Ian Strachan, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
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Daily Expedition
Reports
05 May 2017
Queen Charlotte Island, 5/5/2017, National Geographic Sea Lion
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Lion
Alaska
Haida Gwaii is not only a place, but a culture unparalleled worldwide. Queen Charlotte Island is home to the same first nations people who have lived in this location for thousands of years. Their oral history tells of volcanos, a natural phenomenon not seen in this area since written history began. On this day, the National Geographic Sea Lion visited Queen Charlotte City, indulging in the culture and natural world morning and afternoon.
As a young marine biologist, Alyssa Adler has had the opportunity to work as a diver in many capacities. For several years, she was a dedicated AAUS scientific diver for University of North Carolina on an offshore reef ecology project, and has partic...
One steady constant in Ian’s life has been the ocean. Born by the rocky shores of mid-coast Maine, his family repatriated to far north Queensland in Australia early on in his life where he became a dual-citizen and sparked his passion for exploring n...
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What a beautiful way to spend the last day of this remarkable journey from Sitka to Vancouver. We awoke to the glassy, calm waters of Desolation Sound, part of British Columbia’s beautiful fjord system, for hikes, kayaking, and Zodiac cruises. The afternoon was spent frantically packing since we have really settled into our life on board over the last 15 days!
The morning aboard National Geographic Sea Lion brought serene cruising through the islands off Alert Bay. We were privileged to encounter local cetaceans and spend our afternoon deepening our cultural connections. A heartfelt thank you to the U’Mista Museum and Cultural Centre, wood carver Wayne Alfred, and the T’sasala Cultural Group for enriching our expedition with their art and heritage.
We awoke this morning in the calm protected waters of the Inside Passage in British Columbia. These narrow passages are protected by the numerous islands buttressing the wild coastline; we quietly passed through the misty temperate rainforest on these rich marine channels as the eagles, gulls, shorebirds, and waterfowl barely acknowledged our intrusion. Our morning aboard, however, was busy with a variety of activities and presentations, interspersed with time to soak in the mysterious misty landscape. In the afternoon we had tours in our expedition landing craft through the Jackson Narrows Marine Reserve, where small streams poured out of the dark, green forest. Cedars, hemlocks, spruces and alders overhung the banks, the lush verdant growth starkly clinging in a thin organic layer to the exposed gray granodiorite rocks. The presence of numerous bald eagles and glaucous-winged gulls gave away the presence of spawning salmon in the narrow creek mouths. The brown-stained waters emphasized the intimate connection of the forest and the marine landscape surrounding us.
