It’s been an action packed day here in southeast Alaska. We woke up to an early morning sighting of killer whales just off the bow of the ship, providing spectacular views of these amazing animals in their environment. We followed the pod for nearly an hour with beautiful morning light that made for unbelievable photography. Killer whales live in matriarchal groups, with an alpha female who leads the pod. In this case there were several young males, easily identified by the markings on their dorsal fins and saddle patches, following their mother. It was a fantastic way to start the day.
After the amazing whale sighting this morning, we made our way to Lake Eva where we spent our morning hiking and kayaking. We walked through the forest, paying special attention to the creatures and plant-life that we stumbled upon along the way. A salmon stream provided a great stopping point along the way, and our underwater specialist Carlos Navarro carried his dry suit all the way through the forest to make a special dive in the salmon stream to capture footage of the fish in the river. After the hike, several guests jumped into kayaks and spent the rest of the morning cruising around beautiful waterways and small inlets, discovering the magical beauty that southeast Alaska has to offer. We discovered harbor seals, hundreds of spawning salmon, bald eagles, and many other creatures along the way.
During the afternoon we experienced our first taste of choppy weather here in the Inside Passage as we hit some rough seas and winds of up to 40mph. It was a humbling experience to say the least, and we hunkered down as we made our way towards tomorrow’s destination of Petersburg. We’ve had another great day here on the National Geographic Sea Lion, and we look forward to a glimpse at life in the small fishing town of Petersburg tomorrow!
