"Kayak with whales" tour offered. Is this really possible?

[World Gallery]

We would like to whale watch in a different way from our previous trip (small boat tour).  ABAK offerss "Kayak with Whales" but it is pricey ($419 per person).  I was hoping for feedback from others that may have done this or a similar tour.  This one is in Juneau but I see other kayak tours in Ketchikan (is it possible to see whales by kayak there?).  I understand I would not be getting super close but was wondering if this is legit or good marketing.  Any kayak tour feedback in Ketchiikan, Icy Strait or Juneau would be appreciated.  Thanks. 

[martincath]

I call total bullcrap on any 'kayaking with whales' - first, it's illegal even for a kayaker or swimmer to deliberately approach whales too closely (100 yards in Alaska) and harrassment of wildlife charges would almost certainly await you given these idiots are apparently advertising their efforts! Considering how low in the water you are, you'll see less than on a boat at the legal distance, so all in all it's just a truly stupid concept.

 

It's dangerous! Feeding baleen whales, even if not doing group bubble-netting, are down below and surging upward - even if they aim to miss any poor schmuck in a kayak above them, the displaced water of a close call is going to cause problems for such a small craft. Check youtube videos of folks who have stumbled into whales, and then think about whether you could manage to control your kayak under those sort of circumstances...

 

I've personally experience being lifted out of the water on the back of a whale - that was in a boat almost 30ft long and we almost capsized! Assuming you were not knocked unconscious while it happened (again, youtube vids!) and you were skilled, no problem in worst case rolling yourself back upright - but even the most skilled person will drown if they are unconscious inside a flipped over kayak unless someone else intervenes quickly!

 

Best case - these guys are sane, just lying weasels with their marketing, and you stay at least the legal limit away from any whales. Worst case - they do take you in the middle of feeding whales and eventually somebody dies!

 

Go kayaking in Alaska? Sure - if you enjoy that sort of thing it'll be a spectacular day on the water with mountains, eagles and the like definitely experienced, but don't pay a premium for a thing which can't legally be done and is hella dangerous!

 

 

[n4w]

2 hours ago, World Gallery said:

(is it possible to see whales by kayak there?)

 

I think the website does a decent job of describing the tour, including the important notes at the bottom.  Is it possible to see whales by kayak? Sure, just like it's possible to see them from land.

The video on the page can give you an idea as to what you might expect.

 

On a tour "Suitable for all experience levels" and 8 year-olds, you're likely not getting too far from shore, but you'll be in the same waters.

Edited June 21, 2023 by n4w

[donaldsc]

Check out this video of 2 kayakers who were SWALLOWED by a whaale - https://videos.marca.com/v/0_6msnveqp-whale-swallows-two-kayakersthen-spits-them-back-out?uetv_pl=0&count=0

 

DON

[Suzanne123]

We did a kayak tour in Auke Bay with Above and Beyond Alaska about 15 years ago,  There was another couple and the guide with us.  We paddled around 9 miles, we were told.  It was exhausting, but we did see whales. If we saw a spout, we backed away as quickly as we could, so we didn’t actually kayak with the whales, but we did see a few.

I guess our tour was most similar to their Guided Kayak tour except that ours was all day.

My DD has gone on the Glacier Hike tour with them a couple times.  She enjoyed that very much.

It’s interesting that when we first went with ABAK, they were just a couple kids in t-shirts, shorts, and bare feet in a hut right on Auke Bay where the whale watching tours began. We walked up and asked if they did tours, and one of the guys said,”Let’s go!” So we did.

 

 

[Alaska-vegan]

We saw a pod of orcas on a recent excursion in Ketchikan. It was a kayaking trip out to Orca Cove, but we didn't see the whales while kayaking, rather on the fast boat back to the port area afterwards and they came very close to our boat. The company did say they've been lucking out with tours seeing them more frequently the past few weeks (from kayaks and/or the fast boat), but it isn't something they advertised or promoted (or certainly didn't guarantee). We saw the same pod of orcas later as our ship was seeing Ketchikan, so keep your eyes peeled if you are in the area.

 

We felt super lucky to see them, but I'd guess your best bet would be a whale watching tour out of Juneau.