The guests and crew of National Geographic Quest experienced an incredible day. We woke up surrounded by Yosemite-like landscapes in Tracy Arm, within the Terror Wilderness. Huge ice-covered rock faces towered overhead, teal blue waters sparkled below, and unlimited possibilities filled our guests’ imaginations. The sunny blue skies made the ice dance before us. What a surprise! We zoomed over to South Sawyer Glacier, where we saw numerous harbor seal moms with their new pups, a harbor porpoise, and too many cascades to count. After an unbelievable morning, we cruised out of the fjord to a place called the Hole in the Wall, a gorgeous waterfall with a hole right in the middle. We gathered around the bow and listened to our on-board geologist discuss what might have created this hole. We watched a coastal brown bear move through the grass before ending our night by eating dinner with the company of humpback whales.
5/13/2025
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National Geographic Venture
Basket Bay
A day of Zodiac cruising in Basket Bay on Chichagof Island brought wild beauty and unforgettable encounters. As the morning mist thinned, we traced the rugged shoreline beneath towering forested cliffs, where ochre sea stars clung to rocks and dense clusters of blue mussels covered the intertidal zone like armor. Bald eagles circled overhead, and a river otter slipped along the kelp-strewn shore. Not long into our cruise, a humpback whale surfaced nearby, vanishing as suddenly as it appeared. Then, the real show began. A pod of five orcas emerged from the north, cutting through the water with smooth, deliberate power. Their tall dorsal fins knifed the surface in silence as we viewed them from a respectful distance, the pod weaving in and out of view among the swells. Onshore, waterfalls thundered from the cliffs, swollen with rain, sending spray across the rocks. The air smelled of salt and cedar. We lingered near one cascade, engines low, taking in the raw energy of water meeting sea. By the time we turned back toward the anchorage, the sky had turned dark and williwaws descended upon us. We were all smiles as memories of our special orca encounter shone brightly.
