One last day at sea, but plenty more to see!
For our morning landfall, we anchored off Baranof Island at Hanus Bay. For an excursion, hikers headed through the towering forest with old growth trees toward Lake Eva – the final destination for migrating salmon. As our hikers returned, they were pleasantly surprised to see a small brown bear foraging in the stream! The bear was fishing for salmon and some of our lucky hikers were able to see him succeed! A bear up close can be dangerous, but viewing him at a safe distance was a treat for all nearby. Kayakers took a short paddle around the bay for one last look along the rocky shoreline inaccessible by foot.
The divers headed to a small wash rock north of the anchorage. They were greeted by sea cucumbers en masse, many species of rockfish, a shy octopus and a variety of jellies. After an hour at 50 feet, they returned to the surface with plenty of video footage to share with the ship.
After enjoying the ever-popular “Ice Cream Sundaes on Saturday,” we relaxed into an afternoon of naturalist talks and watching for wildlife. The humpback whales returned in the early evening with a gorgeous display of breaching, spouting and fluking. They seemed to be sending us off with a brilliant show, only matched by the display on our first morning at sea one week ago. Dall’s porpoises also joined us shortly after to ride in our bow wake and play alongside.
Finally, as we headed though the misty narrows of Peril Strait, the captain bid us farewell with his traditional cocktail party followed by a delicious dinner. The slideshow of guest images collected throughout the week reminded us of all the wonderful things we were so lucky to see and all the memories we get to keep forever.
