August 20, 2024 - Alaska Trip
Kenai Fiord Cruise

Today the big event was a six-hour cruise in the Kanai Fiords southwest of Seward.  Here, we're about to board the good ship Skana.

Notice the bow of the Skana -- perfect for viewing!
   
We pass by a Sea Otter on the way out, relaxing on the cold water.  The sea otter has an exceptionally thick coat of fur, the densest in the animal kingdom.  Unfortunately for them, that thick, dense fur was coveted for hats, coats and such.  The sea otter population is thought to have once been 150,000 to 300,000 but they were hunted almost to extinction.  At one point, less than 2,000 remain.  The good news is that now their population is over 100,000 now.
   
Looking north back toward the Seward cruise ship terminal.  There is an airport further back there somewhere.
   
Underway!
 
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this tropic icy port
Aboard this tiny ship.

The mate was a mighty sailing man,
The skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day
For a three hour tour, a three hour tour.

The weather started getting rough,
The tiny ship was tossed,
If not for the courage of the fearless crew
The Minnow would be lost, the Minnow would be lost.

The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle
With Gilligan
The Skipper too,
The millionaire and his wife,
The movie star
The Professor and Mary Ann,*
Here on Gilligan's Isle!

Source: https://lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/gilligansislandlyrics.html
   
Some of the passengers.
   
We were lucky today with the weather.  It was sunny and winds were light.  Most importantly, the sea state was low!
   
Glacier sighting!
   
Looking for a whale.
   
 
   
Something is spotted.
   
Over by Cape Resurrection.
   
Once a whale is sighted, all the tour boats head for it.  Another tour boat, the Spirit of Matushka, identical to ours, heads for a whale sighting.
   
Very rugged country.  But beautiful.
   
 
   
Still looking for that whale.
   
A third tour boat shows up.
   
Hole in the wall.
   
There's the whale!
   
Don sees the whale.
   
Looking back north.
   
Approaching a rock known to be a big Sea Lion hangout.
   
Sure enough, there they are.
   

These are Steller sea lions, also known as Steller's sea lion or the northern sea lion.
   
 
   
 
   
Nearby, birds make nests on the almost sheer rock cliffs.
   
Our friend the whale popped up unexpectedly nearby and we got some great looks.  This is his whale tail.  It's almost certainly the same one we saw before.  We were told its a Humpback Whale.
   
Another Humpback Whale sighting!
   
The Humpback Whale has a small fin.
   
There she blows!   Dives typically do not exceed 5-10 minutes during the summer but are normally 15–20 minutes during the winter.  Our canny Captain waited a while and sure enough the whale popped back up.
   
 
   
Like other large whales, the humpback was a target for the whaling industry. Humans once hunted the species to the brink of extinction; its population fell to around 5,000 by the 1960s. Numbers have partially recovered to some 135,000 animals worldwide
   
We left our whale friend and headed west towards the fjoirds.
   
Heading up the Holgate Arm towards Holgate Glacier.   The Skana was making 30 knots or so.  Wind was coming down off the glacier at 20 knots.  So there was 50 knots of cold wind off the bow.  You had to be tough to stand out there at this point!
   
ZZZ
   
Looking north in Holgate Arm.
   
We get closer to Holgate Glacier.  The tour boat at lower left gives some idea on how big this glacier is.
   
Looking southwest (to the left) of Holgate Glacier at a smaller glacier coming down from the mountain.
   
A little further on we realize it's a double-glacier!
   
We now see how wide Holgate Glacier is.
   
ZZZ
   
Those two white dots in the exact center of this picture are two Mountain Goats.  We know that because the white dots moved.
   
Close up.
   
Close-up of Holgate Glacier.
   
A better look at the glacier to the south.
   
Iceberg!
   
That's some jagged ice.
   
 
   
More baby ice bergs.
   
Frozen waterfall.
   
We turn around to start our journey back to Seward.
   
Griffin enjoying the glacier.
   
This photo looking up at the big mountains looks like it was taken from an airplane.
   
One last look back at the southern glacier.
   
Looking north.
   
One of the Skana's crew members scooped up a chunk of ice when we were near the glacier.  Griffin studies the baby iceberg and imagines the possibilities.
   
A mama Bald Eagle checks us out from her rocky perch.  Two of her offspring sit to the right.
   
Harbor seals sleeping on a rock.
   
It's a good day for a seal.
   
I'm trying to imagine what this area is like in the winter.
   
Our friend the Humpback Whale makes a final appearance to say goodbye.
   
The Skana makes some speed.
   
Seward Habor dead-ahead.
   
A fishing boat heads out to sea.
   
Lots of boats at Seward.
   
An interesting-looking mini-fishing boat heads out.
   
The Coast Guard is ready to go.  "You have to go out but you don't have to come back."
   
Seward Boat Harbor
   
 
   
Boats of all sizes and shapes.
   
One of Skana's sister ships.
   
Our route.  Great trip!  Recommended.
   
 
   
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