Hello all, and welcome back to my blog! It’s been a while since I’ve posted my Alaskan adventures but I’m super excited to tell you about a cruise I took along the rugged coastline of Resurrection Bay. I saw everything from Sea Lions, Sea Otters and their Pups, Puffins, Harbor seals and even the fluke of a Humpback Whale!
The adventure started at the beautiful Seward Harbor. The skies were clear and the weather was beautiful.
As we took off towards the horizon, we ran into this little guy having a crab for lunch! As much as that crab tried to pinch himself free, he did not stand a chance! Sea otters eat about 10-15 pounds of food per day, which is about 20-30% of their body weight. Once they catch their prey, they smash it with a rock or a hard tool to open it and eat the flesh inside. They also have pockets! Yes, pockets!! They use their “pockets” or loose skin underneath their forelimbs to store food, rocks or any tools to kill their prey. Super adorable!
Check out this mama otter and her pup!! OMG I just couldn’t! As cold as that ocean was, I just wanted to jump in and take that baby off of her belly! He was pretty CHONKY!!
You may be wondering if the color in the water was really that turquoise…it was! The color seen in the ocean actually represents the ocean’s health. Phytoplankton use chlorophyll to capture energy from the sun to convert water and carbon dioxide into organic compounds called photosynthesis. Since there is a high concentration of phytoplankton in this area, it appears blue-green when the sun reflects in the water. These phytoplankton serve as food for the sea life and feed on pollutants, which makes them the base of the ocean’s food chain.
I was not able to see any Puffins while I was in Scotland but saw plenty here! Just like the phytoplankton, Puffins also help indicate the ocean’s health, especially when it comes to over-fishing. Over-fishing depletes fish populations, which affects the amount of fish Puffins bring home and can be detrimental for both sea life and humans.
Next up are the seals! We saw both sea lions and harbor seals. Although they both have much in common, there are many notable differences. Sea lions bark super loud LOL, while harbor seals have a quieter, soft grunt. They walk on land using their large flippers and have ear flaps Harbor seals have small flippers and wiggle on their bellies when walking on land. Their ear flaps are not visible.
Check out these glorious, triple-chinned harbor seal CHONKS!! What a life!
Below are the Sea Lions…This place went from 50 degrees to 20 degrees real quick! We were very close to a HUGE glacier, which you will see in my next blog. The fog was pretty dense and as we approached the rocks, loud barks began to sound off. They were not happy with our presence and some of the seals started diving into the water.
Last but certainly not least, I was able to see a Humpback whale…well the tail end of it at least. I was expecting this majestic, Free Willy-style leap over our boat but got to see it come up for air a few times. When whales do perform those aerobatic jumps (breaches), its a form of communication to send other whales messages that are far away. The bigger the splash, the further the sound will be able to travel underwater. Crazy right! Nonetheless, it was an amazing experience that I will definitely recommend to anyone!
If you are interested in this kind of adventure, I highly recommend Major Marine Tours. The staff members are super friendly, the Captain of the ship will give you a bunch of fun facts about the sea life and you will leave having an greater appreciation of taking care of our planet. Stay tuned for the rest of this adventure in my next blog!
Jazmin
