We awoke early today to scan for whales in Chatham Strait. We kept our eyes on the horizon, looking for the characteristic blows of humpback whales. We saw several individual whales before breakfast and then were treated to the incredible wonder of cooperative bubble-net feeding right after breakfast. This was soon followed by a double rainbow on the horizon. What a way to start the day! Throughout the morning and early afternoon, we cruised through the northern end of Chatham Strait and then west into Icy Strait, anchoring after lunch in a protected cove off the Inian Islands. This area is one of our favorites to explore by Zodiac. The waters are lively as the Pacific Ocean meets these islands in Cross Sound. Upwelling and mixing currents make for a great place to experience wildlife like Steller sea lions and sea otters, both of which we saw in great numbers today.
4/30/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Morris Reef, Lake Eva, and Cruising
Truth be told, the last day aboard any National Geographic/Lindblad ship feels incredible and is always special, but personally, I don’t think I have ever had a more magical last day aboard National Geographic Sea Lion . The early morning started off spectacularly, as a dozen killer whales were spotted cruising near our ship. A handful of juveniles would surface with their rostrums rising above the surface of the water. Seeing this many killer whales once would have been amazing on its own, but we managed to also see killer whales on the first day of the trip, creating a perfect bookend finish. After recap, our captain started sailing us to our anchorage for the night when at least a dozen blows were seen at a distance. Most assumed it was humpback whales, but as we neared, we realized we still hadn’t seen a dorsal fin, and the spouts seemed a little stouter than usual for humpbacks. It wasn’t until a whale surfaced close enough to the ship that we realized the white splotches and knuckles were that of a gray whale! We did not expect to see them in this cove, and it just added to the awe and wonder of our amazing expedition.