Misty morning today as National Geographic Sea Lion cruised Chatham Strait looking for wildlife. The fog created a soft blanket on the horizon with sun occasionally breaking through the low-lying clouds. Near the Native American village, Angoon, four humpback whales were spotted feeding near the surface. We watched for a while until the whales decided to go on their way and we continued down Chatham Strait. On our way, Marca Babcock gave a talk about Pacific salmon in preparation for our visit to Lake Eva this afternoon.
Our morning wildlife festival was not over though… a mother humpback whale and calf were feeding very close to the ship! A photographer-frenzy of clicking cameras ensued as we aimed our lenses towards these wonderful creatures. Fish tried in vain to escape throat pleats expanding and then closing of baleen plates as the mother humpback blew bubble nets and lunged upward to gather her meal. The calf also entertained us by rolling and slapping its pectoral flippers and tail lobbing.
After lunch, we arrived at Lake Eva for our afternoon hikes and kayaking. Lake Eva Trail is maintained by the Tongass National Forest and it winds around a salmon stream through the forest to a lake. The afternoon was sunny and warm! The tide was high and perfect for kayaking up to the waterfall. Several species of Pacific salmon gathered in the pond above the falls… chum, sockeye and pink salmon were spotted. A lovely fluorescent orange mushroom called “chicken of the woods” caught our attention as it contrasted with the many shades of green in the forest.
During all of this activity, our undersea specialist, Justin Hofman, dove under to give us a peek of life beneath the surface of the water. Later he shared at Recap a video of his exploration and of a very unique fish called the rat fish. After dinner, Andy Szabo from Alaska Whale Foundation came aboard to talk about his research with the humpback whales of Alaska. Another GREAT day in Alaska!
