We embarked on the second day of our journey by setting anchor on an ebb tide in Totem Cove. After breakfast, we loaded into the DIBs and headed to one of the cobble-covered beaches for a morning of hiking, bushwhacking, and a meander of the rocky intertidal zone and associated tide pools. Bald eagles perched in the hemlock trees and merganser ducks flew in tandem overhead, with the occasional belted kingfisher making a flyby.

After returning to the National Geographic Sea Bird for an enjoyable lunch, we pulled anchor and sailed for our next anchorage in the Kashavarof Islands, two hours south of our current location. Our activities for the afternoon included kayaking and taking a DIB ride through the tranquil passages that wound throughout the islands. We watched in excitement as sea otter mothers swam with their pups, harbor seals poked their heads above the surface to give us a look, and families of mink visited the water’s edge to forage. That evening, over dessert in the forward lounge, we spotted a humpback whale. This rounded out a perfect day of wildlife viewing.  We look forward to tomorrow’s destination.