Resurrection Bay Cruise
Arriving at Kenai Fjords Tours in Seward, Alaska, my parents and I are disappointed to hear our longer cruise is cancelled because of a storm and we’ll only be able to take the slightly shorter cruise around Resurrection Bay since it is more protected from the wind and waves. The sky is grey as we pull away from the crowded harbor, but it is not yet raining. I enjoy reading the names on all the boats.
We are surrounded by slate-grey mountains, sharpened tips peeking out through scattered blankets of snow. The water looks dark, silvery grey reflecting them, but against more forested coastline, it appears dark green, reflecting all the different gradations of the cone-shaped firs. Our first excited glimpse of wildlife are two sea otters cavorting together happily. The boat captain has another set of eyes watching with binoculars, but I’m proud of myself for spotting the otters before the announcement goes out over the speakers.
My first instinct is to call the captain “eagle-eyed” for the next animal spotting, but that seems too on the nose. Seeing bald eagles soaring over the water, casually mounting on power lines beside the highway, gives me a lot of joy on this trip. This particular eagle is calling out to its mate, as you can see in one picture.
Our next stop is at a rocky shoreline where hundreds of gulls nest in the rocks, along with the common murres that look like small penguins and one, solitary puffin. A common experience on all Alaska tours is someone trying to tell you where to look to see a certain animal or landmark and being completely unable to see it. Such is the case with my picture of the puffin. My eyes could not land on him at all but accidentally captured him in the far frame of another picture of the murres. It is a happy accident.
Beneath the swarming gulls, sea lions laze on the rocks. Their skin is actually quite a beautiful brown in contrast with the green water.
At this point in our journey the rain and wind arrive, and the boat begins climbing and sharply falling with the waves. A shoal of porpoises briefly swims alongside our bouncing vessel. We float past a bald eagle sitting (standing?) on a rock eye-level with the deck, but it is another instance of me not being able to see it. I manage a picture at the last moment before he flies away. Photography conditions are difficult with larger waves and trying to keep my camera dry. I go through a continuous cycle of taking a quick picture, wiping off the camera, and tucking it inside my raincoat for safekeeping until the next unmissable moment, of which there are many.
The captain sets off the hue and cry that there is a humpback whale and her calf in the distance. I tell myself to relax and not stress about getting the perfect picture in the rain. Just seeing the pair so close is thrilling, and I manage to capture a tail-flip on video with my phone. There is no dramatic breach moment, but I watch expectantly for the water shooting up above the surface and the tip of a fin. It is enough.
Even with the rainy weather and the change of plans, we see a lot of wildlife. The full glory of the stunning scenery surrounding Resurrection Bay is hidden from us by the cloud cover, but the glimpses we do get are unforgettable.