6 Passenger Whale Watching Adventure in Icy Strait from Hoonah AK

Our trip with Hoonah Whale Tours was the highlight of our Alaskan cruise! The experience from my first phone conversation, to the ease of booking, the on time professional welcome, and of course the great day on the boat exceeded our expectations. Joardan, the boat captain, is a quiet and reserved experienced boater and a born and raised Alaskan. He knows the waters and communicates with other boat captains to find the best sights. We had an exceptional day seeing orca and humpback whales. It was exciting to watch their activities in the water. The orcas are fast! We saw multiple humpback whales and even witnessed a full breech. My favorite part was seeing the sea lions! They were putting on a show catching salmon and tossing them in the air. The sea lions came right up to the boat making us feel like they might be checking us out too. We also saw female sea otters swimming on their backs with their babies! I know our day may not be repeated on every trip, but Joardan listened to what we were hoping for and tried very hard to get everything in. My husband loves boating and fishing so he sat with Joardan and chatted the whole trip. It was such a personal feeling. Even though some of the bigger excursion boats may have seen some of the same sights as we did, the small group setting makes it SO much better. To top it all off we had delicious homemade blueberry muffins and hot chocolate. On the way back to the ship he told us all about the town of Hoonah and stopped at the local grocery for me to see it and get a soda. This is a reliable, family owned local company. If you like to get away from the crowds of the big ship and get that private tour feeling, don't hesitate, book with HOONAH WHALE TOURS! A little tip, Talk with Joardan. He seems shy at first, but he is friendly and so knowledgeable.

Absolutely fantastic experience! This is a family-run tour with a small number of guests. We had six on our voyage. The smaller boat with fewer people makes a big difference in what you are able to see and hear, I think. We saw many orcas, humpback whales, sea lions, otters, and amazing landscapes. The boat has comfy seats, a bathroom, and is heated inside. Jordan was very kind and helpful and had hot chocolate, coffee, muffins, and other snacks available. We had plenty of time to get off of our cruise ship (scheduled for 7:00 arrival to the port) and follow the very clear directions we were given to get to our meeting spot on time for our 7:30 tour. I highly recommend!

Absolutely one of the most memorable experiences we have had Wonderful family friendly business. Professional from beginning to end. We had just six people on our boat which made for a more private setting. Other tours we saw had boats that were jammed pack and this just added to the already amazing day. Saw so many whales and got hundreds of beautiful pictures and videos!