We found ourselves shrouded in fog this morning as the ship cut peacefully through glassy marine waters. As the mist lifted, we clambered into our inflatable boats and began exploring the churning waters of the Inian Islands. At the northern most extent of the inside passage, these islands act as a sieve when the tides change and create a significant amount of mixing and upwelling. This brings nutrients and fish to the surface providing diving birds, sea otters, and sea lions with ample foraging opportunities. On our cruises, we spotted bald eagles snatching rockfish from the water’s surface, Steller sea lions thrashing salmon into smaller bites, and sea otters wrapping themselves in the kelp. In the afternoon, we stretched our legs at Fox Creek and walked the natural bear trails amongst devils club, Sitka spruce, mushrooms, and salmon streams. Our gorgeous day came to a close near the entrance to Glacier Bay National Park, with its towering mountains clinging to white clouds in the sky.
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.







