The light rain eased, bits of blue began to dot the sky and the sun threatened to make an appearance as National Geographic Sea Lion edged into Port Althorp. Low clouds lurked between the hills as we boarded our inflatable boats and headed for shore. We walked along the shore, examining the intertidal zone and looking for bear tracks in the soft mud. Derelict barges decorated the shore while eagles serenaded us from above. The long walkers explored the deep forest beyond the shore, and kayakers enjoyed the bay from sea level.
While we feasted on another wonderful lunch, the ship sailed towards our afternoon anchorage in the Hobbit Hole. Located at the northern entrance to the Inside Passage, the Inian Islands are a wild place dominated by strong currents, wildlife, and stunning scenery. Our plan was to cruise through the islands in search of wildlife and adventure, and we were not disappointed. Sea lions growled from the rocks, humpback whales were spotted and sea otters plied the kelp beds near shore. The swift currents pushed and pulled us through the turbulent waters but our excellent drivers did a great job of handling our small boats and added to the excitement of the cruise.
While our guests were exploring the Inian Islands, our undersea specialist, Colin, went for a dive with the chief engineer, Israel. They also found the strong currents we enjoyed so much, and managed to have an exciting dive. They filmed their dive and Colin showed us the footage after dinner.
Just before our evening recap was to start, Larry, announced that killer whales had been spotted off of our bow. We all raced for our cameras and jackets to brave the rain and photograph these infrequent visitors. A pod of 6-7 whales surfaced many times near our ship, and once cut directly under our bow. It was a sensational sighting.
During dinner we lowered an inflatable to pick up our ranger and native interpreter for our day in Glacier Bay National Park tomorrow. Colin’s after-diner presentation of his dive footage was a wonderful way to end another fantastic day in Southeast Alaska.
