- Boat tour in the species-rich Kenai Fjords National Park
- Sightings of many sea birds, orcas, humpback whales, sea otters, seals and sea lions
- The extremely rough sea does not benefit all passengers
- Drive to the Northwestern Glacier, which flows into the sea
We get up early to gutting and filleting our catch from yesterday. Unfortunately we cannot find anyone in the short time and have to postpone the project until the evening. Which shouldn't be a problem, in any case the fish is well chilled.
At Kenai Fjords Tours we have booked a full-day boat tour to the national park of the same name on the rough south coast of the Kenai Peninsula. We set sail with the Alaskan Explorer, which can hold a little over 100 people. Already in the harbor we see a cute sea otter. This is followed by the simple but tasty breakfast with cinnamon buns.
The weather is unfortunately moderate, but despite the weather warning and the associated strong waves, the tour can be carried out as planned. After all, the rain is fairly limited and so the local clouds and foggy mood remain. We set course for a few cliffs at the end of Ressurection Bay where many seabirds breed. We get to see birds like the cute puffins, seagulls, cormorants, divers and the majestic bald eagles.
This is followed by the rough section through the open sea. This also demands some victims. Many passengers have to throw up and luckily it remains puddled. We even dare to take the passage to the upper deck where the meter-high waves really shake us. After circumnavigating Cape Aialik, we travel through calmer waters again. Here we get to see a group of orcas and later also individual humpback whales. The giant marine mammals only briefly break through the water surface. On the way, the board crew serves chicken wraps for lunch. The tour takes us to Northwestern Bay to the extremely impressive Northwestern Glacier and the countless other ice rivers fed by the Harding Icefield. There we take a break and wait for the glacier to calve. So close to the ice it is really cold and ice floes are floating everywhere. Seals lie on some of these floes. Then the long drive back to Seward follows.
In the harbor we find a fisherman who fillets the salmon for 10$ and we pack everything in bags. Most of it is frozen, and a portion is put in the fridge for tomorrow evening. Back at the campground, we secure a parking space right by the sea with a magnificent view of the opposite side of the fjord. Unfortunately, the gigantic campground hardly offers any privacy, with countless motorhomes of all sizes standing side by side. We roast homemade burgers again and enjoy the dry evening.
