Chatham Strait/Pavlof Harbor
The soothing voice of our Expedition Leader, Lee Fleischer, woke us early this morning urging us onto the decks to witness an extraordinary scene… Captain Coughlin had come across a group of cooperative bubblenet-feeding humpback whales in Chatham Strait! The whales use bubbles blown through their blowholes as a tool to create a cylinder, which scares and concentrates schooling fish, such as herring, into a dense ball within the curtain of bubbles. Sound, along with the white flash of their long pectoral fins are additional scare tactics that help pack the terrified fish even closer. The whales can then come up through the prey with their mouths wide open. The rorqual pleats on the underside expand and the whales take in water along with the prey and then they expel the water through their baleen plates (sheets of keratin that hang from the upper jaw, instead of teeth), and using their large, muscular tongue they suck the fish from the baleen and swallow. Our sleepiness wore off quickly and we responded with sounds of awe and amazement, cameras clicking. We watched as the pattern of diving and lunging to the surface played out repeatedly. Out of over 3,000 humpbacks that are estimated to visit Southeast Alaska in the summer, only about 50 to 60 are known to participate in cooperative bubblenet feeding. It was very special to see these endangered animals in their natural environment.
While we were observing this amazing spectacle, some people noticed other spouts across the channel. They turned out to be a pod of resident (fish-eating) killer whales. We took a few minutes to run down to the dining room for our own feeding frenzy before returning to the decks, where we were treated to another astonishing display by the largest members of the dolphin family. About a dozen killer whales, including a very young and spunky calf and another juvenile, rested nearby, ignoring the National Geographic Sea Bird but staying close to the surface, making frequent appearances and presenting great photo opportunities. Comparing our pictures with photo identification catalogues, we were able to determine that we were observing part of AF pod, the largest resident group of killer whales in Southeast Alaska. An occasional fluke slap, spy-hop and other expressions kept us interested and entertained on the bow of the ship. It was quite thrilling to have these animals pass so close to our vessel!
After this exciting morning, we anchored in Pavlof Harbor in Freshwater Bay and went ashore for hiking and kayaking in this scenic spot on Chichagof Island. Kayakers explored the shoreline and paddled up to the base of a waterfall. A fish ladder was built here to enhance the salmon runs that return year after year. Some people opted to stay ashore for the entire afternoon, hiking past Lake Pavlof and looping back through the forest. Signs of brown bears, beavers, and river otters were noted along the way. Wildflowers were abundant; many in full display: paintbrush, chocolate lily, false lily-of-the-valley in small meadows, and spotted coral root in the forest.
The high energy of the day persisted through recap and dinner, winding down with pieces of rainbows and alpenglow spotlighting the surrounding peaks as we transited northwest from Chatham Strait into Icy Strait toward the adventures of tomorrow.
The soothing voice of our Expedition Leader, Lee Fleischer, woke us early this morning urging us onto the decks to witness an extraordinary scene… Captain Coughlin had come across a group of cooperative bubblenet-feeding humpback whales in Chatham Strait! The whales use bubbles blown through their blowholes as a tool to create a cylinder, which scares and concentrates schooling fish, such as herring, into a dense ball within the curtain of bubbles. Sound, along with the white flash of their long pectoral fins are additional scare tactics that help pack the terrified fish even closer. The whales can then come up through the prey with their mouths wide open. The rorqual pleats on the underside expand and the whales take in water along with the prey and then they expel the water through their baleen plates (sheets of keratin that hang from the upper jaw, instead of teeth), and using their large, muscular tongue they suck the fish from the baleen and swallow. Our sleepiness wore off quickly and we responded with sounds of awe and amazement, cameras clicking. We watched as the pattern of diving and lunging to the surface played out repeatedly. Out of over 3,000 humpbacks that are estimated to visit Southeast Alaska in the summer, only about 50 to 60 are known to participate in cooperative bubblenet feeding. It was very special to see these endangered animals in their natural environment.
While we were observing this amazing spectacle, some people noticed other spouts across the channel. They turned out to be a pod of resident (fish-eating) killer whales. We took a few minutes to run down to the dining room for our own feeding frenzy before returning to the decks, where we were treated to another astonishing display by the largest members of the dolphin family. About a dozen killer whales, including a very young and spunky calf and another juvenile, rested nearby, ignoring the National Geographic Sea Bird but staying close to the surface, making frequent appearances and presenting great photo opportunities. Comparing our pictures with photo identification catalogues, we were able to determine that we were observing part of AF pod, the largest resident group of killer whales in Southeast Alaska. An occasional fluke slap, spy-hop and other expressions kept us interested and entertained on the bow of the ship. It was quite thrilling to have these animals pass so close to our vessel!
After this exciting morning, we anchored in Pavlof Harbor in Freshwater Bay and went ashore for hiking and kayaking in this scenic spot on Chichagof Island. Kayakers explored the shoreline and paddled up to the base of a waterfall. A fish ladder was built here to enhance the salmon runs that return year after year. Some people opted to stay ashore for the entire afternoon, hiking past Lake Pavlof and looping back through the forest. Signs of brown bears, beavers, and river otters were noted along the way. Wildflowers were abundant; many in full display: paintbrush, chocolate lily, false lily-of-the-valley in small meadows, and spotted coral root in the forest.
The high energy of the day persisted through recap and dinner, winding down with pieces of rainbows and alpenglow spotlighting the surrounding peaks as we transited northwest from Chatham Strait into Icy Strait toward the adventures of tomorrow.
