It seemed as though the weather was celebrating Australia’s Father’s Day with us today as the sun was shining bright and the sea’s surface was as flat as the pancakes enjoyed at breakfast. As everyone got ready for the morning operations, our undersea specialist, Caitlyn Webster, plunged into the glassy water for a fabulous dive including fishy friends and giant barnacles.
We donned our boots and explored the interior of DeGroff Bay via kayak and on foot for various hikes. Hikers had the pleasure of becoming more familiar with the extensive Tongass temperate rain forest’s wildlife, including various vegetation, a variety of birds, and slimy banana slugs. A serene meadow opened up next to an active salmon stream full of spawning pink salmon. Jumping salmon rocketing out of the reflective bay and mirror images of the coastline made for abundant, picturesque opportunities during the photo walk as well.
After soaking up the glorious weather, photography enthusiasts gathered in the lounge for one of our National Geographic photographer Jonathan Kingston’s presentation on Expedition Photography. Humpback whales, Steller sea lions, and Bonaparte’s gulls cackling on the horizon beckoned us back out onto the bow to look for more wildlife cruising through Peril Straight on our way to reach the famous Inian Islands for tomorrow’s adventures to come. We wrapped up the evening after dinner with another one of our Photo Instructors, Ian Markham, as he gave an interactive talk explaining tricks of the trade with smartphone photography.
