After sailing from Haida Gwaii, we reentered U.S. waters and arrived at the northern boundary of Dixon Entrance. The mist and clouds from the day before were gone and we were treated to sunshine on the water as we began our journey in Southeast Alaska. We soon spotted a solitary humpback whale feeding near the shore of a small cove. The whale surface fed for a while, then began slapping its tail on the surface. Some speculate that this is a learned behavior that possibly stuns the whale’s fish prey. After having our fill of the whale, we continued east into Behm Canal, through Owl Pass and the cliff face that gives the pass its name, and into the heart of Misty Fjords National Monument. We set anchor at the head of the canal and spent the afternoon kayaking the quiet bay and shoreline. While guests relaxed on deck with drinks and hors d’oeuvres before dinner, a few staff headed out by expedition landing craft to deploy the remote-operated vehicle into the sea below the Owl Pass rock face.
5/7/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Daajing Giids, Haida Gwaii, Hecate Strait
After an evening cruising from SG̱ang Gwaay, National Geographic Sea Bird made one last stop this morning in Daajing Giids to drop off our cultural interpreters, DeeDee Crosby and Grace Garvie. At dock, we had two unique opportunities. The first, our daily morning stretch class had the opportunity to meet on land, and second, we welcomed the incredible artisan, Aay Aay, aboard. We were familiar with Aay Aay, who we had met two days prior as an interpreter at the Haida Heritage Center. His specialty is a revival of traditional Haida weaving. During Aay Aay’s time on board, he shared with us his personal story about discovering and mastering his art with spruce root, cedar, and wool weaving. He taught us how to hand spin the warp threads that would be the beginnings of a wool piece. After an artistic morning, we embarked on our journey across Hecate Strait to reach our next destination along our expedition, Alaska. This evening, I write as we make our way into Dixon Entrance preparing to wake up to the scenery of the famed Misty Fjords in the morning.
