March 5 - Kirke Narrows

We spent part of the day today cruising the fjords and looking at the scenery from the ship and part of the day cruising in the zodiacs. Right after lunch, we went through another narrow passageway called Kirke Narrows. This time, the wind was cooperating, so we got to launch the zodiacs and go through before the ship and watch it come through the narrow passage. The zodiac cruise was amazing and I think the best one so far in Chile. It started off raining, but the rain cleared about a half hour into the cruise. In Kirke Narrows, there were a bunch of small islands to explore and the channel was paved with lush cliffs dotted with small waterfalls and wildflowers.


Ship passing through Kirke Narrows
Photo Credit: Mick Brown

After the ship passed through with one of the staff zodiacs in tow (photo attached), we first hung around a small island checking out some South American Fur Seals. There were a number of them hauled out on the rocks and a few small pups. Near us, there was a fishing boat and when we got close to the Fur Seals the men on the boat started yelling and motioning for us to come to them. We took this as the universal sign for, "you are too close to the wildlife", so we backed off and sent Louis (who speaks Spanish) to talk to the men. It turns out that they couldn't care less about the Fur Seals, and instead, wanted some cigarettes. Despite the fact that we did not have any, they were all smiles and spent some time checking us out and waving.

Around the corner, we found a male Southern Sea Lion feeding in the shallow water amongst the kelp. Upon closer inspection it seems as if he was feeding on a Fur Seal! Probably a pup or small female. He didn't mind us watching him eat and we spent about a half hour just observing. When we left him, we went about another quarter of a mile and spotted the very rare Chilean Dolphin. There were about five or so, and although they were not that friendly with the zodiac, we were able to watch them for a little while. The species is very uncommon, so it was a treat to even see them for a short time.

We then crossed the narrows and headed up the other side, checking out the birds and the vegetation growing out of the rock face and up the mountain. The landscape is lush and everywhere we looked there was a new plant or small wildflower growing out of a crevasse or hanging from above. The best parts for me were the small waterfalls all over the place, each with its own personality. Some trickled like curtains of light rain, others gushed and splashed, and then there were the large ones that hugged the mountains seemingly originating out of the low clouds. At one place, there was a small channel that we tucked into and I turned off the zodiac motor. The water was like glass and you could see the kelp clear to the bottom. Around us were small waterfalls and birds chirping (one zodiac even saw hummingbirds in the area!). It was almost tropical and I could have floated there for hours just listening to the sounds, smelling the fresh air and looking at the surroundings.

However, we did have to return to the ship, and then we had a few lectures in the afternoon. I do not think that I am going to lecture at all this cruise, which is ok with me. I've had fun learning from the others and just experiencing this new itinerary.

I did not take many photos today because I was just enjoying the scenery (and it was on and off raining which made it challenging). I've attached a photo from Mick. Surprisingly, there are not many passengers that partake in the zodiac cruises. Today, we only took out about twenty-five people out of sixty. I don't understand why everyone doesn't go every time. Maybe it was because it was raining when we started, but, as you all know, there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate dress! I've learned to live by that, and am not bothered at all by the elements since I am all bundled up in my great gear thanks to my great sponsors.


Zodiac Cruise