George Island, Elfin Cove & the Inian Islands
The sighting of three lumbering humpback whales yards off National Geographic Sea Lion’s bow just after dawn would be a good omen for what was to unfold here in Southeast Alaska today. We were positioned near the entrance to the tiny boardwalk community of Elfin Cove when the trio first sounded. Fishing vessels were heading out for the day’s work as the bow of our ship began to fill with onlookers. The whales were clearly pursuing their quarry very near the surface as they made several shallow dives occasionally exhibiting a behavior known as lunge feeding. Wherein they surface partially rotated on their sides as they engulf their prey in the burgeoning ventral pleats. After witnessing several dive sequences we had to make our way to our first destination of the day, George Island. We were set to return to Elfin Cove later in the day for a visit to this uniquely Alaskan hamlet.
As the first guests disembarked the Zodiacs on the shores of George Island its distinct character was evident. A solid hunk of granite wholly disparate from the surrounding geology, its beaches awash in the cobbles of this erosion resistant rock George Island makes an inspiring first impression. Upon close inspection with a hand lens, crystals of garnet are clearly visible. George Island has a significant place in the history of this region as well. It was used as a defensive gun emplacement during World War II. The towering cliffs that look out over the waters of the Gulf of Alaska had six inch artillery pieces trained on the open waters in hopes to serve as a deterrent to any Japanese war ships wishing to enter the protected waters of the Inside Passage and potentially even reaching the coasts of Washington and Oregon. Our exploration of this standout piece of rock took place in three parts, a classic trifecta. To reach the gun battery that still remains, guests and our naturalists took the trail that winds through the forest and up to the top of the northwest half of the island. Stopping along the way to enjoy the songs of several migrant birds, examine the famous Banana slugs and get wonderful views of the churning Pacific Ocean below. Exploring the interface of ocean and rugged shoreline by Zodiac always provides a clearer prospective on such a dynamic environment. Lastly the fleet of kayaks made their own in depth exploration of this stronghold’s nooks and crannies.
After lunch on board, our guests had the opportunity to step foot on the boardwalks of Elfin Cove. This community of 20 or so year round residents is nestled in the protective cavity of rock affectionately called “The Gunk Hole”. This town has long been a commercial fishing community and now more recently sport fishing for the abundant marine life found in the rich waters of Southeast Alaska has become more prevalent than in the past.
All day National Geographic Sea Lion has been exploring the waters and landscapes situated at the confluence of the Pacific waters of the Gulf of Alaska and the sheltered Inside Passage. As a finale to an already productive day we were set for a close up and personal glimpse at the interaction of these productive and diverse waters. The Inian Islands are situated at the northern most point of Icy Straits as it opens to the waters of the Gulf of Alaska. This assemblage of rugged forested islands form an effective funnel for all sorts of marine life including sea birds, fish, sea otters, Steller sea lions, and humpback whales. The force and volume of incoming nutrient rich tidal waters literally stack up as they meet the constrictions created by this island group. Once again our fleet of Zodiacs was deployed and our guests accompanied by our naturalists set out to catch the action. As soon as we entered the waters churned up by the daily influx of life, we were bearing witness to the interactions of some of the more charismatic and numerous marine mammals found here. Everywhere we turned there were sea lions tossing about in the nervous water of this tidal dance. Every so often one would surface with what appeared to be feeder salmon (likely Sockeye or early Chinooks) that had also come to reap the rewards of these waters. Taking the salmon and flailing them in their jaws in order to tear off manageable pieces. Overhead juvenile Black-legged Kittiwakes soared and positioned themselves in hopes of picking up a free meal of scraps. The haul out rock for theses sea lions was teaming with life as their telltale sounds and smell made its way to our Zodiacs. Large groups of mostly juvenile males approached us in a state of playful curiosity. Following closely behind in a phalanx of large dark eyes, whiskers and yellowed teeth and sometimes even playfully tasting the pontoons or surfacing off either side before plunging under the boat.
Our final round of Zodiac tours was highlighted with a once in a lifetime experience for the guests. Among the hordes of sea lions two humpback whales were spotted feeding just yards away from the haul out rock. Perhaps taking advantage of the food being scattered by the massive 30 ton humpbacks, the sea lions darted around their feeding; leaping and doing flips as the whales surfaced to lunge feed on the schooling bait fish. We watched in awe as this dance unfolded for nearly forty five minutes. I feel we would have stayed all night to observe this incredible sight, but the cool mist of evening and appeal of dinner and warm drinks lured us back to the ship.
Our evening concluded with an after dinner cruise to Point Adolphus to observe several groups of humpbacks feeding all around the ship and a lovely sunset. The day was pure Southeast Alaska magic.
