Exploring Icy Strait
The calm water of Idaho Inlet is a known haunt of a unique marine mammal. This morning aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird we awoke to classic southeast Alaska weather and sea otters. Once hunted nearly to extinction for their prized pelts, these weasels are surely charismatic megafauna and are now considered by some as being at the pinnacle of ‘cute’. The low, wispy clouds and mist in the air and the apparently mellow lifestyle of the otters made for a mellow wake-up, but we had a date with a much more intense subject.
Constituting the northern entrance to the Inside Passage, Cross Sound is known to harbor strong tidal currents. This narrow opening to the Pacific Ocean serves as a bottleneck for water moving into or out of the area. This narrow passage is a favorite hunting ground for the largest sea lion on Earth, the Northern, or Steller, sea lion. With the Inian Islands as a backdrop, we explored the haul-out of possibly 150 sea lions during the incoming high tide. With waters moving more like a river than the ocean, our Zodiacs proved more than capable as we watched sea lions catch and dispatch salmon. Keen eyes even spotted several killer whales off in the distance who were evidently trying to get somewhere in a hurry. As the flood tide began to reach its maximum flow, it was apparent that these were important salmon-hunting grounds by the number of predators around.
After such an exhilarating morning on the sea, we repositioned back to Idaho Inlet at a location called Fox Creek for hikes and kayaking around nearby Shaw Island. Evidence of bears was found in the form of scat and even perennial bear prints. We marveled at the vegetative aspect of southeast Alaska in the form of towering Sitka spruce and western hemlock forests. From the beach to the forest we passed through a progression of flowers from oysterleaf, to cow parsnip, chocolate lily, dwarf dogwood and shy maiden. But the marine life once again stole the show in the form of very active humpback whales.
Considered the most acrobatic of whales, these animals lived up to the description. Lunging to the surface with mouths agape, several whales were feeding on small schooling fish. Other whales chose breaching as their preferred activity of choice, much to the delight of onlookers. With a sophisticated sensory system finely attuned to marine life, it is no wonder that these intelligent animals occasionally seem curious about unobtrusive vessels.
There is another world beneath the waves. Many visitors to southeast Alaska never get the chance to see just how rich the marine life is here. There is a misconception that this ‘cold and dark’ water is devoid of interesting and colorful inhabitants. Today I had the opportunity to share with our guests just how beautiful kelp forests are by taking the ship’s underwater camera on a dive at Inian Cove.
Every dive here has been unique and today did not disappoint. Due to the strong incoming tide, the currents tested my ability to keep the camera still while filming small invertebrates. I was clearly the least graceful occupant as I diligently tried to keep myself from getting tangled in the stipes of bull kelp. Anchored to the hard bottom and stretching with the current, these cords keep the kelp from detaching in heavy surf or surging tides. Unfortunately they can make navigating in a dense patch of bull kelp nearly impossible.
Choosing what to film in a kelp forest can sometimes seem like choosing a favorite food. “I like sea stars a lot. Oh, but then there are snails to consider. Wait, nudibranchs are my favorite.” Amidst the disorienting current and distractions from other interesting creatures, an opalescent nudibranch caught my eye. It just so happens to be my favorite species of my favorite type of animal. With red and purple accents on its frilly cerata and a ghostly white glow under the lights of the camera, this animal rocked in the current as I anchored myself down for the shot.
As if placed there as a reminder of just how important these kelp forests are, a school of herring was concentrated just under the waiting Zodiac. Some day these fish may be food for a hungry humpback whale or sea lion. If sea otters did not keep grazers like sea urchins in check, the kelp forests may not even get the chance to grow thick and productive. You cannot affect one without affecting the other.
