Harkening back to the first days of our trip, it was hard to remember that the weather forecast had been so bad. We dodged it again and awoke to cloudy skies but calm conditions within Halleck Harbor on the northwest end of Saginaw Bay, Kuiu Island. A single humpback whale swam near the ship feeding on schooling herring. We could see a faint circle of bubbles rise to the surface a few moments before the whale lunged to the surface, mouth agape to capture the fish.
Our activities began after breakfast and included kayaking, paddle boarding, and forest and intertidal hikes. After lunch, our young explorers learned the skills required to drive Zodiacs and earned their Lindblad License. Later, both crew and guests were engaged in a polar plunge into the brisk, but not freezing, water of Halleck Harbor. Shayne Sanders, our newest naturalist and certified photo instructor shared his knowledge of Alaskan birds in an afternoon talk. Seemingly on cue after his talk, we encountered a number of humpback whales swimming and feeding near the ship.
