Misty Fiords, Alaska
Welcome to Alaska! … and what a welcome we had! Our day started earlier than usual, but Steve’s whispered call of “Orca!” over the PA system at 5:40am brought almost everyone quickly to the bow. As we scanned the water, we caught glimpses of five individuals; two males, two females, and one offspring. We watched these whales stay close to shore, diving for long periods of time. Their elusive behavior helped the natural history staff conclude that these were indeed transient killer whales.
During the morning we continued cruising towards our destination of Misty Fiords. Before we could begin the morning’s activities, we first had to take care of some business. The roar of a floatplane noisily landing beside the ship interrupted the calm, peaceful morning. A Customs and Immigration agent was transported to the ship via Zodiac. After officially certifying our arrival into Alaska, we eagerly boarded Zodiacs and kayaks to further explore the national monument known as Misty Fiords. Established by presidential declaration in 1978, Misty Fiords is 3570 square miles, or 2,292,343 acres, of government protected land.
Our luck continued throughout the morning as we enjoyed warm weather, sunny skies. Lisa and Sharon skillfully maneuvered their Zodiacs filled with cruisers further and further up inlets and alongside waterfalls. It was the promising echo of a waterfall that called to kayakers, paddling their way down an inlet off Rudyard Bay. Eagles were spotted soaring overhead, while just underneath the surface of the water, sea stars and sea cucumbers were in abundance.
Back on board, our morning of play was rewarded with a delicious on-deck lunch, followed by a treat of ice-cream sundaes on the bow. As we cruised back towards the entrance of Rudyard Bay, we were just settling in for an afternoon siesta, when the now-familiar call of “Orca!” was heard throughout the ship. Guests and crew alike quickly made their way to the bow once more. It was the same group of whales from this morning! The staff’s speculations that these were transient killer whales were confirmed as the group went charging into a small pod of Dall’s porpoises (see photo above). We were able to follow the hunt, as the whales chased, lunged and maneuvered, trying to block the porpoise alongside the rock walls of the shore. The porpoise ultimately gave the whales the slip, but not before allowing us spectacular views of killer whales in action!
Leaving the orca to their travels, we headed back on course. Lisa continued to educate us on the characteristics and behaviors of marine mammals with a slide-illustrated talk in the lounge. As the sun started its descent across the sky, one lone guest on the bow quietly enjoyed the ship’s escort of porpoises. This was quite the first day in Alaska; we look forward to what tomorrow brings.
Welcome to Alaska! … and what a welcome we had! Our day started earlier than usual, but Steve’s whispered call of “Orca!” over the PA system at 5:40am brought almost everyone quickly to the bow. As we scanned the water, we caught glimpses of five individuals; two males, two females, and one offspring. We watched these whales stay close to shore, diving for long periods of time. Their elusive behavior helped the natural history staff conclude that these were indeed transient killer whales.
During the morning we continued cruising towards our destination of Misty Fiords. Before we could begin the morning’s activities, we first had to take care of some business. The roar of a floatplane noisily landing beside the ship interrupted the calm, peaceful morning. A Customs and Immigration agent was transported to the ship via Zodiac. After officially certifying our arrival into Alaska, we eagerly boarded Zodiacs and kayaks to further explore the national monument known as Misty Fiords. Established by presidential declaration in 1978, Misty Fiords is 3570 square miles, or 2,292,343 acres, of government protected land.
Our luck continued throughout the morning as we enjoyed warm weather, sunny skies. Lisa and Sharon skillfully maneuvered their Zodiacs filled with cruisers further and further up inlets and alongside waterfalls. It was the promising echo of a waterfall that called to kayakers, paddling their way down an inlet off Rudyard Bay. Eagles were spotted soaring overhead, while just underneath the surface of the water, sea stars and sea cucumbers were in abundance.
Back on board, our morning of play was rewarded with a delicious on-deck lunch, followed by a treat of ice-cream sundaes on the bow. As we cruised back towards the entrance of Rudyard Bay, we were just settling in for an afternoon siesta, when the now-familiar call of “Orca!” was heard throughout the ship. Guests and crew alike quickly made their way to the bow once more. It was the same group of whales from this morning! The staff’s speculations that these were transient killer whales were confirmed as the group went charging into a small pod of Dall’s porpoises (see photo above). We were able to follow the hunt, as the whales chased, lunged and maneuvered, trying to block the porpoise alongside the rock walls of the shore. The porpoise ultimately gave the whales the slip, but not before allowing us spectacular views of killer whales in action!
Leaving the orca to their travels, we headed back on course. Lisa continued to educate us on the characteristics and behaviors of marine mammals with a slide-illustrated talk in the lounge. As the sun started its descent across the sky, one lone guest on the bow quietly enjoyed the ship’s escort of porpoises. This was quite the first day in Alaska; we look forward to what tomorrow brings.
