For five days we have explored the channels and passages of Southeast Alaska, encountering whales, porpoises, otters, sea lions and other residents of these rich marine waters, watching them at the surface and wondering about their lives below. Lindblad ships have been coming to this remarkable region for many years, drawn by Alaska’s wild beauty and the many wonderful experiences to be had on the islands and fiords. But before today the surface of the sea was a barrier to us. What strange and lovely animals live beneath the waves here? What landscapes lie below the point where the beaches and rocky headlands disappear into the dark waters? Today, for the first time we began to take a look.
The morning was still and gray; soft tendrils of fog hung above the forest, reflected in the glassy waters of Idaho Inlet, on the north coast of Chichagof Island. Just before breakfast was served, while the guests were watching a small group of sea otters not far from our anchorage, the boatswain and I took a Zodiac a short distance to the Shaw Islands, twin rocky islets, cloaked in dark spruce and hemlock. Protected by my dry suit and with our digital video camera in hand, I slipped over the side into another world. Swimming below the canopy of the kelp forest, I filmed a sea otter’s view of Alaska, looking up through golden blades to the rippling surface. Moving a bit deeper, I encountered dozens of enormous plumose anemones, standing up to a meter tall on their thick stalks, with lacy halos of tentacles surrounding the puckered lips of their mouths. Nearby, several large sunflower starfish cruised over the silty bottom; one of then was burrowing deep into the sediment, apparently pursuing a clam breakfast!
In the 42-degree water I could not linger too long, but I was still reluctant to leave this alien realm, so close to the familiar forests. Back on board the Sea Bird, I quickly became re-energized with the excitement of sharing what I had seen with all the guests aboard. During the afternoon, while we cruised through Icy Straits, I worked hard (in between running up the stairs to see killer whales, humpbacks, otters and eagles), editing the footage, ordering it and adding a few graphics to make a clear presentation. By recap time, just before dinner, I was ready and everyone enjoyed the resulting video, the first time a Lindblad group has been able to extend their senses to encompass the beautiful submarine world of Southeast Alaska.
The morning was still and gray; soft tendrils of fog hung above the forest, reflected in the glassy waters of Idaho Inlet, on the north coast of Chichagof Island. Just before breakfast was served, while the guests were watching a small group of sea otters not far from our anchorage, the boatswain and I took a Zodiac a short distance to the Shaw Islands, twin rocky islets, cloaked in dark spruce and hemlock. Protected by my dry suit and with our digital video camera in hand, I slipped over the side into another world. Swimming below the canopy of the kelp forest, I filmed a sea otter’s view of Alaska, looking up through golden blades to the rippling surface. Moving a bit deeper, I encountered dozens of enormous plumose anemones, standing up to a meter tall on their thick stalks, with lacy halos of tentacles surrounding the puckered lips of their mouths. Nearby, several large sunflower starfish cruised over the silty bottom; one of then was burrowing deep into the sediment, apparently pursuing a clam breakfast!
In the 42-degree water I could not linger too long, but I was still reluctant to leave this alien realm, so close to the familiar forests. Back on board the Sea Bird, I quickly became re-energized with the excitement of sharing what I had seen with all the guests aboard. During the afternoon, while we cruised through Icy Straits, I worked hard (in between running up the stairs to see killer whales, humpbacks, otters and eagles), editing the footage, ordering it and adding a few graphics to make a clear presentation. By recap time, just before dinner, I was ready and everyone enjoyed the resulting video, the first time a Lindblad group has been able to extend their senses to encompass the beautiful submarine world of Southeast Alaska.
