They cancelled our reservation of 8 but refunded only 4. They claim they refunded all 8 but we never got the credit for the 2nd 4. Do not use a debit card with them as you cannot get the bank to reverse/refund it. Also, they are quite rude in communications. We attempted to contact them multiple times and never got a response for weeks. Then they come back and say we are "harassing" them. read more

We had a fantastic time with Emily, our tour guide on the Wilderness zodiac Quest. We booked the first trip of the morning and our group was very small, which made for a great time. The van picks you up and drops you off at the cruise docks, so no worries about transportation. They were very conscientious about getting us back to the boat on time. The cannery was a cool and unique venue, which included snacks and drinks after the zodiac ride. They have all the equipment needed to stay warm and dry. Emily was extremely knowledgeable and personable, which made for a great experience. We saw eagles, seals, deer, and of course, stunning scenery. 10/10 would recommend this, it was one of the highlights of our Alaska trip. read more

See all

Our zodiac boat trip with Tab and his team was one of the highlights of our Alaskan cruise. Don't miss this opportunity to try something fun and unique. After a short training session, you actually drive the boat and follow the guide(s) across the bay for an amazingly personal tour to witness some of the most beautiful scenery and wildlife in North America. I felt warm and dry in the provided gear and completely safe on the boat following their lead. Believe me, this is fun, it's unique and it will be an unforgettable experience. Enjoy! read more

Ketchikan Outdoors - Our lucky shot. - Boating Near Me - Ketchikan, Alaska

Our original tour was cancelled by the cruise ship. Instead of going on a crab trap adventure, we found Ketchikan Outdoors via Yelp and booked inside of 48 hours before docking. The trip was confirmed via email within 24 hours. As promised, we were met at the gangway of our ship for a short walk over to the docks. The owner, Sarah, was very friendly and informative. This is predominantly a family operation and it was great to see the kids pitching in and working as well. My wife and I had one zodiac to ourselves. The guide, Jordan, was very informative and made sure that we covered a lot of ground. We tried finding some Orcas but were not successful. We did see bald eagles, king salmon and about 30 harbor seals. The scenery was beautiful and running your own zodiac through the chilly Alaskan waters was a blast. This was not a pedestrian tour by any means. This was a fun and active tour that was exciting as we got to discover the final frontier. read more

Had a great time boating with Rihana. Fun to see the area from the water. She was attentive to the conditions, and shared good info.

If you're looking for a nature tour then this is as good as any. If you're expecting to tool around on their little boats, understand this...They don't want you doing anything except follow the boat ahead of you like a horse trail ride. If you have people in your group that don't like the speed then you'll be going at their slow speed. I really don't think it's much better than just going on a tour boat. Personally, I like adventure. I didn't find this very exciting. read more

A family owned business- Tab and his son Will outdid themselves making us feel welcome and giving us a wonderful insiders view of Alaska. This was by far the best thing about our Alaska cruise. The zodiacs were a blast to drive! Tab took us to see eagles, salmon streams, native villages, and creek street. Book this adventure - you will remember it forever! read more

Ketchikan Outdoors hosted our backcountry zodiac excursion from our Princess Cruise. It was my favorite excursion of the week. We arrived early on a rainy and gray day. Our handler met us at the end of the pier as usual, then escorted us to the minibus that drove us the 10-15 minutes tot he Ketchikan Outdoors base. While we rode we signed the waiver and watched the video to prepare us. That way, as soon as we arrived we got our gear and got dressed so that we could get out on the water. The gear was everything that we needed - rain boots, wool socks, rain bib, rain coat, wool hat, wool liners, waterproof gloves, rain jacket, and PFD. You needed your own layers to be warm, and the rain bib wasn't 100% waterproof (as we later found out), but I appreciated the socks and gloves even for the kids. While gearing up, our guide talked to us about the boats, and then led us down to them. My husband drove, my kids sat on the seats, and I sat on the edge. We were the last of the 3 boats following the guide boat. The weather wasn't great, but the experience was what I expected of Alaska. We went just outside the harbor, making sure everyone could safely operate the boat, and circled up for our guide to point out the 3 bald eagles in the tree and the 1 on the light post. Then it was across the channel to stick to the coast of the archipelago in search of wildlife. We stopped a few times at the known eagles' nests and the harbor seal colony, We also saw a few deer on the islands we passed. Sadly no bears, nor whales, but still a good experience. When we returned, we took off all the gear and were treated to hot chocolate, hot cider, and hot coffee. I liked that though we were in a gift shop, there wasn't on overt solicitation of souvenir purchasing as we experienced elsewhere. The shuttle took us back into town, and when others asked what they needed to see, the shuttle driver dropped us at Creek Street, saving us a 15 minute walk. All in all, a wonderful experience! 2019 Reviews #20 read more

