George Island, Elfin Cove & Inian Island

The waters of Icy Strait and Cross Sound are an important thoroughfare for maritime industry and for marine life. Today aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion we explored the northern entrance to the Inside Passage in conditions that could easily be described as ‘outstanding’. When breakfast is interrupted by orcas, the rest of the day is essentially bonus time.

With the Fairweather Mountain range as our backdrop, guests explored the trails of George Island by foot and the shoreline by kayaks. Water visibility was at an all-time high so I quickly donned my wetsuit and scuba gear to take advantage of slack tide. Upon splashdown the sensation of the brisk waters on my skin helped me focus on my sub-surface goals. In mid-40 degree water, there’s no reason to linger too long.

With each fin kick I traveled through the dense under story of laminate algae as the canopy of kelp broke the light above me. Under the watchful, fishy eyes of a handful of kelp greenlings, I spent many minutes filming the invertebrate fauna that covers every inch of this rocky reef. Camouflaged amidst the rising bubbles, a myriad of jellies pulsated to and fro like alien spacecraft.

Lunch ended up being interrupted by a young, acrobatic humpback whale. With keen eyes all around, we soon spotted the orcas once again. Tension soon built as we watched and posed questions about the intentions of these pied dolphins. Were they fish-eating resident whales, or did they have a taste for mammalian flesh? As the orcas zigged and zagged across the seas, the young whale playfully slapped its pectoral flipper as mother floated nearby. We were obviously the only concerned animals around and in the end, the orcas simply passed on by.

After a quick visit to the boardwalk community of Elfin Cove, we headed to the Inian Islands. It was here that we had great Zodiac cruises amongst the Steller or Northern sea lions. With the currents ripping through the narrow passage and the water swirling and boiling all around us, the sea lions glided effortlessly, often surfacing with large fish in their huge mouths. Jaegers, gulls, cormorants and guillemots flew from every direction as they joined in on the fray. A humpback whale even surprised us with a show of its aerial beauty as well. With so much eating going on around us, it was time to head back to the NG Sea Lion where our galley has been working very hard on another fantastic meal.

Orcas at breakfast. Humpbacks and orcas at lunch. It’s a good thing that dinner was on time, because we’re starving.