After receiving safety briefings, we arrived in Sitkoh Bay for a great introduction to our Wild Alaska trip. Hopping into the Zodiacs we got ashore to split up into a variety of groups for our hikes along the shore of Sitkoh Bay. What a wildlife extravaganza awaited us with the beauty of the forest and meadow at the end of the bay. In the afternoon we cruised Chatham Bay and encountered both bubble-net feeding humpback whales and a coastal brown bear foraging along the shoreline.
5/5/2025
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness
Throughout the night, National Geographic Sea Lion cruised south in Chatham Strait. Heading further south into Stephens Passage, we approached Holkham Bay and the entrance to Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, 653,179 acres of land which received the highest level of protection from Congress in 1980. Most of our day would be spent exploring the deep fjords which make up the heart of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. Zodiacs were dropped and our group was divided in half, each group taking an hour and a half traveling up the fjord to the face of Dawes Glacier. White thunder sounded from the face of the glacier, birds circled, and harbor porpoises showed their dorsal fins. Due to heavy rain, waterfalls of many sizes were everywhere. Once Zodiac rides returned to the ship, our floating home began a cruise back down Endicott Arm heading for Holkham Bay and the entrance back to Stephens Passage. A very silly brown bear, humpback whales, Steller sea lions, and more porpoises were observed throughout the afternoon and early evening. It was an amazing first day, and Southeast Alaska was enjoyed by all, with so much more to come!
