Whales and Lunch! Ketchikan's Premier Marine Mammal Viewing Tour
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Ketchikan, USA
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
·
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
What's Included
- LunchYou will have a choice from the following: A smoked salmon wrap, grilled chicken wrap, hummus based wrap, peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese sandwich. Meals come with a drink, chips, and cookieie
- WiFi on board
- Restroom on board
- Private transportation
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Whales and Lunch509 Water St, Ketchikan, AK 99901, USA
We're at City Float between berths 3-4, alongside the boardwalk between Arctic Bar & Julies. Look for our aluminum 'Island Cat' with logo & website—we're usually on the top deck. At low tide, check the harbor from the boardwalk. We'll call ~15 min before your tour with directions!
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Ketchikan (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 21 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Superior knowledge of the area you have to live to share! Great young couple own boat & business, years of life experience shared in small intimate setting. Up top, inside warmth or bow & aft, views from every area.
Exploring the inner waters with a waterman family gives the uniqueness we loved. Every mt top, body of water, bird, island & inlet named & personal information only a local can provide.
Seals, sea lions to mallards, cormarants & many beautiful bald eagles soaring & diving, quite the day, peaceful, uncrowded and serene.
If you’ve never had a salmon wrap, the treat awaits, snacks, drinks & cookie fill out the menu.
A true Must Do!
Reviews
5.0
based on 85 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Absolutely the best whale watching outfit in Alaska. We saw a pod of Orcas. The boat is extremely comfortable and fast. Why fast matters, the whales were spotted on the south side and we were far north.
We had the captain /owner Jonah take us out and saw both humpback whales and some harbor seals. I learned what whale breath smells like. The lunch was a sandwich and chips which was OK, but honestly you’re not there for the food. The trip was safe and educational. Highly recommended.
Family owned! What an amazing day…Deer swimming, seals, sea lions, bald eagles and Orcas. We spent an hour watching 4 orcas in the water.
We had an absolutely amazing experience with Whales and Lunch! Captain Judah and Cassidy were fantastic and truly went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of and had the best day possible.
We saw SO many whales, and we were honestly amazed at how far out they took us. We were the only boat that was able to get that far out, which made the experience even more incredible. Having the opportunity to get that far out was certainly special.
The cherry on top was the awesome drone videos they shared with us afterward of the whales we saw. It was such a cool bonus and something we’ll be able to look back on and enjoy for years to come.
A huge shout-out to Chevy for the helpful information and directions on social media and TikTok. We were coming from Ward’s Cove, and the tips made getting there much easier.
We highly recommend Whales and Lunch! Captain Judah, Cassidy, and Chevy made this one of our favorite days of the trip. If you’re considering a whale-watching tour, do it—you won’t regret it!
Amazing experience.
Clean boat
Excellent tour guide and boat captain
Highly recommend to others visiting Alaska
Our family thoroughly enjoyed Captain Judah’s company. He was incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and went above and beyond to make our experience truly memorable. We want to express our sincere gratitude for the fantastic boat ride and tour, Judah!
What a great tour!! Judah and Cassidy were the best hosts of the trip. We really enjoyed the size of the boat and number of guests on board. It was refreshing to have a Captain that was vested in making sure we had time to take in the whale watching and point out interesting facts about the whales and various wildlife we would see. Judah is the Captain and owner and what a really nice opportunity to patronize a small business owner and a family man. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him again and would definitely take his tour again. Added bonus was lunch locally sourced from another small business in town.
Great Captain and crew, very knowledgeable and able to find multiple wildlife for our family to see. The addition of the drone footage to add to our photos was amazing and let our family enjoy the moment without worrying about capturing every picture. I would 100% recommend this to anyone looking for a good outing to see wildlife and learn about the area.
Awesome experience! Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Ketchikan. We saw seals, sea lions, eagles, salmon and at least 15 whales. One whale gave us quite the show with multiple breaches. Kids loved it and the lunch provided was great!
Great captain and crew. He knew the waters and we found some whales and a great overall experience. It was a rainy day, but still very enjoyable and safety first with the captain.
Bang on time and great knowledge from the trip leader. He showed us some great drone footage too. Saw a whale and lots of sea lions. Lovely food, coffee and snacks included as well!
i hear sometimes see a lot other times a little. we followed one feeding for a couple of miles. he made his ring of bubbles and came up many times in front of us. he also breached once. our trip was well worth it. you should give it a try. i think these folks know as much as any tour about finding the whales.
Great staff/guides, plenty of space to move and get pics, and a yummy lunch! Amazing views and a fun ride... not too many whales but it's always luck of the draw!
Courtesy owner and staff, decent sandwiches and we found whales for a good portion of the time we were out.
Knowledgeable local ship captain/tour leader. Very considerate and works hard to give customers a great experience.
Excellent communication re meet up time and place. Captain Judah was very knowledgeable and knew where to locate whales and seals.
He also gave us an entertaining running commentary on his life and the habits of whales. Would highly recommend
I cannot recommend Judah and his whale watching excursion enough. We had an incredible time. We saw whales within the first 20 mins and continued to see them the entire time. Judah was extremely knowledgeable about the area and the animals that inhabited it. The top deck of the boat had unobstructed views and plenty of space to stand or sit. The main floor of the boat had comfy inside seating to keep you away from the wind and weather as well as places to stand outside on the front or back of the boat. Our family of 8 had a fantastic time.
