Morning aboard National Geographic Sea Lion started with us pulling into an anchorage right outside Haines, Alaska. To start the day’s activities, guests were shuttled to the dock to explore this quaint Alaskan town and meet their local guides for various activities. With choices ranging from a bicycle tour, fly fishing, hiking Mount Riley, and floating down the Chilkat River, there was something for everyone. As we packed up for the day, lunches were distributed so everyone could optimize their time in Haines or even stop at the local brewery. Returning in waves, everyone was back on board for a lovely dinner prepared by head chef Neal Skannes and his galley team. After dinner, naturalist and photo instructor Eric Guth presented on glaciers with, “The Life of a Snowflake.” While listening to Eric’s presentation, guests enjoyed sweet chocolate mousse, the perfect ending to an even sweeter day.
9/10/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Pavlof Harbor
The day started with an exciting encounter. Before breakfast we observed a group of bubble-netting humpback whales. It was incredible to see them lunge and hear them breathing at the surface. This was coupled by a glorious pink sunrise. After breakfast we took Zodiac cruises searching for bears near Pavlof Harbor. Even though we did not find any (wildlife is always delightfully unexpected), the scenery was beautiful, and we watched many adorable harbor seals. After thinking the excitement of the day was done, we spotted a large group of whales from a distance. While approaching closer, we realized this group was also bubble-net feeding. Close to the shore, we observed these whales for hours. We even dropped the hydrophone to hear their haunting feeding call before they all lunged at the surface. It was one of the most incredible things any of us had ever witnessed. As if this wasn’t enough, at our sunset recap we got the call that there were killer whales around the ship. It was the most amazing ending to the most amazing day.
