“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It’s 7am, and we have several humpback whales around us, so join us out on deck.” Tom’s gentle wake-up call brought several sleepyheads out on deck before breakfast to begin our morning of whale watching. We spent several hours this morning in the highly productive waters where Chatham Strait and Frederick Sound meet, watching thousands of seabirds, dozens of Steller sea lions and several humpback whales. A quick scan with binoculars showed that there were many whales in the area, but we chose to stay with three that remained close to the ship. Cameras clicked in unison each time the whales lifted their flukes high for a deeper dive. A gang of sea lions could be seen now and again, cavorting at the surface with salmon in mouth. At one point, it appeared that the sea lions were getting too frisky with a humpback, so the whale slapped its massive tail against the water a few times, possibly to shoo the pesky sea lions. Later in the morning, we approached a Steller sea lion haulout to watch a few hundred animals lazing on the rocks and mock fighting with one another.
Our afternoon was filled with activities ashore. The adventurers in the group decided to go for a long paddle with Tom and Brian, while the ship repositioned to the afternoon’s anchorage. Others ventured out on a long, exploratory hike with Chris. Many decided on the short walk and kayak option with Larisa and Michelle. Everyone was able to see the thousands of pink salmon milling at the mouth of the creek, sample juicy, ripe salmonberries, and be reminded that this was perfect brown bear habitat when we saw fresh tracks on the trail. A chorus of “yo bear” and “the kids go marching” could be heard from afar, along with plenty of laughter over the predicament of the rising tide. Slight discomforts and all, everyone agreed that they’d had a great day “experiencing” wild Alaska.