Did the romantic island tour. Was very cool and worth every penny. They dropped us off at a little island. They left crackers, coffee/hot drinks for us. They had a worker come right before us and start a fire to keep us warm. We got to spend a few hours walking along the beach looking for shells, hiking in the rainforest, and looking in pools that had a ton of crabs, fish and starfish in them. We loved every minute of it and the quiet alone time we got. Watching bald eagles fly around you and just enjoying nature was hard to leave when our time was up. Our guide Tad was awesome. After he got us from the island we assumed it was all over but he spent at least a extra 1/2 hour just showing us around the city via boat and gave us a great tour. We learned a ton and got some killer photos. We even got to see the Salmon spawning. This company was great from start to the end and if I ever come back will only book from them. We had a great experience. read more

ZODIAC TOUR WAS AWESOME!!! We booked direct and saved $50 per person. They met us at the dock with all the other excursions. They were very professional and enthusiastic. We had a small group, our guide and one other couple. This was probably due to booking direct. Since everyone showed up early we had extra time on the water. We saw many whales and one up very close! many Bald Eagles. Our guide was fantastic! She had some frozen fish (so they float) which she tossed in the water right in front of us so the eagles would swoop down to get it. This was a great way to see them up close and a great photo op! We also liked driving the boat as much as seeing the wildlife. Highly recommend this tour. read more

I made a reservation for husband and me before taking off on our cruise. Turns out, I booked it for the wrong day. I panicked when we got on to shore, but Sarah was incredibly sweet and said they were able to accomodate the two off us and two more in our party. NICE! If you have trouble looking for this place when you're on shore, it's between berths 3 and 4. These guys have everything to get you prepped. Just make sure you wear a lot of layers. I wore a long sleeve shirt, with a outdoors fleece, and a North Face jacket. They give you a binoculars, bib, jacket, wool hat that also covers your face (dry cleaned), wool socks (also dry cleaned), life jacket, boots to your specific size, and glasses to protect your eyes from water (didn't really need this). Basically, everything is provided for you to make sure the wind doesn't get to you. Our excursion was 2.5 hours on a zodiac boat. You drive it yourself but can basically do anything you want as long as you follow the general direction of the guide. You also cannot pass the guide either. The zodiac boats go fast and they're so easy to drive. I think the fastest we got was about 42. That's pretty fast in the water. Our guide basically just showed us where to go. He stopped a few times to show us a bald eagle pair and nest, a popular local bar, salmon hatchery, a place to go for halibut fishing, and a Native American reservation. Other than that, the 2.5 hours were dedicated to enjoying God's creation and the beauty of Ketchican. We didn't see too much wildlife. We saw the bald eagles, a sea lion, and a couple of whales from a distance. Most of the excursion was just scenery. Our visit was in early June, but really July through August is when you want to go for the best wildlife.... especially whales. Towards the end of our time, we spotted a couple of whales a distance away from our boats so we drove closer to their location. However, it's illegal to chase after them and we had to be at leats 100 yards away from them, so we couldn't get too close. Our guide Luke was so nice and asked us if it was alright if we got back to the pier a little later to see the whales longer. When we got back, the staff gave us a choice of beer, coffee, hot chocolate, or cider. We also got a printed picture us in our zodiac boat that came with our tour. Very nice! Altogether, this is the best tour to go on to enjoy the scenery and see bits of wildlife from a different perspective. It might not be the best if you're looking for lots of detailed information. Either way, I think this was a very enjoyable excursion. read more

My family (10 adults) had an AMAZING time on this tour (Back Country Zodiac Expedition). This was one of the most adventurous tours we have done on a vacation. It wasn't clear when we booked our tour (with the cruise company) that we would be the ones actually driving the zodiac(s) which wasn't a problem as they were easy and super fun to drive. From the moment we got onto the shuttle bus, the staff was amazing. From putting on all of our gear - trust me, wear everything - to taking AND PRINTING a complimentary picture for us, the staff was top notch. Our guide, Devon, was super knowledgeable and always checked on us to make sure that we were all ok while we followed him from spot to spot. It was great to learn about bald eagles and to see one spot the fish he was holding, swoop down and pick it out of the water once he had thrown it, and take it back to land to consume. We also learned about bull kelp, native inhabitants, and saw some harbor seals. For anyone contemplating booking this tour, stop thinking about it and book it. read more

