Hot Spring Island

Giant Pacific Scallop in the shell.

July 27, 2007
Time: 0745
Humidity: 77 % Temp: 17 C. Totally overcast sky, not even a hint of blue, wind is calm.
Lv: Murchison Island
Course: Juan Perez Sound stop at Hot Spring Island > east around Burnaby Island > Skincuttle Inlet > Burnaby Narrows > Bag Harbour, Moresby Island
After a cup of coffee, we head over to Hot Spring Island, the next Haida stop. We are the first to arrive this morning at this very popular stop. There are three hot spring pools for soaking; each overlooks the ocean from a different location, and a bath house for cleaning up before going in the pools. The water is hot and very clean, no algae because it is cleaned off regularly. What a nice treat to have the whole place to ourselves, we take our time and have a nice soak in each of the pools. Unfortunately, my camera batteries picked this very moment to go dead on us, so we don’t have any pictures.
Apparently, right around these hot pools, about 40 of the Keen’s long-eared bat comes each May to give birth and raise their young. This little bat is on the endangered list and the only other known maternity colony is in a tree stump near the town of Tahsis on Vancouver Island. Gwaii Haanas is home to 27 species of animals (land and marine) considered to be at risk in Canada.
Arv: Bag Harbour
Lat: 52 20.78 N
Lon: 131 21.90 W
Time: 1530 Log: 4209.9 nm
There are thousands and thousands of moon jelly fish conglomerating near the surface in this bay. Just a few hours later when we head out in the dingy to explore, they are nearly all gone, probably to the bottom to spawn.