ALASKA FINALE -- PART II. The marine animals we saw. Otter, seals, whales, birds -- a little bit of everything. Here's an otter 'sunbathing' on the water near Seward. We saw several groups of otters relaxing on the surface.

Whale sighting. What's interesting about this photo is what you don't see -- a group of about 20 kayakers sitting on the water just outside the picture. They were paddling for home when the whale suddenly surfaced about 100 yards in front of them. They suddenly stopped, either by fear of being swamped or fascination with the whale so close by.

Just beyond this stop, a number of dolphins pursued our cruise ship for a mile or so. They were so close to the ship that no one could get a decent picture.

A seal sunbathing at water's edge.

Killer whales. They swam around the ship for perhaps 10 minutes before finally leaving us behind.

More seals relaxing on the rocks.

And finally, a puffin - one of many we saw. According to the park ranger who narrated our cruise, this bird lives entirely on the water, coming to shore only to mate: "They would never come on land if they could figure out how to give birth on the water."