Before we even leave the Seward boat harbor, aboard a Major Marine tour boat headed to explore Kenai Fjords National Park, the wildlife seems to come to us.
Sea otters, birds and seals are spotted before the buildings of Seward fade away. Once our boat, a speedy catamaran, ducks into its first secluded cove at the mouth of Resurrection Bay, wildlife seems to be everywhere.
Mountain goats wander the steep slopes above cliffs where puffins, murres and gulls make their nests. Sea lions bark on the rocks just above high tide.
It's not long before the captain gets wind of a pod of humpback whales just to the south of us. Before long, there they are, jumping out of the water and crashing back with amazing shows of grace.
With the wildlife enthusiasts satiated for the moment, we make our way to the head of Aialik Bay, where the massive tidewater glacier puts on a show for us and a Kenai Fjords Tours boat.
It won't be long before these waters are quiet, the tour boats elsewhere for the winter season.