Chatham Strait & Pavlof Harbor
“Not everything that counts can be counted, not everything that can be counted counts.” - Albert Einstein
Today we were given the opportunity to appreciate the difference. For those who were counting, we hit the number three, of coastal brown bears before breakfast was even served. After breakfast we sailed north into Chatham Strait surrounded by countless numbers of returning salmon leaping. Our first humpback whale sighting came in the form of a misty spout. As we continued north, more and more humpback whales surfaced, until we reached Iyoukeen where at least eleven adult humpbacks were loosely affiliated.
We then were privileged to observe the focal pod change direction and speed rapidly, followed by the first cooperative bubble-net set. Countless herring joined one another to become future humpback whale energy. With a hydrophone in the water, we listened to the whales orchestrating the cooperative lunging with resounding trumpeting. Third mate Lucy Boyce eased the National Geographic Sea Lion with skill a bit closer, and we were able to count flukes. Expedition Leader David Cothran asked for our total counts which ranged from eleven to fifteen. Perhaps counting sometimes is more of an art than a science.
Pavlof Harbor invited us to stretch our legs and kayak in the almost sunny weather. The operative word for all groups turned out to be expedition. Brown bears fishing for pink salmon at the base of the waterfall and fish weir held our attention as we counted catches and misses. The escaping salmon far out-numbered the fish caught and eaten by bears. Unplanned, expedition staff and crew made it possible for hikers to slip into zodiacs to get a clear view of the bears hunting and feeding at water level.
Whales escorted us out of Pavlof Harbor back into Chatham Strait where we began our voyage north with the waning light. This day gave us countless memories to savor and share. We can count the moments. How the moments will touch us over time goes beyond counting.
