I got crabs!

We awoke to a calm morning in North Sandy Cove. Immediately following breakfast, we launched the kayaks. We paddled along the rim of an island, and as the tide was way down, we viewed vertical tide pools. Along the steep rock outcroppings, differing levels could be distinguished: barnacles and muscles at the top, with star fish, urchins, and sea cucumbers near the water level. In the shallow water, we saw a good sized jelly fish, some snails, and thousands of infant salmon, called fries. We paddled slowly, as not to miss a single organism. Kimber did a lot of explaining, regarding the geology, marine biology, and tides. It was all rather fascinating. Once we finished the east wall, we crossed the cove to a river outlet. Kimber pointed out a black bear, but we missed seeing it. Instead, everyone paddled ahead, while Debbie and I took our time. We were rewarded with harbor porpoise. Everyone else was out of range, when the porpoise neared our kayak. They kept a safe distance but weren't shy about being seen. We counted four of them and stayed with them for a while. When they appeared to be leaving the bay, we headed back to the boat. The crew hauled the kayaks out of the water, and we crossed Glacier Bay to view a Stellar sea lion haul out. This is where they hang out, sun, and play. Breeding grounds are in a different location. There were at least a hundred sea lions groaning in the distance, as we approached. They were on the rock face and swimming in the water. There was a group of about 20, doing flips and twirling around, just off the bow of the boat. I expected one of them to pull up with a beach ball on his nose, but apparently they don't have access to them here. We observed the animals for about an hour before we left the area. We chugged back to Bartlett Cove, our origination point, to pick up the crab traps for a fresh dinner. The rest of the day was spent on the water, sailing up to Dundas Bay. Along the way, we saw some orcas, with one swimming right toward the bow of the boat about 50 feet away. It came up for air, showing its white underside, then dipped down, with his tall dorsal fin arcing from right to left to submersion. I've never seen one so close, except at Sea World. Not long after anchoring, I poked my head out of the dining area and saw Ida and Skylar ripping the legs off the live crabs. Later, I happily ripped the meat from those very legs and enjoyed the best tasting crabs I've ever had. No butter needed.Weiterlesen