All had a spectacular day as we woke early this morning to the call that there was humpback whales bubble net feeding just off the bow of the ship. The morning activities were spent in Pavlov Harbor, a wonderful hiking site on Chichagof Island. We enjoyed hikes, kayaking, and Zodiac cruising, and had a great encounter with brown bears on the opposite beach. We took a detour in the afternoon, pulling into Basket Bay so that 21 brave people could plunge into the chilly Alaskan waters. And the excitement was not over yet—we came across two more different groups of humpback whales cooperatively bubble net feeding. What an amazing end to a fantastic week!
8/1/2019
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National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
