Bubblenet Feeding Whales, Kelp Bay & Baranof Island

What a Wake-Up Call!

As promised, at six in the morning our Expedition Leader David Cothran invited us to join our expedition staff on the bow of National Geographic Sea Bird to watch cooperative bubble-net lunge feeding humpback whales just off of our starboard side. It was spectacular! This was a most welcome invitation, not to mention a great wake-up call.

Photographing the whales was a bit of a challenge for photographers, as the birds were just waking up as well, and they were not flying over the exact spot where whales lunged out of the water until after breakfast. We observed 15 individuals, and on one particular set the focal pod divided and both pods set their own net and whales lunged at different places in synchronicity.

Michael Nolan and CT Ticknor shared with us field observations and scientific data about Bears in North America. Bears are providing another type of wake-up call for us, one that shows a direct correlation between a decrease in habitat and prey with a decrease in numbers. Bears need space to be healthy. We are asking them to share more and more with us, and many of the ways they are adapting end up being unhealthy in the bigger picture. We must keep wild spaces wild, for wild life to survive.

The sun shone on our faces as we hiked and kayaked in the protected green waters of Kelp Bay. The light and warmth was a welcome addition to the misty and rainy days of Southeast Alaska we have experienced so far. Sunshine has a way of waking you up and energizing you for more adventure, not to mention the color and warmth it adds to your photos.

The golden hour kept many of us on deck enjoying the beauty and grandeur of this place we have chosen to explore. When we wake-up in the morning, we will have memories filled with color, sunlight, waterfalls in alpine glow, rubber boots, whales, porpoise, brown bears, bald eagles in flight, and the richness of new friendships made in this amazing place.

Southeast Alaska wakes up your senses and fills them with her vast beauty.