Sitkoh Bay & Chatham Strait
We asked the dining room to delay dinner tonight by 30 minutes; we simply could not tear ourselves away from the amazing spectacle outside. Eight humpback whales were cooperatively feeding. Every seven minutes or so they burst through the surface, mouths open. It was incredible to watch over and over again. They were most likely using a bubble net to corral herring. We watched them from several hundred yards away, and then they unexpectedly burst through the surface 30 feet from the side of the National Geographic Sea Bird! We were so grateful to see this; our feeding (dinner) had to wait.
Our wildlife sightings began early today. By breakfast we had already seen three brown bears. Ashore in Sitkoh Bay, we did not see bears, but there were many signs that bears had been there. We walked down an old logging road, and in the forest, spruce and hemlock trees grew out of rotting tree stumps.
As we traveled north in Chatham Strait, we saw several humpback whales. A young humpback slowly rolled and slapped its flippers on the surface. A presentation about Alaska’s marine mammals was announced, so we headed to the lounge. After a few minutes it had the desired effect; as more whales were sighted! One of them breached repeatedly, and the whale beside it slapped its tail on the surface. Half a mile away, another whale breached several times. When we left these whales, the naturalist resumed the presentation, but it was interrupted yet again for more humpback whales. We found a group of cooperatively feeding whales! We felt as if we’d won the whale watching lottery.
Just in case you were wondering our delayed dinner and the fluffy cheesecake dessert were utterly fantastic.
We asked the dining room to delay dinner tonight by 30 minutes; we simply could not tear ourselves away from the amazing spectacle outside. Eight humpback whales were cooperatively feeding. Every seven minutes or so they burst through the surface, mouths open. It was incredible to watch over and over again. They were most likely using a bubble net to corral herring. We watched them from several hundred yards away, and then they unexpectedly burst through the surface 30 feet from the side of the National Geographic Sea Bird! We were so grateful to see this; our feeding (dinner) had to wait.
Our wildlife sightings began early today. By breakfast we had already seen three brown bears. Ashore in Sitkoh Bay, we did not see bears, but there were many signs that bears had been there. We walked down an old logging road, and in the forest, spruce and hemlock trees grew out of rotting tree stumps.
As we traveled north in Chatham Strait, we saw several humpback whales. A young humpback slowly rolled and slapped its flippers on the surface. A presentation about Alaska’s marine mammals was announced, so we headed to the lounge. After a few minutes it had the desired effect; as more whales were sighted! One of them breached repeatedly, and the whale beside it slapped its tail on the surface. Half a mile away, another whale breached several times. When we left these whales, the naturalist resumed the presentation, but it was interrupted yet again for more humpback whales. We found a group of cooperatively feeding whales! We felt as if we’d won the whale watching lottery.
Just in case you were wondering our delayed dinner and the fluffy cheesecake dessert were utterly fantastic.
