Sea Kayaking Adventures in Valdez, Ketchikan and Seward

Mar 14, 2010

Whether it’s an extended, week-long excursion or a quick day trip during a port of call while cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage, sea kayaking is an up-close-and-personal way for clients to experience Alaska’s myriad coastal wonders from towering glaciers to endangered wildlife. Here are a few must-do kayaking adventures that clients from all walks of life are sure to enjoy.

Kayakers pass icebergs in Heather Bay with Pangaea Adventures. // (C) 2010 Christopher Batin

Valdez
Heather Bay, near Valdez Harbor, is as magical as it is mysterious for a kayaker. It is an icy breadbasket to the Columbia Glacier, Alaska’s second largest tidewater glacier. Icebergs and floes from Columbia Bay get funneled into Heather Bay, trapping ice, which forms an eight-mile, eerie icescape of frozen sentinels that groan, crackle and grind with the changing of each tide.

On a recent excursion, seals basking on nearby floes watched indifferently as my kayak silently glided past them. Icebergs seemed to soar into the sky at one or two stories tall.

For every three strokes, I spent about 10 to 15 seconds gazing upward and around at the scenery, like an anxious kid in a candy store. And for two hours, even with the heavy overcast clouds, I was mesmerized by the wonder of it all.

“Heather Bay is our most popular trip, based on booking numbers,” said Matt Vial, a freelance guide for Pangaea Adventures. “Its popularity is based on a combination of getting clients out of Valdez Harbor and, unlike most day trips, it takes people to a remote location where they see plenty of wildlife.”

For a half-hour before our departure, Pangaea offered kayak instructions at Valdez Harbor, showing us various paddling strokes and emergency procedures. We reviewed them once again on the two-hour ride onboard a water taxi to Heather Island. The ride out was filled with views of cascading waterfalls dropping from lofty mountain peaks, an orca finning and ample sea otter, bald eagle and puffin sightings.

After kayaking for about two hours, we stopped for lunch and stretched our legs on a boulder-strewn glacial moraine. Pangaea provided drinks and snacks on the ride out, but we were advised to bring our own food and beverages for consumption during the day. I purchased my lunch from a local deli in town before departing.

Once the tour through the ice field is complete, clients will enjoy the two-hour leisurely paddle back to the boat, via a different route, to view an abundance of wildlife.

Groups larger than six can use Stan Stephens Cruises as a drop-off point for the water taxi portion and the cruise. I highly recommend clients take two days for this adventure, first going on a tour with Stan Stephens, taking in the whales and other sights of the sound, including commercial fishing boats hauling in their catch. The rate is $229 for adults.

Ketchikan
Howard McKim is a man who loves his work. As owner of the Ketchikan Kayak Company, he guides kayak anglers in the summer and works as a teacher for the local school system in the fall, winter and spring.

Clients can’t go wrong selecting his eco-tours around Ketchikan, which are ideal for visitors short on time or for those who don’t have the physical stamina for a major expedition. His several-hour tour follows the Ketchikan coastline and outlying areas and is remote enough to be relaxing and fun.

When I booked a day paddling adventure with McKim, I found the boat, paddle and safety gear to be among the best equipment on the market — and his expert instruction was second to none.

McKim took me and several kayakers on a combined trip that included wildlife viewing, paddling into open bays and bottomfishing during which everyone caught fish.

Day charters start at $79 and make for an ideal cruise ship day tour for cruise ship passengers. Ketchikan Kayak Company offers pickup and delivery to the dock on a precise schedule to meet cruise arrival and departure times. And McKim has ample experience dealing with both youngsters and mature cruisers.

If your clients are looking for easy paddling to view whales and bears and enjoy camping and good fishing opportunities, McKim’s six-day Foggy Bay excursion for $1,300 per person also can’t be beat.

Seward
Ron Clauson, owner and guide for Alaska Sea Kayaking Adventures, offers a variety of excellent kayaking trips out of Seward, and his company offers a variety of excursions not listed on its Web site.

“What we do differently from a lot of other kayaking companies in Alaska is that our trips depart from Anchorage, instead of leaving guests on their own to figure out how to get to the departure location,” Clauson said. “We also provide all guests with dry suits to help protect them from hypothermia in Alaska’s cold water.”

One of his most popular trips is a seven-day kayaking adventure into the glaciers and remote bays of Kenai Fjords National Park. It is a full-blown excursion for those who want to fully immerse themselves in an Alaska kayaking adventure with all the ecological trimmings. Rates begin at $1,695, and fam trips are available to travel agents.

For me, sea kayaking through icefields is one of the most exhilarating activities you can enjoy on your Alaska vacation. Tell your clients that, even with ice all around, it is one hot activity that will not disappoint.