Our first day aboard National Geographic Sea Lion started with a lovely hike at Lake Eva on Chichagof Island. We took in beautiful vistas as we learned about the wonders of Alaska’s temperate rainforest.
The afternoon was spent searching for wildlife in Chatham Strait, and while cruising along the coast, we saw a mother and calf humpback pair. After a few sightings together, it seemed like the mother took a deeper dive to forage, leaving the calf at the surface. Once left to its own devices the baby humpback breached not once, but four times out of the water! But the show was not over because the mother was not going to be outdone as she launched herself out of the water, staying near the surface pectoral slapping. After surfacing, both whales moved toward each other and became reunited after their aerial acrobatics. It was a lovely way to start our first full day of the trip.
