, adorned with brightly colored stripes of red, blue and yellow.
We continued sailing north on board National Geographic Sea Lion. We had a delightful afternoon and evening with magnificent views of the fjords, snowcapped mountains and the temperate rain forests of British Columbia. We had an impromptu cruise through Baker Inlet. Here, we had the most magnificent view of a wide array of marine invertebrates. The tide was very low and the water’s visibility was amazing. From our Zodiacs we could identify different species of anemones, sea stars, and elegantly colored feather duster worms, which for many of us were a highlight to remember.
