Icy Strait Whale Adventures - Hoonah, Alaska

Liz R.

Our group of 9 booked with Icy Point Whale Adventures on 9/14/23. Our Captain said it was the rainiest day they had had since his 5 1/2 month stint. Needless to say, it was RAINY AND COLD. But, the adventure we had that morning was beyond any of our expectations!! The whales decided to give an end of season show that we’ll never forget! Great experience with thorough and thoughtful crew.

Kristen D.

My husband and I agree that this excursion was the highlight of our cruise to Alaska. Captain Dennis and Zack were our excellent and knowledgable guides. We delighted in seeing many Humpbacks, a mama bear with her cubs on the shoreline, porpoises, sea lions and a good number of Orcas. The Orcas are elusive and difficult to predict their activity, but with our Captain's expertise, we were quite successful. A wonderful day, highly recommend!

Dave K.

Went out to see the humpback whales, what a treat! Saw a pod of approx 10 whales bubble netting . Just a constant sequence of surfacing, blowing, tails, backs and water foaming from the pod on a feeding frenzy

Scott B.

I don't give out 5 stars easily. But I can say they are a great company. Mainly because I caught the flu or covid a few days ago. I've been seriously down an out in our cruise cabin trying to shake this bug that is not shaking off easy.
I would have rather gone whale watching, but it is what it is.
I do suggest using small local businesses over cruise ship excursions. I find they save you some $$ and are just as good, if not better.

Thank you,

Scott / Karen Burns

paul G. W.

A great adventure! The family put this at the top experience of our 7 day excursion. We were on a cruise, but booked privately. Very easy to book and good communications. Icy Strait port is away from the village of Hoonah and our whale watching boat what at the port, and easy walk from the ship.

Our greeter was on time and lead us to the boat, a well constructed craft with an enclosed cabin and plenty of power to get us out to the whale sighting area quickly. There were sea otters along the way.

Once at the site the captain positioned the ship perfectly and we were able to go outside on the front deck and an elevated deck above the cabin. A well versed naturalist was on the deck and courteously answered questions and provided a lot of extra information about the whales.

We watched a female with a cub while the captain took every precaution to stay at a safe distance, but one where the whales were easily visible. Once the whales when down to feed the captain was especially adept at understanding the behavior and positioning the boat where the creatures were anticipated to surface.

Add other whales, sea lions, bald eagles, and more sea otters and the afternoon was perfect.

Amanda B.

I did both this whale tour and the one with Hoonah Travel Adventures one week later (far better) as I did the same cruise both directions. I was not impressed with our captain at all- he did not talk to anyone or give any information on the island, whales, etc. He seemed to keep going away from the areas with the whales which multiple people commented on while out on the deck. He then ate his lunch during the tour (Tuna fish?!) which made the small cabin smell horrific. He was also preoccupied while eating lunch and even though I pointed out whales to him, he did not respond or move toward the area. I liked the smaller boat and the first mate, but the captain needs some serious work on his people skills.

Christine B.

This was the best whale-watching experience I could've imagined. Capt. Duane found 4-6 humpback whales very quickly, and we spent 3 hours watching them bubble feed. It was amazing, and we were SO close. We also saw sea lions and a bald eagle. It couldn't have gone better, and I highly, highly recommend Capt. Duane and this whale-watching company.

Adam C.

We saw so many whales and watched a baby breach 13 times. We also saw a seal and some porpoises. Great trip!