Description
Southeast Sea Kayaks in Ketchikan, Alaska offers exceptional sea kayaking trips on the protected waterways of the Inside Passage. The Tongass National Forest is on our front doorstep and the Misty Fjords National Monument is our 'backyard.'
Our guided sea kayak tours offer a unique Alaskan experience to independently spirited travelers who seek to escape the mass marketed shore excursions offered on board the cruise ship.
Sample Tour:
Orca’s Cove Adventure is our most popular trip and was designed for the growing number of people looking for a true wilderness experience. Group size is limited to six unless you are a private group.
We depart our waterfront location and travel by boat to remote Orca’s Cove. Here you will meet your guides and become familiar with kayaking. After a basic lesson we take off paddling, wandering amongst numerous islands, immersing ourselves in the surroundings and keeping a lookout for wildlife.
All around, mountains rise out of the ocean and the rainforest presses right down to the shoreline. Several Bald Eagle nesting sites are active here. Along the shore we may see river otters, bear and Sitka Black Tail Deer. The water is inhabited by seals, sea lions, Dall’s porpoise, Orcas and Humpback whales. On occasion we see Minke whales. Sea birds are numerous and Cormorants dry off their wings on the rocks around us. The inter tidal marine life visible at low tide or underneath the kayaks in the clear water offers a colorful display of starfish, sun stars and sea cucumbers.
The area is frequently used by native peoples for subsistence use. Goose tongue grasses are collected along the beaches and excellent clamming exists at low tide. Steelhead trout run in the streams and encourage feeding eagles and bears. Our guides are trained naturalists and will enthusiastically share their love of the land with you.
Excellent opportunities exist for photographing exceptional scenery and wildlife. Dry bags are provided to protect your camera or video recorder and we encourage you to bring along plenty of film. During the trip you can pass your cameras to the guides to get spectacular pictures of yourself paddling. At trips end we will enjoy a smoked salmon snack and soft drinks before the return to town.
Orca’s Cove Adventure is a four hour trip. Approximately 45 minutes is the total travel time by boat. The remainder is spent paddling. We use high quality fiberglass double touring kayaks by Current Designs on our trips – not plastic! The double kayaks we use have a centre pod and so you do not have to coordinate your paddling – making for a far more pleasurable trip. Our paddles are lightweight fiberglass. Rain gear, jackets and pants, are provided for your comfort. Our guides carry binoculars to share with the group and also hydrophones so we can listen to marine life beneath the water. We encourage you to dress in warm comfortable layers. Sneakers are ideal for foot wear rather than large hiking boots – we step into the kayaks from our boat so you will not get your feet wet.
Cruise ship visitors will meet our courtesy van at the visitors bureau rain gauge.. Visitors staying locally can also meet us at our store location.. We ask all parties to meet us 15 minutes prior to trip time.