Icy Strait Point: Whale Watching Tour with Small Group & Local Captain

★★★★★★★★★★

4.98

(256 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Honestly, we almost missed the van at the Excursions Hub because I was too busy trying to photograph a raven that was just strutting around like it owned the place. The driver waited (thank you!) and then it was just a five-minute ride to Hoonah — enough time for our guide, Tom, to joke about how even locals get distracted by those birds sometimes. He’s lived here his whole life, and you can tell. There’s this way he talks about the whales like they’re old neighbors.

The boat itself felt more like someone’s big living room than a tour vessel — only 12 of us plus Tom, so everyone had space to move around and actually see outside. It was chilly but not biting; I could smell salt and something woodsy in the air. When we spotted our first humpback, Tom cut the engine and just let us listen — you could hear that exhale echo over everything else. Someone passed around hot chocolate (I spilled a bit on my sleeve, classic me) and we all just stood there grinning at each other. There were sea lions too, lounging like they’d invented relaxation.

I didn’t expect to feel so calm out there — maybe it was the slow pace or maybe just being away from crowds for once. Tom told us about his dad fishing these waters before tourism ever came here. At one point he pointed out a bald eagle perched up high; I tried to get a photo but mostly ended up with blurry sky. Still worth it though.

We got back to harbor with wind-tangled hair and fingers smelling faintly of cocoa powder. The van was waiting for us, same driver waving like we were old friends already. I still think about that sound when the whale surfaced — kind of makes everything else seem quieter after.