Last night a mom asked her six-and-a-half-year-old child, Ruby, what she’d like to have for the next day, and Ruby answered “a very pretty day!” Today certainly started very beautifully, with smooth seas, a clear blue sky, and a great view of the magnificent snow-covered peaks of Baranof Island. After having had a couple of “Alaskan sunshine” days, many of us gathered on the ship’s deck long before breakfast to enjoy today’s weather and admire the scenery.
National Geographic Venture anchored in Patterson Bay, a long and narrow picturesque inlet located on the southeastern portion of Baranof Island. We were all very excited to explore the area on Zodiacs. The sheer steep mountainside, grassy meadows, and cozy little creeks captured everyone’s hearts. We watched curious harbor seals sticking their heads out of the water to observe us, as well as a solitary humpback whale that regaled us with great views of her fluke. Expedition diver/naturalist Shawn Lucas and I went scuba diving and may have possibly become the first divers in Patterson Bay! We brought back underwater video of the thriving kelp forest and its inhabitants, like the morning sun star, the sunflower star, and the kelp greenling for everyone to enjoy onboard.
During the afternoon, we crossed Chatham Strait and headed towards Kuiu Island, where we were going to do some hiking. However, we found a large number of humpback whales just off Kuiu doing all sorts of interesting behavior, including breaching and tail lobbing. We then found a tight group of nine humpback whales engaged in cooperative bubble-net feeding—the holy grail of whale watching! Such a great opportunity couldn’t be passed up, so we embraced the spirit of a true expedition and changed plans to spend the rest of the evening watching some of the most intriguing animal behavior on earth. I think that Ruby, and everyone else, got their wish after all!
