While I have a personal goal of snorkeling and kayaking as many waters of this world I possibly can, I definitely never imagined Alaska as a snorkeling option.
Boy, was I wrong! This excursion was one of the highlights of my trip to Alaska last June (well… except for the whole “getting into and out of the wetsuit” part… that was decidedly a low point but still well worth the challenge to get to have this opportunity). I read a ton of reviews on Snorkel Alaska (because I HATE being cold!) and I was taking teens to do it and they’re sometimes a tough crowd. I finally decided it was definitely something we wanted to do.
Snorkel Alaska is located in Ketchikan. My husband was already doing a fishing expedition there, my son had partnered up with my parents to see the totem poles, and my in-laws were not up to snorkeling, so it was me, my 3 teen daughters, and my teen nephew. It’s probably the most nervous I’ve been for an excursion, only because of the points mentioned above and my fears of ending up beside an orca. 😂
The company was fantastic, and we were driven to their shop where we were fitted for our wetsuits and put them on. (Low point. 😂) Who knew that the thicker, warmer wetsuits also require you to actually pour your body into them and the hood makes you feel like you’re choking to death while on land??? Haha!
We had a quick drive (other than the fact that my oxygen was very limited 😂) to the water, and we were given our instructions. Once I was in that water, I forgot every second of struggle with the wetsuit or the hood. There is something so special about being physically in water that you know is an uncommon experience for people. How many people can say they swam or snorkeled in Alaska? We ventured out and around, staying in the water a couple of hours.
It was a mesmerizing experience. All of my people felt the same about it. They gathered us around in a couple of instances and brought up starfish and sea urchins for us to see and hold. In addition to being afraid of being cold (and I never got cold AT ALL— my cheeks just under the mask got tingly at times, but it was such a comfortable experience), I was worried that the different look of the underwater world compared to the bright and clear Caribbean they are used to would be a downer for my kids. On the contrary, it was so interesting to see a varied environment. The starfish in Alaska are PURPLE! We didn’t see a ton of fish (and no orcas, praise the Lord), but lots of other organisms.
There are a few highlights for me in my life of travel that I know I’ll never forget the feeling of, and being in that water in Alaska is one of them. I HIGHLY recommend this excursion to any water people.
Athena Davis loves to make memories with her people in special places. She believes in shared time and experiences over things, and she wants to help you make beautiful memories of your own on this gorgeous planet that God created! She is a mom to five, a wife, a writer and a reader, a high school English teacher, and somehow a homebody who loves to wander. Her personal travel passions are national parks/outdoor travel, mission work, and educational/theme trips such as Holocaust education, literary tours, and historical sites. She would love to help you plan the trip of your dreams or just a quick jaunt to make some memories between the day-to-day of life! Athena would love to help you plan the trip of your dreams or just a quick jaunt to make some memories between the day-to-day of life! Contact her by email or call 423-284-3755!
