Skalay Lovushky, June 18
This morning we arrived at Skalay Lovushky, which are really just a grouping of rocks in the middle of nowhere. I found out that skalay means rock in Russian, and it was a fitting name. There were four major rock islands, with Steller Sea Lion and Fur Seal rookeries and haul outs. We were only allowed to visit two of them because of the sensitivity of the breeding rookeries.
It was an amazing morning once again. We launched the zodiacs at around 7:30am and I had about ½ hour to explore on my own before picking up passengers for an hour cruise. The animals were so curious about the zodiacs and would come up right next to the boats or follow the boats to see what we were all about. I got a few photos, and have attached one of each species that we saw. Most all of the animals in the water were adolescent males who did not have a breeding territory of their own. Once I picked up the passengers, the fun really started. At one point, we had about 5 male Steller Sea Lions around our zodiac, and getting really close. One, in particular, decided to swim all around and under the zodiac and every time he would surface, he would huff and puff at us, showing us who was boss. The adolescent males often do this to practice being big and bad for when they have their own harem. Most of the aggression is usually bluffing, but its still quite a sight to see one of these males up close. Full grown they can be up to 1600 pounds, so you can guess that a teenager is still pretty large! Anyway, this one male kept hanging out with us, and even following the zodiac. At one point, he came right up next to the boat, turned over and splashed the side of the zodiac with a huge wave of water. There were four passengers kneeling down on that side trying to get a good photo - instead, they got a camera full of water. As you can imagine, this event was a highlight for the passengers, who joked about sea lions and fur seals jumping into the zodiac. The event also made for good story telling for when we returned back to the ship.
Northern Fur Seal approching the zodiac
Steller Sea Lion approached the zodiac
We are now headed towards Onekotan Island, which is supposed to be beautiful, complete with waterfalls, streams and a large lake at the top of the mountain that is filled with Rainbow Trout. I'm looking forward to having a chance at finding some Japanese glass fishing floats.
It was an amazing morning once again. We launched the zodiacs at around 7:30am and I had about ½ hour to explore on my own before picking up passengers for an hour cruise. The animals were so curious about the zodiacs and would come up right next to the boats or follow the boats to see what we were all about. I got a few photos, and have attached one of each species that we saw. Most all of the animals in the water were adolescent males who did not have a breeding territory of their own. Once I picked up the passengers, the fun really started. At one point, we had about 5 male Steller Sea Lions around our zodiac, and getting really close. One, in particular, decided to swim all around and under the zodiac and every time he would surface, he would huff and puff at us, showing us who was boss. The adolescent males often do this to practice being big and bad for when they have their own harem. Most of the aggression is usually bluffing, but its still quite a sight to see one of these males up close. Full grown they can be up to 1600 pounds, so you can guess that a teenager is still pretty large! Anyway, this one male kept hanging out with us, and even following the zodiac. At one point, he came right up next to the boat, turned over and splashed the side of the zodiac with a huge wave of water. There were four passengers kneeling down on that side trying to get a good photo - instead, they got a camera full of water. As you can imagine, this event was a highlight for the passengers, who joked about sea lions and fur seals jumping into the zodiac. The event also made for good story telling for when we returned back to the ship.
Northern Fur Seal approching the zodiac
Steller Sea Lion approached the zodiac
We are now headed towards Onekotan Island, which is supposed to be beautiful, complete with waterfalls, streams and a large lake at the top of the mountain that is filled with Rainbow Trout. I'm looking forward to having a chance at finding some Japanese glass fishing floats.
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