Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest

[pga698]

Has anybody been on the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest excursion in Sitka anytime in the past? If so, has anybody seen whales on this tour?

[bluedevil72]

We did the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest excursion three years ago when we cruised on the Carnival Spirit. Yes we did sea several humpbacks; no breaching,just the back and the tails on the sounding dive. We didn't see any orcas and I don't really know if they are seen there. We also saw a mother bear and a cub on the shore, sea otters, sea lions and seals both, (I think) and bald eagles. And numerous other species of birds which I don't remember. We had also done the Whale watch in Auke Bay in Juneau and the two tours were very comparable. We enjoyed both and would do both again because that is one of the reasons we enjoy Alaska so much. Don't see much of that in Texas.

[calee]

I took that trip a couple of years ago in early May. We didn't see whales on the trip....maybe we were too early, I don't know. We did enjoy the excursion, viewing otters, eagles, sea lions, mountain goats, porpoises and other bird types. We didn't expect to see whales in Sitka so we weren't disappointed. We enjoyed whalewatching and saw many whales in Auke Bay on an excursion out of Juneau that is your best bet for seeing whales.

[Mike2131]

This was a very enjoyable tour and I would definitely recommend it. We saw lots of bald eagles (flying and nesting), sea lions, otters, porpoises, etc. - but no whales.

One nice additional benefit was the weather. Sitka is prone to fog and mists, but once we got out on the water, the weather cleared and we had a beautiful sunny day. The scenery on the cruise was fantastic!

[rykersdad]

We did it..... I can't describe how amazing it turned out to be.

Of all the pax on the ship that did whale excursions that cruise, our little Otter excursion turned into the whaling experiance of a life..... and yes, we have all the video to prove it! It was unbelievable. Approx 20-25 whales surrounded the boat, they were under it, alongside of it, all around just us. They did all the tricks everyone was hoping for! They were so close, you could smell their disgusting breath....... Were we lucky? Maybe, but, it's worth a shot, and alot cheaper than the marketed whale tours. From our ship there were about 25 people that took that tour, and the whole ship was talking about it the next day. The water was extremely rough that day, and we were all sick, but it was well worth it...... we did it in late September.

[JohnQ]

I need to see the pictures. Come on, post some!!!!

[Host Caroline]

We also saw lots of whales on our Sea Otter Quest in 1998 .. and otters, bears eagles.. etc.. it was a wonderful afternoon and the crew are fantastic.. A "don't miss" tour IMHO... too bad more ships don't have more time in Sitka..the town is fascinating and it's difficult to do both

[Landlubber54]

This thread has me looking forward to this summer more than ever. We are going on the Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest/Raptor Center tour in Sitka, and the Whale Watch/Wildlife Quest/Mendenhall Glacier tour in Juneau. We have never been to Alaska, and I can't wait. :D

[WannaBpele]

Three of us did this excursion in late July 1999. We we on the Regal Princess. Anyway, the tour was fantastic, one of my all-time favorites. We saw fish jumping, a colony of sea otters, a Sitka deer, a couple of bald eagles soaring above, and then the mother load..whales. At first we saw a pair in a cove and we took dozens of photos. Then we moved on to another location and saw even more. Towards the end the whales were like pigeons, they were everywhere. We weren't even taking pictures near the end unless something unusual happened. None breached but they would come out of the water to prepare for a dive and then you could see their huge tails lift out of the water. Some of the whales would roll in cirlces too. Very memorable indeed. When we got back home, a few of the close up whale tails were my favorite photos of the entire vacation. I would recommend this tour.

[rykersdad]

:) would if i knew how..... they'd have to be scanned first, and the videos? have no idea how to do that.... but come on over for a couple of drinks, and munchies, and I'll pop that video right in there.... I'm serving white wine right now, what's your preference:)