We woke to cloudy, misty skies, but this did not deter the enthusiasm of folks keen to get outdoors. Bushwhackers left on their three-hour-tour. They were amped for what they would find ashore. Casual and moderate hikers knew they were in for a good nature session along the tideline and into the forest along the edges of Security Bay. The kayakers kept it real and spent some time up close and personal with the watery world surrounding the ship. Each guest brought back stories of adventures as we sailed north in search of the bubble-netters. After a presentation by Jeff about the charismatic marine mammals we call humpbacks, we were finally treated to an excellent few sessions of whale watching, including some tail thrashing and bubble-net feeding. After dinner, a brown bear upstaged a few whales feeding very close to the ship. Despite the fine misty rain that came and went throughout the day, or perhaps enhanced by it, new sights and sounds added layer after layer to our already diverse list of experiences on the voyage thus far.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 18 Jul 2023
Security Bay and Chatham Strait, 7/18/2023, National Geographic Venture
- Aboard the National Geographic Venture
- Alaska
Joselyn Fenstermacher, Naturalist
Part outdoor experiential educator and part field biologist, Joselyn began her global education and travel feats at the age of 13. Since then, she has studied field biology in Tanzania and Ecuador, monitored brown bears in Alaska, worked with endange...
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Our final day here in Southeast Alaska was filled with steep fjords, awe-inspiring glaciers, fierce polar plungers, a number of humpbacks, and a beautiful sunset. As we spent the last day in Zodiacs, driving and adrift amongst the ice in front of Dawes Glacier, we were reminded of how tiny we are on this blue rock that abounds with natural beauty and ecological wonders. As the harbor seals swam by, we celebrated the journey with our shipmates, some partaking in a polar plunge. Then we turned off into the sunset surrounded by the sounds of humpback exhalations. Alaska has been a wonder, and we have been thoughtful visitors in a place fragile yet vast.