Our day was filled with many wonderful encounters with whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Sailing through Chatham Strait, we woke to killer whales swimming with us just after breakfast. We were lucky enough to have Dr. Andy Szabo join us onboard for the morning, talking to us about the research he is doing on whales – specifically humpback whales – in Southeast Alaska. Coincidently we followed up his talk with very close views of humpback whales. In the afternoon, we hiked through the forests along the river output of Lake Eva. We enjoyed the opportunity to get out in the kayaks and paddle up the river. The day was not over yet, as after dinner we again saw killer whales swimming below our ship and able to lower our hydrophone, we listened to a mother and her young vocalizing.
8/1/2019
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National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
