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Wolf Eels, Eagles, Giant Octopus, Whales!Juneau, Alaska down the Inside Passage to Vancouver, CanadaThis was my wish list for our Alaska Group Trip this past July 29 – Aug. 9. If I would have known our luck, I would have asked for a lot more!
Our adventure started in Juneau, Alaska, where we spent a beautiful day enjoying this capital city accessible only by boat or plane.
A ride up Mt. Roberts Tramway offered us incredible panoramic views of Juneau and the vicinity. Lunch at The Hangar watching floatplanes whisk guests to the nearby glaciers capped off a perfect first day as we boarded the Nautilus Explorer that afternoon. 
The only way to truly sum up our first two dives in Alaska are "Brrrrrrr". A balmy 43 degrees welcomed us to cold water diving, and for this self professed warm water wimp, it was definitely a shock to the system. But the opportunity to see famous wrecks like the Kathleen and the Sophia was something I was unwilling to miss. Metridium, or white plumose anemone, covered the wrecks, which made it look like snow everywhere you looked. 
Each evening the Nautilus would pull anchor and continue southward through the Inside Passage. And with each new day we would awake to new adventures along the way. Some of our favorites included a stop at a salmon stream, with the chance to jump in the water and watch the fish swim upstream to spawn! We held on to the rocks with all our might to keep from floating downstream, as these critters forced their way as instinct dictates. An impromptu decision was made to fill up our drysuits with air and "raft" the whitewater down to the head of the stream, filling the surrounding forests with shouts of laughter and joy, and an occasional whimper as we brushed along a rock or two! As if this experience wasn’t enough for one day, we were blessed with Humpback Whales bubble net feeding later that afternoon. For those that are unfamiliar with this feeding behavior, it goes something like this. A group of whales (we had 8) feed as a group. Once they have found a school of sardines or herring (or anything else a 40 ton animal wants to put in their stomachs), the group dives down. One of the group heads a bit deeper and surrounds the school with a bubble ring. Once the fish are trapped, the rest of the whales charges the surface, mouth agape, to eat as much as possible in a single lunge. The first time we saw this happen, all of our jaws were on the floor. The second time we had the cameras ready. And after an hour and a half of watching this incredible behavior, we finally decided that perhaps we had seen enough and it was time to continue our journey.
Our adventure concluded with dives at Browning Pass and Dillon Rock, two of British Columbia’s famous dive sites, where we were able to see the friendly faced Wolf Eels, Giant Octopus larger than me, the illusive Rat fish, a member of the shark family, and beautiful kelp formations. Add numerous sightings and experiences with Sea Lions, Seals, Otter, Puget Sound King Crabs, Bald Eagles, a lone Grizzly Bear, and countless small towns and former cannery’s along the coast, and our trip was complete. 
Although I went on this trip with some trepidation about how I would like the diving, I come back a changed diver. This trip is one for the ages, a way to experience nature both topside and below, with a new experience seemingly around every bend. So don’t be surprised to see this proclaimed warm water diver waiting at the dock, drysuit in hand, ready to enjoy some of the best our Pacific Coast has to offer! |
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