As dawn rose over the National Geographic Sea Lion, we were quietly cruising through the misty half-light of Idaho Inlet. Hundreds of sea otters live in this long glacially-carved fjord that stretches south from Icy Straight. As we passed otters they splashed and dipped below the surface, wrapping themselves in fronds of bull kelp that swayed in the current.
As the sun came over the ridge of the mountains we made our way north to Icy Straight and anchored at the Inian Islands, our destination for the morning. During the incoming tide the full bounty of the Gulf of Alaska rushes into Icy Straight directly through this archipelago of islands which makes them a highly productive location for wildlife. We loaded into the DIB’s and headed out with the naturalist and photography staff and found Steller’s sea lions, harbor porpoises, sea otters, puffins, pigeon guillimots, and bald eagles. The sea lions hunted for fish in the incoming tide and they rolled and dove just feet from the boats.
In the afternoon we move the National Geographic Sea Lion just a few miles to the south and anchored between Shaw Islands and Fox Creek. We headed to shore to explore rainforest habitat, seek out salmon in Fox Creek, and identify many of the same plants collected by Georg Steller when he visited Alaska in 1741. Kayakers launched and circumnavigated the Shaw Islands while keeping a keen eye out for sea otters and whales spouting in the distance.
As the sun went down we cruised between the water and sky of Icy Straight towards the mouth of Glacier Bay National Park. What will tomorrow bring? Stay tuned…
