4.7 / 5Sitka Marine Adventure
Sonny is the best
October 11, 2019
From start to finish, this trip was amazing, My wife Gill and I were met as we landed at the shore and escorted 1 minute walk to jetty with a small boat and its Captain (SONNY)
He was super friendly, very helpful and informative throughout. It's supposed to be a 6 person trip but as we were the only ones to book that day, it was a private tour for us. Yippee!
Sonny knew exactly where to take us, to show us bald eagles up in the trees, also where they nested. Great photos. Then out towards the ocean a little way and up went the water spouts of the Whales. We saw three on all and followed them a ways out. Two of them then decided to dive and up came the humpback and then the Tails. What a great picture that was That moment made our vacation.
Two hours brilliantly spent in his company and seeing such amazing wildlife in its natural habitat. If you go to Sitka....... ask for Sonny ***** 5 Stars *****
Reviewer: Stephen Houghton
Great
September 29, 2019
The captain took us to see several eagles, then otters, then sea lions and finally lots of humpback whales. The small boat and only 6 guests got all of us the opportunity to get some great photos of all of the animals we saw.
Reviewer: Chuck Evans
wonderful experience
August 27, 2019
I highly recommend this experience. We had a super captain, Sonny, who knew exactly where to take us to see Eagles as well as whales. The weather was not great so being inside his cabin with a heater was wonderful. Sonny had super knowledge of the area and the wildlife.. when joining the tour everyone was friendly and very helpful...thank you
Reviewer: pamela crim
Highly recommended excursion
August 10, 2019
On a tight time frame because of our brief cruise stop in Sitka, boat captain Sonny Cropley nonetheless made the most of our time showing us humpback whales, including one that breached near the boat, a family of sea otters, bald eagles and their nests, sea lions and the islands and beautiful sights of Sitka Sound. He could not have been nicer or more accommodating. With our week in Alaska, he made this day hands down our favorite. The boat, too, was the newest and best we encountered in all our days of shore excursions. Thank you from two very happy visitors from San Diego!
Reviewer: Paul Bingham
Sitka Marine Adventure
July 27, 2019
Tour Guide was great! Interesting commentary and descriptions of sea-life.
Reviewer: Robert Tade
So you want to see whales?
June 12, 2019
This is the place to go to see ALL marine life. The boat was just the right size for a small, almost private, tour of Sitka waters. Our guide was of Tlingit heritage and had great background information on the area. We saw humpback whales, harbor seals, eagles (a HUGE nest that has been occupied for a long time), and sea otters. All the great stuff in a short tour that left us time to explore other Sitka sites. The boat was very comfortable and speed across the waters to get all the sites in. Yet, the ride was not the least bit choppy; it was extremely smooth and relaxing. I would definitely do this tour again.
Reviewer: Joyce Nicholson
Great fun!
June 06, 2019
We really enjoyed this excursion. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable. He made sure to point out every whale, sea otter and anything else he could hint down. It was a small group excursion, with only 6 on the boat, so we all got our questions answered. Totally recommend.
Reviewer: Lisa Dalpe
Fantastic
June 02, 2019
We had the great luck of coming across a whole pod of Humpbacks that were feeding on herring near an island and got to sit and watch about 20 of them coming up and going down as they fed for about 1 hour. Our captain was a very pleasant and nice fellow with years of experience. This excursion was cheaper and at least for us, way better than the Cruiseline excursion.
Reviewer: David Burroughs
Amazing! Whales up close!!
September 17, 2018
Hands down my favorite excursion. Highly, HIGHLY recommend this whale watching excursion. Our host Sonny was the most enjoyable, knowledable guide! You absolutely WILL see whales, eagles and otters as he knows where to take you in his very comfortable boat. There’s only six people in this tour and you don’t need to put on rain gear. Very comfortable. Sonny took us right out into the middle of a group of whales and maneuvered around to get us as close as possible. Forget your binoculars.... you don’t need them! Thank you Sonny for a whale watching memory of a lifetime!!!
Reviewer: Sally C.
Close encounters
August 27, 2018
Our tour guide Sunny was great. We got to see eagles, harbor seals, humpback whales and a couple of otters. We enjoyed the whole experience and I would highly recommend this excursion!
Reviewer: Tami Miller
Amazing
July 16, 2018
We loved being in the small boat and only 6 of us in there. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable. We raced may times to see the whales! THe weather was perfect and we had such an amazing time! Highly recommend it
Reviewer: Sheila Brinhurst
Excursion
July 09, 2018
It was amazing The best I had entire trip Our guide was so great . I just loved the morning trip He was a native to Alaska
Reviewer: alan stout
Sitka Marine Adventure
October 14, 2017
Excellent excursion
Reviewer: Leonard Ganshirt
By Far The Best
September 13, 2017
This excursion was my favorite of all the excursions we took. It was a rainy day and there were four of us in our group. Another couple had cancelled because of the rain so it was just the four of us and Sonny, our guide. He made our day so great! He's knowledgeable and sincerely happy to take people out on the water. We did see a few whales, an eagles nest that he discovered and shared with us and plenty of sea lions. The rain didn't slow us down one bit!
He also recommended going to a little shack down the road for some clam chowder. It was really good. The service there was underwhelming but I guess since the chowder is good she can be that way.
When in Sitka take this excursion! You will hopefully come home with great memories, too.
Reviewer: Laura
Absolutely the highlight of our trip
July 04, 2017
Our captain, Sonny, was phenomenal! We saw so many whales, and they bubble-fed right at the back of our boat. Sonny was very knowledgeable, and a great host and captain.
Reviewer: Lynn
Super nice guide!
June 29, 2017
After getting off our cruise ship, we located one of the excursion hosts at the visitor center. Within minutes we were walking to the boat. After being introduced to Sonny (our guide and boat captain), the six of us were given a brief safety talk and were on our way. Sonny was super friendly and knowledgeable. Soon we spotted Humpback Whales bubble net feeding. The pod of 12-15 whales would surface to exhale/inhale before diving again which allowed spectacular views of their massive backs and tails above the waterline. When we had our fill of whale watching, Sonny guided the boat between some small islands where we spotted eagles, ospreys, etc. Then Sonny pointed out some groups of adorable Sea Otters floating on their backs. Everyone fell in love with these extremely cute creatures. After a few more slow passes for photos, we returned to the dock with a memory card full of great photos. I would recommend this excursion to just about anyone.
Reviewer: Christopher Perry
Excellent for searching out whales
June 24, 2017
Small boat, with one guide and room for 6 passengers (therefore, a little choppy at times when zipping through the bay.) Leaves from the harbor that the dedicated transfer bus from the cruise ship drops you off at. Easy walk. The guide was Native Alaskan, and knew right where to go and what to do. Saw plenty of eagles, sea otters, and a couple of whales. Would definitely recommend.
Reviewer: Tim D
EXCELLENT Excursion with Captain Sonny!
December 11, 2016
Our captain, Sonny, was outstanding. Great guy who found many humpback whales and sea lions. Loved small boat so we could get close. It was the best! Sonny shared many stories during excursion. The small boat was enclosed so you wouldn't get wet in rain.
Reviewer: Ed McBride
Whale watching
October 07, 2016
Very knowledgeable and friendly Captain. Best of all was that this was a smaller boat with only six passengers making a very personalized experience
Reviewer: Ken
Sitka Marine Adventure
August 03, 2016
WE had a great time on the boat! The captain was terrific and really ""got"" the whales. He watched for indications of where the whales were and then raced us around for the best viewing angles. We saw lots of whales and were thrilled. Our videos are great. I highly recommend taking this trip.
Reviewer: Carol Dochen