Alaska Whale Watching with bonus Drone viewing of Whales
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
Whale watching in the wild and pristine waters of Icy Strait, where Humpback whales are abundant and sighted on every trip, with small business owner Captain Josh! Otter and Steller Sea Lions are also very common, with Orcas, Brown Bears, and other wildlife frequently sighted!
Owned and operated by our own Captain Josh, he will be your personal guide as he navigates the wilderness waters of Icy strait. What makes his tours special is the energy he has and the creative ways he finds to show you his beloved wildlife, so that you can really see and appreciate these creatures with him, and to make every tour amazing.
His 14 passenger vessel was designed specifically for whale watching on Alaska's waters, and will provide a safe and stable viewing platform for you. He also provides the one truly Drone-integrated whale watching tour in the world, providing you with views and videos of wildlife that are truly unique, and at the end of it, you get to take the footage from your tour home!
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What To Expect
You will travel out into Icy Strait with company owner Captain Josh in his small 14-passenger boat, and seek out wildlife, such as Humpback Whales, Orcas, Coastal Brown Bears, Sea lions, seals, and more! He has a 100% success rate with finding Humpback Whales on tours! His custom boat is also designed to give you excellent indoor and outdoor viewing of wildlife. During the course of our 3-hour tour, while you are enjoying views of marine life from the boat, we will ADD to your viewing experience by deploying a professional filmography drone from the boat, and film the wildlife from above. You can be watching a mother whale and her calf from the boat, and on our way in watch what they and all the other wildlife was doing from above! We understand how incredible the connection with the wildlife is, and that's why we try to give you an additional viewing perspective, but one that doesn't detract from what's happening. It adds to the tour, without losing anything! Seeing the whole whale swimming through its environment, watching calves playing with their mothers, or orcas swimming in their pods, is only made better with the extra drone's perspective!
Options
Alaska Whale Watching with bonus Drone viewing of Whales
Pickup included
What‘s Included
Bottled water
USB drive with Drone Shots of Whales! (one per group)
Snacks
Gratuities
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
437 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great trip! 5 stars!
Burkomatic,Jun 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Well run & getting drone footage was icing on the cake. We saw a raft of over 100 otters, sea lions & multiple humpbacks!
Awesome whale watching trip
Suzanne F,Jun 21, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Fantastic whale watching trip. Saw lots of whales, sea lions, seals, and sea otters. The drone footage was a huge plus.
Don’t Miss This
Danielle I,Jun 19, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great experience!! Saw so many humpback whales, even them bubble net feeding. Cpt Josh was super nice and informative. Much smaller group too so we didn’t need to fight crowds to get good views, the whales came right up to the boat. Highly recommend.
Amazing experience!
712tracieb,Jun 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00AMAZING!! Captain Josh was very knowledgeable, kind and knows where to find all different wildlife. We saw harbor seals, puffins, porpoises, and a group of 15 humpback whales. We were even lucky enough to see them bubble feed twice. The drone only added to the experience and will be something our family will always enjoy. Highly recommend this experience!
Well worth every penny
Christine P,Jun 18, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00An excellent experience. Captain Josh knew exactly where to take us for the best views and we were lucky enough to see a pod of 9 whales, singing, breaching and feeding. The drone footage from the trip was the icing on the cake.
Sensational whale watching
Lenny W,Jun 15, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Captain Josh is exceptional. Whale watching beyond what we could have imagined. Truly once in a lifetime experience!
Must do excursion!!
JACQUELYN R,Jun 15, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00This excursion was everything I could have hoped for. Capt Josh & his deckhand Andrew were great. Very knowledgeable, informative, kind, & fun. We saw humpback whales, otters, sealions, & puffins!! I would definitely recommend this excursion to others as well as do it again. The added feature of getting the drone footage from our tour was so cool! I also have to give a huge Thank you to Capt Josh. The night before our excursion we learned that our ship would not only be tendering into port but was expecting to be a little late. I emailed Josh and he was very accommodating and held the group for us. It turned out we were right on time anyway but I truly appreciated his kindness. Not many tour companies would do that.
Simply Amazing!
Global01591771674,Jun 14, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was an experience we will never forget. Captain Josh was amazing. He shared some awesome information about the area as well as the whales and other wildlife that lives here. We were able to see humpbacks bubble net feeding as well as 2 orcas on our trip. The bonus drone footage just added to the spectacular trip.
This is the the best whale watching experience!
bevb96,Jun 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00TAKE THIS TOUR! We had such an amazing whale watching tour with Capt Josh and Andrew! They are both very friendly and knowledgeable and very focused on giving you a wonderful experience! We followed a pod of approximately 15 whales for nearly an hour- at one point they surfaced practically next to the boat. They were bubble net feeding, tale flapping and swimming/ diving - one of the whales even vocalized! So cool! We also saw sea lions, seals, sea otters and puffins. The drone footage was incredible and we were given a Zip drive to take home. If you are in Hoonah, this is the trip you want to take!!
Don’t skip this tour!!!!
Erin T,Jun 13, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00This was absolutely incredible! Captain Josh is wonderful! He took us to see all kinds of wildlife but the star we’re seeing humpbacks bubble net feed!! This needs to be on your must dos in Hoonah!
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Operated by Alaska Whales & Drones Tours