We woke up anchored near the southern end of Wallace Island, a three-mile-long, half-mile-wide body of land in the Gulf Island archipelago. It was a beautiful, sunny, and calm day, perfect for hiking and kayaking, our chosen activities for the day. After lunch, we encountered a pod of orca whales. Some guests watched from the bow of the ship, and others watched from Zodiacs that followed the whales through Active Pass into the Strait of Georgia.
5/3/2025
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National Geographic Venture
Green Inlet
Our last lovely day in the Great Bear Rainforest was full of excitement, education, and awe. After dropping anchor in the idyllic glacier fjord of Green Inlet, we set out to explore the rocky shoreline and forested granitic fjord walls. The dense fog gradually turned into a wispy mist which exposed different peaks and corners of the forest as it moved through. We took turns kayaking through a delightful cove that was loaded with ochre sea stars, rockweed, and blue mussels so thick and dense the rock they were attached to was hardly visible between them. A river otter scurried along the shore and bald eagles soared above us. From the Zodiacs, we visited nearly a dozen thunderous waterfalls that were running hard and fast from the heavy overnight rains. We observed harbor seals observing us back, quietly periscoping their furry heads up and out of the water as we approached the rapids where harlequin ducks and surf scoters held court along the shoreline. After lunch we were greeted by a trio of transient killer whales that swam circles around National Geographic Venture . Later, Certified Photo Instructor Rich Reid was interrupted by humpback whales, which we rushed onto the bow to appreciate.
