We had an incredible day exploring Southeast Alaska, starting with Peril Strait. As we cruised along the narrow passage, we saw a plethora of bald eagles hunting for fish. We watched at least seven eagles soaring and diving for food as we sailed through Chatham Strait. Guests were excited to see a coastal brown bear foraging on the shoreline. We brought out the scope and headed out to the bow to enjoy watching this bear look for food. After lunch, we went ashore. Some guests took an exploratory hike, some combed the beach, and some enjoyed a Zodiac cruise, where they were treated to views of a gray whale. As if things couldn’t get any better, we were interrupted by a huge group of humpback whales bubble-net feeding as we ate dinner. We were treated to a show of tremendous power and strength. While watching the bubble-net feeding, two more coastal brown bears appeared on the shoreline. Guests had the option of watching whales feed to the right of the boat or brown bears foraging to the left, which turned out to be a very hard decision.
7/14/2024
Read
National Geographic Venture
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness
We started the day with Zodiac tours of South Sawyer Glacier, a tidewater glacier. The air was cool, and it rained throughout the day, but that made the waterfalls gush. The walls of the Tracy Arm were dark yet glistening, and blue icebergs recently calved from South Sawyer Glacier stood out. The sea water stood in contrast against the ice. The brown of the land flushing into the sea swirled with a rusty hue that turned out to be a zooplankton bloom. The misty afternoon was spent kayaking from the base of one of the waterfalls with icebergs in various forms carried by nearby currents. It all made for a fantastic backdrop with swallows swooping close to the output of the falls, arctic terns darting and calling above, harbor seals cautiously following along, and pigeon guillemots surfacing with a whole silvery fish in their bills. After such a fantastic day, we finished up by viewing numerous waterfalls cascading down the steep fjord walls and a look at Sawyer Glacier misted in fingerlike clouds. What a beautiful sight.