I really loved this tour! They put an emphasis on raising up and supporting other local businesses! The lunch was by a cafe in town and it was so good! The captain went out of his way to make sure our group saw whales!! The boat itself was really comfortable and there wasn’t a seat with a bad view!
Easily 6 stars. We had a great time. Sailing out of Ketchikan around 10am and it was only a few minutes before we were watching whales. We had one 40-fooy fella put on a show for us and Johah knew just where to find him. We didn't get to meet Chevy but met Jonah's mom who was serving as 1st Mate and Chief Galley Cook - fun, fun people. Saw more eagles and seals than you can count. It didn't hurt that Ketchikan had some of the best summer weather imaginable (according to locals.) The Island Cat is solid as a rock and looks brand new - Jonah is a good captain. Moving about the ship was very easy, the ship spacious, and the views from the bow, stern, and upper deck were perfect. The drone Jonah flew from the ship was just the cherry on top. I highly recommend this excursion, its people, the ship, and the total experience. Well done, Captain Jonah and crew (i.e., Mom). And lunch was excellent - thanks Chief Galley Cook.
We were very fortunate to have a bubble feed encounter with a humpback whale. Captain got us in the right place at the right time😏. The boat itself is stellar. Comfortable leather seats. Although a warm sunny day for us, other reviews point out a warm dry space for more typical days. We saw seals and various fowl, and of course the beautiful scenery itself needs to extras.
very knowledgable staff and plenty of whales, one even came up under the boat the Glacier and falls were magnificent
This was awesome. Only 21 people can fit so it is easy to get around the boat and find good viewing spots. Would highly recommend! Judah was an awesome captain and very informative. Chelsea was very helpful and informative, too. This is a must!!!! Whales were guaranteed and we saw whales! We also saw seals. Fabulous indoor and outdoor space!
Great, small group whale watching trip. Over 3 quality hours on the water! Judah was a great captain. Found cool whales with 5 minutes. He has great knowledge about the Ketchikan area , wildlife and sea life. Small, local, family run business. Definitely recommend this tour!
Great tour that gets you closer, faster to whale and other marine life activity for viewing. The 21 passenger maximum is a great limited size (Our tour had 12 people plus the captain and first mate). The boat has a front deck, back deck and second level deck for great options to see the wildlife. Also, the heated cabin has captains chairs for everyone with ample supplied binoculars. The Captain found the whales (and other marine life) and kept us at a respectful distance while giving us great viewing opportunities.
All in all a tour can't get much better!
We loved this tour! Judah and his crew were great, lunch was delicious, we learned a lot and it was beautiful. Thanks for a fantastic experience!
Very nice boat. Judah the captain worked hard to show us whales, and we got great views of humpbacks and orca.
Beautiful clean new boat, captain and mate (his mom) were fantastic, very knowledgeable, personable, and found whales and seals. Lunch was excellent, I would highly recommend this tour.
This whale watching tour was the highlight of our day in Ketchikan. Judah and his staff (his mom was his deck hand today) are locals and are very knowledgable about whales and where to find them. The boat is comfortable, whether you choose to sit inside or outside on the deck. Today we spotted 2 humpbacks and a pod of orcas. If you are planning on doing whale watching in Ketchikan, be sure to consider this tour.
Judah was AMAZING!! We say whales, seals and the for the lunch we picked salmon wraps which were delicious.
His boat was clean, smooth and quiet. He was knowledgeable and very friendly and a professional! His sidekick AKA known as “mom ❤️” was very helpful, taking pictures for us and sharing tit-bits of information as well as making delicious hot chocolate and coffee. The cookies for dessert were delicious as well.
The trip was definitely worth taking!
Captain owner of boat is an army veteran. He cares about his customers and I have to mention his mother in law was so sweet. You can tell both love taking people out on these trips He went above a beyond to make sure we saw humpback whales. We had a blast. Highly recommend this for people who don't get sea sick
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you Scott, the weather that day was definitely not optimal! Thank you for the review and hope if you ever come back the weather is nicer!
Member Pricing
From
$246.05
per personWas $259.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Member Pricing
Whales and Lunch! Ketchikan's Premier Marine Mammal Viewing Tour
85
3 hours 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$259.00
$246.05
5% savings
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- Whale Watching
- Shore Excursions
- Nature and Wildlife Tours
- Fishing Charters
- Cruises & Sailing
- Outdoor Activities
- Ketchikan
- Shore Excursions - Sitka
- Nature and Wildlife Tours - Sitka
- Whale Watching - Juneau
- Shore Excursions - Juneau
- Nature and Wildlife Tours - Juneau
- Fishing Charters - Juneau
- Whale Watching - Hoonah
- Shore Excursions - Hoonah
- Nature and Wildlife Tours - Hoonah
- Fishing Charters - Hoonah
Attractions in Ketchikan, USA
- Saxman Native Village Tours & Tickets
- Tongass Historical Museum Tours & Tickets
- Southeast Alaska Discovery Center Tours & Tickets
- Creek Street Tours & Tickets
- Misty Fjords National Monument Tours & Tickets
- Ward Cove Tours & Tickets
- Tongass National Forest Tours & Tickets
- Inside Passage Tours & Tickets
- Guard Island Lighthouse Tours & Tickets
- Totem Heritage Center Tours & Tickets
- Dolly's House Museum Tours & Tickets
- Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary Tours & Tickets
- Totem Bight State Historical Park Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Ketchikan, USA