The weather report called for morning rain which instead started just as we reboarded National Geographic Sea Bird for lunch. But between breakfast and lunch, it was sunny and calm, just perfect for a morning of hiking and kayaking. Hikers walked along the rocky beach past flattened patches of beach grass where bears had slept hours before.
Hikers saw lots of activity along the rocky beach: salmon jumping nearshore and swimming upstream to spawn, spawned-out salmon along the shore that had been caught and partially consumed by bears, fresh bear tracks in the sand, and a brown bear mom and frisky cub playing in a distant beach grass meadow. Kayakers saw the same, but from a different vantage point.
Amazingly sunny and calm conditions reappeared for our afternoon exploration of the nearby Inians! We cruised on Zodiacs to first observe (from the legal distance) four humpback whales off the stern. We then weaved among small islands, encountering sea otters in kelp canopies and energetic Steller sea lions actively harvesting fish caught in upwelled water, created as the tide rushed through narrow passages. Sea lions thrashed fish back-and-forth to a size that could be swallowed, while gulls dipped down to fight over scraps.
It was a memorable day!
