Northern Latitude Adventures exceeded my expectations. We took THREE whale watching trips while in Seward, two with NLA and the first with another local guy. Day 1 with NLA was all day to a glacier with Captain Leif. Day 2 was specifically for whale watching with Captain Nick. Here's a breakdown of the categories to consider when booking a trip like this, along with all the things Northern Latitude got right:
The Boat: Roomy, heated cabin, plenty of space for viewing, bathroom, and all the safety bells and whistles one could hope for. It was clean and very obviously well cared for. I felt safe, comfy, and warm the whole trip.
The Crew: Captain Leif and Captain Nick are both unobtrusively informative and exceptionally funny. With a quiet group who doesn't want to chat? You'll be happy to know Nick and Leif let you settle in (this was us on our first morning pre-coffee). Enjoy to chat and ask about Seward/Wildlife/Glaciers/Geology/any other random topics? Great! We did all that too. It was really one size fits all comfortably as far as company goes. Couldn't have asked for better Captains.
The Perks: Fresh, hot coffee...with creamer. Not the powder kind, but delicious half and half OR Coffee Mate (vanilla) flavored variety. Need I say more? Okay, fine: there are also snacks and other drinks (granola bars, rice crispy treats, cookies, soda, water, tea, cocoa, etc) and lunch is served on the all day trip. Each passenger got a sandwich, a bag of chips, and a chocolate chip cookie from The Sea Bean (local place in town). So tasty! They asked ahead of time if we had any dietary restrictions, which they accommodate for. There are also binoculars for people to borrow in the event you don't have your own pair.
The Animals: We saw porpoises (Harbor and Dall's), multiple Humpbacks (including pec fin slaps, a breach, and feeding activities), a Finn Whale, Stellar Sea Lion, Sea Otters (one was eating a King Crab, which was crazy to see), Harbor Seals, a variety of birds (including Tufted and Horned Puffins), a black bear feeding, mountain goats, and finally: Orcas. We saw the northern resident A pod.*
The Price: Comparable to all small tours we found in the area. Worth. Every. Cent.
The Size: Totally matters. 6 or less people on these tours and this leaves ample room. Not only was I able to get some pretty great pictures and videos, but I didn't feel I had to take turns watching at the front.
*Realistic expectations are very important on these trips. Orcas (and Finn Whales) aren't very common to see in the wild due to their natural behaviors/abilities. While the best time of year to spot the Orcas is mid May to mid June, they're travelers. They can go out to open sea and be gone for long stretches. The reason I wanted to leave such a detailed review on the rest of the experience is because even if we hadn't seen my beloved Orcas, I'd still have been a very happy customer. That said, our second day out, Capt Nick knew our agenda and took us right to them.
Thank you again for the lifelong memories, Northern Latitude Adventures!
PS...if you get Captain Nick, be sure to ask him about birds. He's super into them. read more