National Geographic Sea Bird crosses the terminal moraine in Holkham Bay amidst Arctic terns early this morning. Sculpted glacial ice of various sizes, shapes, and hues thicken as we enter and proceed up Endicott Arm. We explore the last part of the arm by Zodiac to gain spectacular views of the Dawes Glacier, one of the few remaining tidewater glaciers in Southeast Alaska. We kayak away the afternoon in Seven Mile Cove, absorbing the grandeur of the surrounding landscape. It is the final feather in our caps as our trip and time together come to a close.
9/10/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Pavlof Harbor
The day started with an exciting encounter. Before breakfast we observed a group of bubble-netting humpback whales. It was incredible to see them lunge and hear them breathing at the surface. This was coupled by a glorious pink sunrise. After breakfast we took Zodiac cruises searching for bears near Pavlof Harbor. Even though we did not find any (wildlife is always delightfully unexpected), the scenery was beautiful, and we watched many adorable harbor seals. After thinking the excitement of the day was done, we spotted a large group of whales from a distance. While approaching closer, we realized this group was also bubble-net feeding. Close to the shore, we observed these whales for hours. We even dropped the hydrophone to hear their haunting feeding call before they all lunged at the surface. It was one of the most incredible things any of us had ever witnessed. As if this wasn’t enough, at our sunset recap we got the call that there were killer whales around the ship. It was the most amazing ending to the most amazing day.
