We arose early while sailing in Stephens Passage, and to our delight in the distance we saw a humpback whale calf side-lunging repeatedly. It was determined that this calf was practicing behavior while its mother was feeding or searching for food. Off in the distance on the other side of the bow we saw a Dall’s porpoise zipping through the water creating rooster tails of splashing water. Suddenly a humpback whale surfaced near the ship but dove quickly when it realized how close it was to us; how exciting! As we turned into Holkham Bay we began to see “bergy bits” – large pieces of ice that had calved from Sawyer Glacier and floated down the fjord. Beautiful shapes of turquoise blue hues began to float by regularly. We explored the face of Sawyer Glacier while on the ship, and after lunch we launched Zodiacs to explore amidst the ice and up to the face of glacier. Harbor seals and pups popped their heads up in between the ice. The ice calved and swells sloshed against the sides of the fjord. After an exciting round of ice-watching, we sailed back down Tracy Arm into Holkham Bay and Stephens Passage to a golden setting sun.
7/18/2024
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National Geographic Quest
Freshwater Bay, Chichagof Island
This morning before breakfast, the bridge team of National Geographic Quest spotted orcas in Freshwater Bay. Eager to see this iconic whale species, the bow was quickly occupied by excited guests, staff, and crew. We could not have asked for better conditions. A sunny, calm morning with at least a dozen orcas! Wow! After breakfast we went ashore at Kennel Creek on Chichagof Island and split into aerobic, moderate, and casual walking groups. After yesterday’s wet forest at Fox Creek, we welcomed the firm, dry ground of an old logging road. Along our walks there were abundant signs of brown bears. One of the two aerobic walks had fresh bear tracks on top of their footprints upon their return. In the afternoon cruising down Chatham Strait, we enjoyed time on deck soaking up the sun when an eagle-eye naturalist spotted a group of humpbacks ten miles away! As we approached, we could see that this was no small group, as twenty-three whales were bubble net feeding! This day will long be imprinted in our memories of wild Alaska.