Hall Island, Bering Sea, Alaska

A wild ride today!  We were supposed to be visiting the uninhabited island of St. Matthew in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, but we had some pretty rough conditions with 4-meter waves and lots of wind which meant that it would have been impossible to safely launch the Zodiacs to go ashore.

Our captain nevertheless managed to maneuver the ship so that at least we could sail past St. Matthew, along with Hall Island which is right next door.  This is a view of a lovely waterfall descending to the sea on Hall.  The landscape looks like it would be right at home in the Orkney Islands or the Hebrides!  Just beautiful.

Hall Island is uninhabited, and protected as a wildlife sanctuary.  It is a favorite haul-out site for Pacific Walrus.

Extra:  A graphic illustration of what can happen when you try to land on St. Matthew in bad weather!!!