Joshua Kilbourn – Day 13
It seemed like I had just fallen asleep when it was time to wake up. After a breakfast of cereal, I packed all the warm stuff I had, as we were going on an all day boat trip. This was supposed to be one of the highlights of the trip, so I was excited to go. We then hopped on our vans and drove off.
When we arrived, we hopped on a bus to take us to the docks. When we arrived there, the crew of the Alaskan Explorer (our boat) helped us load up and get ready. I was very anxious to get going, as I heard that much marine animals have been spotted during the earlier years. The captain came out and told us about the safety procedures, you know, all the stuff we need to know about if there was an emergency. The boat then roared to life and we zoomed out.
When we were out there, lets just say it didn’t disappoint. We were able to see all of Resurrection Bay and beyond. Right when we got out of the docks, we saw three sea otters floating around. Seeing an early encounter like that, I could tell it was going to be a good day. It was. We also saw Humpback whales, Steller Sea Lions, various types of seabirds, and orcas (also known as killer whales.) There was even a pod of porpoises that leaped out the water around the boat. Lets just say I have some pretty good pictures.
This was also a learning experience too. We attended four classes on the boat on various subjects. One was about plankton, where we got to collect samples and identify the types under a microscope. The second one was about the marine mammals and birds and the adaptions they made so they could live there. The third one was where we tested the water quality, focusing on its salinity (the amount of salt in the seawater). The last one was about the ecosystems and information about the glaciers. I found these classes very interesting and I learned a ton. Heres a fact: did you know that a whale’s throat is only about as big as your hand? Pretty interesting, huh?