It’s been an absolutely magnificent day here on board National Geographic Sea Lion. We started off by picking up Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation in Chatham Strait, and he gave a presentation on humpback whale populations in Southeast Alaska. It was a great introduction to these massive marine mammals. After his presentation, we continued cruising along Chatham Strait and spotted several humpbacks in the distance. We approached the pod, and after about thirty minutes of watching the animals feeding individually, they came together and began bubble net feeding! It was absolutely superb, and they continued to bubble net feed several times over the next hour. It was an incredible sighting of this rare behavior.
In the afternoon, we anchored at Pavlov Harbor on the east side of Chichagof Island in an area called Freshwater Bay. Guests had an opportunity to participate in both kayaking and nature walks. Just as the first round of activities began, a coastal brown bear perched on the small waterfall near the beginning of the hike and began fishing at the falls. These bears can eat up to 100,000 calories a day during the peak salmon runs, and we were lucky enough to witness the bear catch some massive, three-foot-long salmon. We watched as the bear continued to fish throughout the entire first round of activities, then reluctantly pulled away to meet up with our next round of activities. Fortunately, the bear remained at the falls, and those who went kayaking and hiking on the second round were also rewarded with fantastic views of the fishing bear.
As the day came down to an end, we began walking back to the ship and a magnificent rainbow appeared in the background. It was a beautiful sight, providing the picture perfect backdrop for Sea Lion. It’s been a highlight day here in Southeast Alaska, and we look forward to many more great days ahead!
