After several days where the seas were too high for the touring boats to go out, we finally got our tour of Resurrection Bay on July 12th. The delay turned out to be fortunate, as our boat left the dock at 12 noon, and the usual clouds and rain were gone. The sun was bright for the first couple hourse, but by the time we got back to shore at 5:00 it was overcast and so windy it felt like it was below freezing.
The black and orange boat to the right of center is the Poseidon.
Several Dall's Porpoises swam by and dove under the boat a couple times, but were too fast for the photographer. This sea otter was sympathetic and hung around for a few shots.
We were on the Northwestern, one of the boats used by Major Marine Tours in Seward. Every tour this company provides has a Kenai Fjords National Park Ranger on board to narrate the sights.
Within an hour or so, people in shirtsleeves had gone inside for the duration, and were soon followed by folks without windbreakers.
A Bald Eagle:
It's 2:00, and the clouds are dropping. A hanging glacier (it does not reach water):
A few of the waterfalls along the way:
Alaska's flag flying from the boat's stern:
Gorgeous blue water:
A lone house tucked back in a deep cove:
The water was so deep, the captain took the boat right up to the cliff, where the folks in the bow - with a warning beforehand - got a cooold shower.
During an earthquake, the standing dead trees on this narrow, long island were completely covered with ocean water, which killed and preserved them.
Another waterfall:
Small caves:
Sea lions, a few of their feathered friends, and a bit of park technology:
Mountain Goat:
A popular bird spot (with a few yellow wildflowers):
Horned Puffin:
The Park Ranger informed us that a humpback whale will swim along the surface for a short while, blow (exhaling old air) and quickly inhale fresh air, and submerge three or four times to fill its lungs for a deep dive, where it can remain underwater for up to 30 minutes. We were so glad to be able to see this beautiful creature, even at a distance.
The first picture is blurry, but you can see the spray from the whale's blow coming back down in front of the boat on the left. In the second picture, the spray is still visible to the left of the boat. In the third, the whale is just about to disappear beneath the surface.
Ten seconds later, and the whale is back up. Missed the blow again, but the spray is visible on the left of the picture, making the coast look hazy.
Again, ten seconds after it last disappeared, the whale is back up. It's amazing how far it travels in that short amount of time. We were never sure where it would resurface. (The photographer's excuse for missing every single blow.)
Twelve seconds after the last disappearance (spray to the left):
Twelve seconds later, the final blow (spray) - a big one - and the whale goes for the deep dive.
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