My daughter and I signed up for an excursion from our cruise to go out on a boat and see the waters around Ketchican. Jeff, our tour guide, was waiting at the dock and walked us over to the Ketchican Outdoors storefront so we could get prepped for the trip. The people working there were incredibly friendly. They got us outfitted into warm, waterproof clothing that they provide for the day. We walked to our boats, had a tutorial on operations and safety and headed out. There was just the two of us in our boat. Jeff took us to a bunch of different places where we saw a whale about 30 yards away, lots of bald eagles, as well as seals. He also told us about area, waters, sights and ecology of Ketchican and was very knowledgable about all. My daughter, 14, had an incredible time, as did I, and I would definitely recommend taking their tour in you're in Ketchican. read more

Did the back country zodiac tour with our family of four. Friendly staff who give your rain gear to wear and you need it. They are very patient with you and show you how to run the boat, which is not hard to do at all. I drove the boat, my wife wanted to before we went, then said not thanks. We saw eagle swoop done to get a fish the guide tossed in the water which was cool. Saw salmon jumping from the water and many cool sites, like floatplanes taking off and landing all over the area. They take your photo before you leave and have print ready when you get back, plus will email the original to you. Offer you salmon spread, beer,wine, or soda. Again, very cool staff and worth every penny for that trip. read more

They were wonderful! We took our kids - ages 10, 8 and 5 and they made sure to tally engage them with finding starfish and looking for "adventures". It was a wonderful experience. Would definitely, definitely recommend! read more

We had a wonderful time on our excursion with Ketchikan Outdoors. We did the boating and had a blast. Our guide was fantastic. We had a blast. read more

Overpriced and underwhelming. Over a hundred dollara per person and delivers nothing that isn't available for free or extremely cheap. The business owner should ask himself, "who is this tour created for?" Not informative enough for the enthusiast, no scenery shown that would be unavailable to a local on land or a tourist from the boat, not fun enough for even the most boring thrill seeker. Owner is a curmodgeon, hermit type and will ruin your experience if he decides to grace your "tour" with his presence. If you want to enjoy the scenery, walk around the town or have a drink from the top level of your boat, if you want to learn about the area then go find a tour that specializes in it, stay far away if you are trying to have anything resembling fun. Save your money, we basically paid $1000 to sit in traffic for 2 hours. read more

Devon was our guide and it was an amazing trip, drive the zodiac around islands an thru all kids of fun stuff. We saw Bald eagles and even got to see one up close snatch up a fish that Devon threw in water!!! Super great read more

Wow! This was such an amazing excursion. We did the Drive your own Zodiac Tour. Jamie was our tour guide and she was extremely informative, energetic and helpful. She led the way in her own Zodiac and we followed; she helped us spot eagles, seals, whales & porpoises. In between the driving around she would stop and share an interesting story or landmark. We were extremely fortunate to be in Ketchikan on a rare beautiful warm and sunny day so we hardly needed the warm rain gear they outfitted us in. My favorite moment was when we stopped the Zodiac and bobbed on the water while a whale was close to us feeding. Every once in a while we could hear him spouting and it was just amazing to be that close to the spout. I also loved when Jamie threw a fish in the water and an eagle swooped down to get it - actually the first eagle missed it and a second came and stole it. Fun! When the tour ended, we were treated to a homemade smoked salmon dip and crackers and hot chocolate, cider or beer to drink. So hospitable and friendly. They directed us to Annabelle's for lunch and we were off to stuff ourselves with some salmon chowder and a halibut sandwich. Thanks Ketchikan Outdoors - you definitely get 5 stars for outstanding customer service in every aspect of our business dealings with you - from my emailing questions before the tour all the way to the end of the tour. Thanks! read more

My husband and I did a small boat tour around Ketchikan late June 2014 through this outfit. As it turned out, we were the only ones on the tour, yet it wasn't cancelled! Tab, our guide, was so incredibly knowledgeable about the area and a real joy to be with. We learned about eagles, orcas, the "Bridge to Nowhere," Annette Island, and a ton more. Would highly recommend. read more

