Monday, September 1, 2014
At the western most edge of the Sea of Okhotsk lie the Shantar Islands. The surrounding water is cold and shallow and 300km / 186mi from the mouth of the Amur River. They were a center of New England whaling activity in the 1850’s and 1860’s when dozens of ships pursued Bowhead whales in the region. In the morning we went zodiac cruising at Utichiy Island, during which we got our first look at Steller’s sea eagle. We also saw Spotted seals, Tufted puffins and Spectacled guillemots. Unfortunately the afternoon hike on Feklistova Island got canceled due to adverse landing conditions, but zodiac cruising was possible.
