Inian Island and Fox Creek, Southeast Alaska
Sea lions are often lumped into the cute and cuddly category. We may initially ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at these creatures because of their dog-like faces, large eyes, long whiskers and clownish behavior but it’s just these tools that allow sea lions to capture swift-moving, camouflaged prey. Our first impressions are often dismissed when watching a 1,000 pound animal rip a fish in half with a violent shake of the head. Attractive features become tools of the trade.
Today we experienced the northern sea lion, the largest sea lion on the planet, in a way that may change how our guests look at these marine mammals. The once endearing sea lions have become respected because of their imposing size, large teeth and cunning behavior. What was once desirable has become formidable. To some the sea lions are still big, cute animals because we observed them feeding on salmon which, some may argue, are just fish and lack any charisma whatsoever.
Our terrestrial arena for exploration this afternoon took the form of hikes in the forest of Fox Creek on Chichigof Island. Following in the footsteps (literally) of coastal brown bears will heighten your situational and spatial awareness. “Yo bear”s often become a little louder than normal. Thoughts of teddy bears evaporate when viewing fresh paw prints nearly the size of a dinner plate. Each claw mark in the mud, scar on a tree or bear hair caught on bark intensifies the reality that this is bear country. From the largest sea lion on the planet to nearly the largest land carnivore, we are experiencing true wilderness.
The beauty of digital technology is its immediacy. We can now go on exploratory dives and within just a few hours have a first-hand report of our dive for our guests to experience through the eye of a camera lens. Collaborating with the Officers on National Geographic Sea Bird, a dive location was chosen with the hopes of maximizing wildlife encounters and minimizing exposure to Southeast Alaska’s swift tidal currents.
Luckily our collective hunch paid off and we descended onto rocks covered in colorful invertebrates, a healthy ring of kelp to maneuver through and many more nooks and crannies to explore on future dives. We encountered five species of beautiful nudibranchs (sea slugs) and even the cryptic-yet-stunning fish called red Irish lord. With little photographic coverage of the sea life in this area and the disproportional attention paid to warmer latitudes, these waters are not often given due respect. The unknown world beneath the waves of Southeast Alaska holds many more surprises and we are eager to continue exposing and sharing them.
