Calm waters and a beautiful, misty sunrise made for a pleasant early arrival at Albion Dock. As some sleepily stammered out of bed and headed to the delightful breakfast buffet, others had already had the opportunity to spot and photograph a majestic bald eagle along the shore. Cultural interpreter Barbara Wilson joined our ship for breakfast and briefly spoke of the exiting days ahead. We are lucky enough to have her join us for the next few days—welcome aboard, Barbara! After hearing naturalist Bristol’s stories of Haida Gwaii, we were all eager to arrive. Beautiful mountains and endless forests surrounded the quaint fishing town where we docked.
It was an early departure from the ship and the naturalists led the way to the Haida Heritage Center and Museum promptly after finishing eggs benedict. Today was a day of delving into the culture of Queen Charlotte and the Haida people and our first day in Haida Gwaii. We received a warm welcome that included a beautiful song of the Haida anthem. Intricate totem poles lined the museum and we learned the struggles and triumphs of the past and present Haida culture. It was the perfect introduction to the culture and land that we will spend the next few days getting to know.
Shortly after lunch we set off for our overnight sail to Sgang Gwaii, and we had a leisurely afternoon enjoying the sunny views. Barbara told stories about the Haida people and how their language is notorious for calling whales; perfect foreshadowing for the evening to come. The serene atmosphere ended midway through the beef tenderloin and trout dinner when humpback whales were spotted in the distance. As we approached the whales, people began bustling around the dining room windows trying to get a better view. We all headed toward the bow for a closer look and the dining room was cleared before dessert was served. Who needs dessert when breaching whales surround you? It was our lucky day and we found a large group of feeding humpback whales roughly four miles off the Lyell Island Coast around Flat Fish Bank. At this spot, the geological structure encourages and creates rich feeding grounds and it was easy to see large schools of krill in the dark waters below. Everybody gasped and cheered as these stunning giants put on a spectacular show all around us. Fortunately, yet unfortunately, we were close enough to the whales to experience the pungent smell they were emitting. Our onboard National Geographic photographer, Rich Reid, gave a friendly reminder to put down the cameras and enjoy the moment—always a nice reminder! We marveled at these creatures through sunset and headed to bed grinning ear-to-ear. Today is not a day any of us will shortly forget.
