The Alaska weather today is briny and misty with a low-lying fog creeping across from Clarence Strait as the National Geographic Sea Lion dropped anchor off Grindall Island. Several bald eagles are surveying the local waters for a breakfast of salmon.

After our own tasty breakfast on the ship, the Zodiacs depart for our morning expeditions with half the guests shuttled to shore for an adventurous muskeg hike on Grindall Island, while the other half set off on Zodiacs to survey a colony of frolicking Steller sea lions.

All souls return to the ship before the lunch hour. The crew hauls anchor and the ship steams east for Hump Island and a tour of the Hump Island Oyster Farm, where we enjoy a tour of the family-run facility and taste the sweet, cultivated oysters.