A perfect way to experience the waters of Ketchikan. Our guide Ryan was not only super nice but extremely knowledgeable. We saw a half a dozen bald eagles as well as a 60' hump back whale. I highly recommend this adventure. read more

Booked an early trip for our family for this excursion. Our ship was delayed and we were going to miss our scheduled time. They scheduled us on a later outing and also offered us a refund if we could not make it. We were fortunate enough to go on our trip at the later time and had a great time. We saw lots of amazing wild life and it was definitely a highlight of our trip. Thank you for accommodating us and getting us back to our ship in time:) read more

My wife and I enjoyed our Zodiac Adventure. Everything was top-notch and professional. Although we were on a cruise, we booked directly. We were met at the ship on a timely basis, and driven by shuttle to their dock. We were given warm socks, full warm attire, rain gear, and life preservers, a briefing, and a review of our trip. The zodiac boats were not that difficult to operate and could go up to ~25 mph, although going too fast meant missing some of the fantastic nature nearby: eagles, sea lions, seagulls, and the like. We did not see any bear, but that was fine. We had a fantastic guide, who told stories and gave other background info about the area. After the tour, while we changed out of our travel gear, we were treated to a salmon spread and given -- yes, given, without some upsell -- pictures of us on our excursion. We were supposed to be returned to the cruise ship, but the shuttle driver on our request dropped us off in town. We had a great time. read more

We had a fabulous adventure on our zodiac tour! Our guide, Luke, was so helpful. We had a great break on a beach with a roaring fire and lots of goodies to eat. Our best adventure in Alaska! read more

Great time! Calvin gave our tour a great experience and expedition into the waters and wildlife. Great views!

We had an amazing time on our zodiac boat adventure. Ketchikan Outdoors gave us everything that we needed to stay dry and have fun. We raced through the water enjoying the rush of speed, salt, and the beauty of Alaska. Our guide, Eric, pointed out totem poles, bald eagles and sea lions. Everyone we encountered was so friendly and the tour included so many more personal touches than a lot of tours that we have done--you stop for hot coffee/cider and s'mores at a campsite on the coast, the picture they take is complimentary and waiting for when you get back to shore (as opposed to be $20 or more), and you enjoy a free beverage (alcoholic or non) when you return to the shop. This was truly the best trip that we have taken on the many cruises that we have taken. read more

Our guide, Mary (?) was AWESOME!! We has the most fun in the zodiacs!! She is very nice and knowledgable. She even tossed a fish into the water and a huge bald eagle swooped down and grabbed it. Incredible. We saw salmon, seals etc. The area is so beautiful and she knew so much about it.... Very fun tour- worth every penny. Thank you!!! read more

We booked a Zodiac tour through Holland America and had a terrific time. We saw seals, bald eagles and learned quite a bit about the history and traditions of Ketchikan. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who loves adventure! read more

This was great for all ages. We are a large group of grandparents, grown children and teenage granddaughters We all loved this tour. We saw Eagles feeding up close, whales, seals and loved the safe, fast zodiac ride read more

Zodiac tour was great!!! Best shore excursion of our Alaskan cruise. You get to drive the boat and they fit you with gloves, hat, boots, googles, and rain pants and jackets. We saw a whale, seals, sea lions and lots of bald eagles. They throw a fish out and a bald eagle will swoop right in front of you and grab it. read more

Don't worry about a thing. This tour has you covered. They are on time, prepared, great teachers and friendly. Rain or shine this tour will happen. Our tour guide, Mary, went out of her way to enrich our lives on this tour. We saw bald eagles swooping down to feed on fish, seals resting on shore, and lots of kinds of jellyfish. She had us eating sea kelp, holding clear baby jellyfish and sea urchins. We had a group of 12 people, ages ranging from 7 to 56 and everyone had a blast. read more

This was so fun. Ash was our tour guide and he was knowledgeable, personable and went the extra mile to make sure our group had a good time. The boats were fun to drive and the scenery was spectacular. Amazing! The whole experience could not have been better. Loved it! read more

What an adventure! Wonderful being so close to nature. Our guide, David, was amazing - so knowledgeable and his love of nature was infectious. Watching a bald eagle catch a fish right next to us was a amazing. We also saw a whale breech 50 yards from our zodiac! Highly recommend this trip! read more