Spectacular is the word of the day. It all began with the soothing sounds of Lee’s voice waking us and announcing our arrival in Pavlov Harbor. The ship nosed into the peaceful bay and dropped anchor near a sizeable river adding its fresh water to the salty bay. As we boarded the boats for our morning adventures, a bear was spotted on the shore. The ‘cruisers’ were treated with a close up view of a young brown bear foraging along the rocky shoreline. A short time later three more bears we spotted on the opposite shore. This time it was a brown bear sow with two large cubs. She will soon be chasing them off as she goes into estrus and continues the circle of life.
Meanwhile, the hikers were exploring the nearby waterfall complete with fish ladder. In days past, there used to be a wooden ramp alongside the falls that enabled determined fishermen to haul their boats over the falls and into the lake beyond. Later in the season, salmon will use the ladder to swim over the falls in their ceaseless drive upriver to spawn. In the forest, flowers were beginning to bud, and spring was finally in the air.
Once we cleaned up, and had a sumptuous lunch, we headed out on deck to watch for wildlife as we cruised through the Chatham Straight. Dall’s porpoises greeted us and raced around our ship as we watched in awe of their speed. Some got to see their underwater antics from the bow cam as they danced in front of our ship.
Bette Lu presented us with a thought provoking talk about salmon and where they begin and end their lives. It was fascinating to think of a fish from so many different perspectives. Just after her talk, the ship slowed down which is usually a sign of great things to come. Pouring out on deck we found we had front row seats at Kasnyku Falls. Our resident photography instructor, Linda, had everyone pose on the bow for a group photo in front of the falls. What a great shot that will be. Inspired, many people posed together to mark the special event.
During our cocktail hour and recap, our undersea specialist, Colin, showed us the footage he and second mate Chris Rhodes shot on their dive today in Pavlov Harbor. They had a spectacular dive featuring many sea creatures including several octopuses. One octopus was moving around in the open, and we were able to see its whole body as it changed colors and textures. A rare treat indeed.
Dinner was wonderful as always and afterwards we sailed through the beautiful narrows of Red Bluff Bay. Another bear was spotted on the shore and we were able to share a special moment as the bear fed on sedges near the water’s edge. What a stunning way to end a spectacular day.
