The morning began as mornings do in Southeast Alaska, with wildlife. As the National Geographic Quest pulled into Sitkoh Bay to explore the terrain we spotted a coastal brown bear navigating the low tide, turning over rocks in search of what nourishment the exposed area might provide. Soon after, our guests went ashore to tromp around the temperate rainforest and kayak within the calm waters of the bay. There were more bear sightings and plenty of natural history delivered by the staff leading the hikes. Enjoying the sun-filled afternoon, we journey through Chatham Strait in search of whales and were greeted by the founder of the Alaska Whale Foundation, Fred Sharpe, who came onboard to deliver a lesson about these amazing creatures.
8/1/2019
Watch
National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
