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Today is Glacier Bay day! And what a day we had. We woke this morning to welcome our park ranger guests and off we set to explore the park. Our rangers are here as our hosts, teaching us about the park and her inhabitants. First stop was South Marble Island to look for puffins, as well as other wildlife. We found tufted-puffins, heaps actually. Next, we went to Gloomy Nob, and we hit the jackpot! Starting off with sea otters floating everywhere. Then we spotted mountain goats, a black bear, a couple of coastal brown bears napping, and a couple of wolves, one black and one grey. It was an insane two hours of sightings! Onward we traveled toward Marjorie Glacier, enjoying the awe-inspiring scenery. Once we arrived at the glacier face, a silence came over us all – to stand in the beauty of both the grand Pacific and Marjorie was something for which we all felt grateful.
Santa Rosa Island was in full bloom for our day of exploration on “the grasslands in the wind.” The Chumash name for Santa Rosa Island is Wimal, which means driftwood. With the winds gusting, it was easy to see why the Chumash used the driftwood from this island to create their seafaring tomols, or canoes, to travel between islands and to the mainland. Guests had an extraordinary experience lucking upon a Santa Rosa Island fox in the Torrey Pine grove at the end of a delightful uphill climb. Others were in amazement and delight of the wildflowers that stunned us with their spectacular colors. Back at the ship, our underwater team captivated us all with their video footage of the magical world below the waterline.
Today we visited Floreana Island. An early hike brought us to Punta Cormorant where we witnessed the start of the breeding season of the blue-footed boobies by observing the famous blue-footed booby courting dance! Then a few yards away, we observed flamingos in the brackish water lagoon. What a great start to a great day! After breakfast we went to Champion Islet and off we went for Zodiac rides and later for deep water snorkeling and glass bottom boat rides. It was like swimming in an aquarium! The afternoon was filled with activities: two rounds of kayaking, visiting the famous Post Office Barrel, swimming, and snorkeling off the beach. To cap it all off, sunset was gorgeous. It was an amazing day in paradise.
Bula and greetings as we pull into the lagoon of Kadavu, Fiji. Today’s expedition was all about lagoon and reef snorkelling and great cuisine. Our day started off with our introduction of expedition staff members to guests, followed by our mandatory snorkel briefing. Guests were given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the cool lagoon of Verolevu Islet, snorkelling over a shoreside shallow reef. On returning to National Geographic Orion , we were greeted by a lavish lunch provided by Executive Chef Lorenzo and his team. Guests had an opportunity to rest before heading out on another snorkel adventure, this time hovering over a deep reef with myriads of fish dancing below. For those who chose not to snorkel, Undersea Specialist Mike Desiderio kept his party entertained in the iconic Tom Ritchie glass bottom Zodiac.
Tracy Arm was the name on everyone’s tongue early this morning as the guests onboard National Geographic Sea Lion stirred from an easy night’s sail. But, as expeditions are known to do, plans evolved! Our bridge officers informed us shortly before breakfast that our destination had changed from the northern fjord to the southern fjord after reports of heavy ice in Tracy Arm – so Endicott it was! A beautifully overcast day with little rain presented itself to us as we found a glacial fjord mostly free of ice! Dawes Glacier and all her glory allowed us to get up close and personal in our Zodiacs. Popping, cracking, and thunderous splashing rang out periodically across the water. The high walls and sporadic forests painted Endicott Arm into a spectacular vista for all to enjoy – what a truly incredible day!