The early risers were rewarded with not one, but two wildlife sightings as we watched two Sitka black-tailed deer walking along the same mudflat and beach with a brown bear. Both the bear and the deer were kind enough to move off before we went for walks along the very same beaches. Other guests took turns kayaking and paddle-boarding. The afternoon was filled with an exciting Zodiac cruise to the Inian Islands where we enjoyed sea otters, Steller sea lions, eagles, and other birds.
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.
