Yesterday, while we were out in the Chiswell Islands we saw a spectacular view of all the new baby Sea Lions. Although sometimes the pups stay with their mothers for a few years, the pups I am talking about are the NEW ones, not the ones that just don’t want to leave their mommas, but the cutie ones!! So if you want to see some cutie little baby’s, now is the time to come, because they grow fast!

One of the great things about our cruises, other than the food, is that we have a National Park Ranger on board all of our vessels. (with the exception of our Alaska Nelli Cruise) They are very helpful if you have any questions and know many different stories about why the Glaciers are named the way they are.  On both our 8 hour and 5 hour cruises we see Bear Glacier, which is the largest Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park! Yes, it is that huge!! It is a Piedmont style glacier, its size and color defiantly make it one of most spectacular sights on our cruises!!!

For the past 8 days we have seen Orca and Humpback whales on our National Park cruise! We have gotten very lucky and have seen multiple pods, most of those 8 days! Along with all of the whales, we have been seeing lots of glacier activity, bears, goats, seals with their new born baby’s, puffins, sea lions, and otters.

On Sunday, 6/8, it was an amazing day on the Kenai Fiords National Park Tour. It started with a pod of Orcas swimming under the bow of the boat. The water was so clear you could see them go under the boat. We then saw 2 more pods of Orcas. The Humpbacks did not want to be surpassed so they showed up in numbers. We saw about 8 of them throughout our day. Let’s not forget about all the other animals, there were 3 black bears, puffins, otters, eagles, mountain goats and all the other birds (too numerous to count). Aialik Glacier did not let the guests down either. There were numerous calvings and as we left the glacier, the harbor seals bid us goodbye. Between the wildlife, the glacier, and the beautiful weather, all in all, it was truly an amazing day!

Yesterday Evening our first Alaska Nellie show went out. The reception to the new product was well received with a full boat. On this cruise, we went out to Humpy Cove, ate dinner, and enjoyed the old stories told by a young woman playing Nelli. After the show was over we cruised around some looking for wildlife. If you are interested in going out on an evening cruise, and are interested in learning a little more about Alaska, come join us on one of our Alaska Nellie tours!

Normally the only whales that we see in Resurrection Bay are Humpback whales. Both of our boats were confined to the Bay yesterday and didn’t see Humpbacks, but Orcas! Yes, believe it or not despite the sea conditions the Orcas came in far enough for us to view, which made both of the trips worth while, despite the weather. There is always a chance to see them when ever you go out on a boat form Seward, but if you do go further out than Resurrection Bay you will have an even better chance to see them. You never know, maybe they are still out there!

Unfortunate, for the last two days we have not been able to make it into the National Park, due to sea conditions. Even though we have been confined to Resurrection Bay, the animals still put on a show. A few of the mammals are like humans, and like to sleep when it is raining, but others enjoy it while they can. Some of those animals are the Mountain Goats, Stellar Sea Lions,  Otters, and a small whale spouting! Although some of the wild life was sleeping, the Ranger and Captain on board both of the boats made the tours as interesting and knowledgeable as possible!

Some of you may have noticed that in Alaska we do not have many thunder storms. Well, the other day while we were viewing Aialik Glacier, I herd some one say that it sounds like thunder, then someone else said, “It is Alaska’s Thunder.” If you have ever herd a Tidewater Glacier calving you will agree that you hear it crack, watch it fall, then as it hits the water, it sounds like thunder! Although the calving creates large waves, the little Harbor Seals, that are sometimes on ice chunks, just sit on their block of ice and enjoying it. It looks like they are surfing the waves! If you enjoy Thunder Storms, or just want the experience of viewing a calving glacier,  Kenai Fjords National Park is the place to go!

It’s been a beautiful week in Seward to go out into the Kenai Fjords National Park. On our National Park cruise we have seen numerous wildlife sightings including puffins, eagles, sea otters, mountain goats, and stellar sea lions. There are have also been many black bear sightings along the coast. The days have been clear and beautiful and we hope to get more days like this throughout the season. One of the highlights of our National Park cruise is glacier viewing. Although there were a couple days where we had to go off course due to ice we got to view another spectacular glacier in Aialik Bay named Holgate Glacier. There have been many whale sightings as well, plenty of orcas and humpbacks in numerous locations. Last Wednesday we saw six fin whales offshore after departing the islands which was surprising since fin whale viewings are rare. On our Wildlife cruise around Resurrection Bay we’ve seen many of the same wildlife sightings as the National Park Cruise as well as clear viewings of the four alpine glaciers up in the mountains in Thumb’s Cove. On Wednesday for the Wildlife cruise we got to see three humpback whales alternately breaching and spyhopping. Best whale show so far this year!