George Island, Elfin Cove & Inian Islands
Mount Fairweather holds a special standing in southeast Alaska. It delineates the end of the Alaskan panhandle and also stands as the highest peak of the Fairweather Range at roughly 15,300 feet. As tall as the mountains on the west side of Glacier Bay National Park are, they are rarely seen. Many Alaskans say that Mt Fairweather was named and then never seen again. With weather coming in from the Pacific Ocean, these peaks are quite often shrouded in a veil of clouds, making Mt Fairweather one of the worst named peaks in the world. Today all of us onboard the National Geographic Sea Lion were fortunate to have clear views of the Fairweather Range while we explored the islands of Icy Strait and Cross Sound.
Clear skies were accompanied by a flat Pacific Ocean as we explored George Island. Our first introduction to the Pacific could not have been any better as we kayaked along the ragged coastline of this small island. As we paddled towards the large arch on the sea-ward side, pigeon guillemots, tufted puffins and sea otters were seen going about their maritime business. Closer to Cross Sound, humpback whales were vigorously feeding and their exhalations heard from very far away.
As guests visited the small boardwalk community of Elfin Cove, I adventured below the surface with a trusty video camera in tow. Being bathed by fresh seawater, this part of southeast Alaska has very lush kelp forests with complex communities of flora and fauna associated with the kelp. Amongst the undulating fronds of kelp, kelp greenlings and juvenile rockfish could be seen darting for cover as my bubbles rushed towards the surface. Hermissenda nudibranchs, a sea slug, were roaming the algae in search of their favorite food, anemones.
To wrap up our sunny day, the ship’s Zodiacs were deployed in search of Stellar sea lions near the Inian Islands. With the sun dipping lower over the Pacific and the tide flushing in, the world’s largest sea lions began to feed. With a shake of the head a fish was dispatched into mouthfuls and as quickly as that, a salmon disappeared. I wonder what sea lions would think about how we eat salmon.
Mount Fairweather holds a special standing in southeast Alaska. It delineates the end of the Alaskan panhandle and also stands as the highest peak of the Fairweather Range at roughly 15,300 feet. As tall as the mountains on the west side of Glacier Bay National Park are, they are rarely seen. Many Alaskans say that Mt Fairweather was named and then never seen again. With weather coming in from the Pacific Ocean, these peaks are quite often shrouded in a veil of clouds, making Mt Fairweather one of the worst named peaks in the world. Today all of us onboard the National Geographic Sea Lion were fortunate to have clear views of the Fairweather Range while we explored the islands of Icy Strait and Cross Sound.
Clear skies were accompanied by a flat Pacific Ocean as we explored George Island. Our first introduction to the Pacific could not have been any better as we kayaked along the ragged coastline of this small island. As we paddled towards the large arch on the sea-ward side, pigeon guillemots, tufted puffins and sea otters were seen going about their maritime business. Closer to Cross Sound, humpback whales were vigorously feeding and their exhalations heard from very far away.
As guests visited the small boardwalk community of Elfin Cove, I adventured below the surface with a trusty video camera in tow. Being bathed by fresh seawater, this part of southeast Alaska has very lush kelp forests with complex communities of flora and fauna associated with the kelp. Amongst the undulating fronds of kelp, kelp greenlings and juvenile rockfish could be seen darting for cover as my bubbles rushed towards the surface. Hermissenda nudibranchs, a sea slug, were roaming the algae in search of their favorite food, anemones.
To wrap up our sunny day, the ship’s Zodiacs were deployed in search of Stellar sea lions near the Inian Islands. With the sun dipping lower over the Pacific and the tide flushing in, the world’s largest sea lions began to feed. With a shake of the head a fish was dispatched into mouthfuls and as quickly as that, a salmon disappeared. I wonder what sea lions would think about how we eat salmon.
