At Sea & Basket Bay
Just after sunrise the Sea Lion entered Sitkoh Bay looking for wildlife. The mist was still hanging in the surrounding mountains as we made a slow entry into the deep waters of the bay. The seas were like glass and slowly, ever so slowly the sky began to open bringing in patches of blue and the warmth of the sun. Just past Morris Reef and South Passage Point, brown bears were spotted. A mother and cub had been spotted foraging along the high tide line of the beach, eventually picked up our sent, looking up occasionally, towards the Sea Lion then returning to her feeding behavior, undisturbed by our presence.
As the morning brightened with more sunshine, radios squawked, and the naturalist’s level of excitement was noticeably higher! A sighting from the bridge of a small group of Humpback whales was the cause. As the Sea Lion approached, a chorus line of whale flukes passed just off the bow of the ship. As the humpbacks all dove showing their flukes we watched… a few minutes later the surface of the water showed an enormous circle of bubbles and six whales surfaced, their jaws agape, fish jumping as all these whales took in gallons of sea water and thousands of small fish. This cooperative style of feeding by Humpback whales is a characteristic of this area of Southeast Alaska.
Staying a safe distance away, the natural history staff lowered a hydrophone and we began hearing the voices associated with the feeding Humpback whales. A long mournful call by one and sometimes two whales could be heard as this group surfaced just under the power of a circular net of bubbles. Migrating from mating grounds largely in Hawaii Northern pacific, Humpback whales make a long journey across the waters of the Pacific Ocean to feed in the nutrient rich waters of Southeast Alaska; finding this unique behavior is one of the joys of visiting this rich, intact ecosystem. Eagles flew over head and salmon leaped while at least six forty-five ton marine mammals were constantly diving.
As lunch was served the Sea Lion left our morning companions and began her passage towards her afternoon destination of Basket Bay. Once anchored inside the bay, Zodiacs and kayaks were launched for a special adventure inside the “grotto.” At the end of Basket Bay was a narrow passage that could only be navigated into at high tide and slack water. The recent new moon brought the necessary high waters inside Basket Bay, along with extremely calm waters perfect for kayaks and Zodiacs! A solo and group ride was available for each and all, to move into the otherworldly place called the grotto. Water erosion had carved out walls of rock into shapes that belonged in a fairy tale. Just above these unusual caverns the old growth forest was creeping its way down and around the strange and wonderful formations showing us some of the more unusual adaptations plants use to survive shade and extremely large amounts of water. Our Zodiacs were the last to return to the Sea Lion just before recap, taking a long ride to the entrance of Basket Bay and looking both north and south along Chatham Strait. Calm seas, mountains and clouds in similar shapes, fish jumping, the diversity of birds both in flight and calling, as we floated and observed a world dominated by natural influences; not by man, and for just a brief moment the uniqueness of that experience was read on the faces of each of us, as we sat in calm waters, quietly… in four Zodiacs at the entrance of Basket Bay in Southeast Alaska.
Just after sunrise the Sea Lion entered Sitkoh Bay looking for wildlife. The mist was still hanging in the surrounding mountains as we made a slow entry into the deep waters of the bay. The seas were like glass and slowly, ever so slowly the sky began to open bringing in patches of blue and the warmth of the sun. Just past Morris Reef and South Passage Point, brown bears were spotted. A mother and cub had been spotted foraging along the high tide line of the beach, eventually picked up our sent, looking up occasionally, towards the Sea Lion then returning to her feeding behavior, undisturbed by our presence.
As the morning brightened with more sunshine, radios squawked, and the naturalist’s level of excitement was noticeably higher! A sighting from the bridge of a small group of Humpback whales was the cause. As the Sea Lion approached, a chorus line of whale flukes passed just off the bow of the ship. As the humpbacks all dove showing their flukes we watched… a few minutes later the surface of the water showed an enormous circle of bubbles and six whales surfaced, their jaws agape, fish jumping as all these whales took in gallons of sea water and thousands of small fish. This cooperative style of feeding by Humpback whales is a characteristic of this area of Southeast Alaska.
Staying a safe distance away, the natural history staff lowered a hydrophone and we began hearing the voices associated with the feeding Humpback whales. A long mournful call by one and sometimes two whales could be heard as this group surfaced just under the power of a circular net of bubbles. Migrating from mating grounds largely in Hawaii Northern pacific, Humpback whales make a long journey across the waters of the Pacific Ocean to feed in the nutrient rich waters of Southeast Alaska; finding this unique behavior is one of the joys of visiting this rich, intact ecosystem. Eagles flew over head and salmon leaped while at least six forty-five ton marine mammals were constantly diving.
As lunch was served the Sea Lion left our morning companions and began her passage towards her afternoon destination of Basket Bay. Once anchored inside the bay, Zodiacs and kayaks were launched for a special adventure inside the “grotto.” At the end of Basket Bay was a narrow passage that could only be navigated into at high tide and slack water. The recent new moon brought the necessary high waters inside Basket Bay, along with extremely calm waters perfect for kayaks and Zodiacs! A solo and group ride was available for each and all, to move into the otherworldly place called the grotto. Water erosion had carved out walls of rock into shapes that belonged in a fairy tale. Just above these unusual caverns the old growth forest was creeping its way down and around the strange and wonderful formations showing us some of the more unusual adaptations plants use to survive shade and extremely large amounts of water. Our Zodiacs were the last to return to the Sea Lion just before recap, taking a long ride to the entrance of Basket Bay and looking both north and south along Chatham Strait. Calm seas, mountains and clouds in similar shapes, fish jumping, the diversity of birds both in flight and calling, as we floated and observed a world dominated by natural influences; not by man, and for just a brief moment the uniqueness of that experience was read on the faces of each of us, as we sat in calm waters, quietly… in four Zodiacs at the entrance of Basket Bay in Southeast Alaska.
