Our morning was fantastic, with a variety of activities offered on Kuiu Island. We enjoyed hikes through the temperate rain forest, kayaking Halleck Harbor in search of sea otters and harbor seals, exploring the tidepools finding sea stars and anemones, and enjoying Zodiac cruises on the morning’s calm waters.
The excitement peaked during our afternoon cruise through Chatham Strait towards Tebenkof Bay where we saw a scattering of humpback whales including a young calf tail lobbing, sea otters drifting by, marbled murrelets diving into the sea, and Dall’s porpoises rooster-tail splashing towards the ship where they came to bow ride with National Geographic Venture.
As if that were not already an incredible day, the highlight was still to come. We came upon a group of humpback whales cooperatively using a feeding technique only executed by a small percentage of the entire population - bubble net and lunge feeding by at least 14 individual whales that we were able to observe in awe from Zodiac level!
What an incredibly fantastic day that offered an opportunity of a lifetime for many onboard!
