Snorkelling in Alaska

Ketchikan, a small port town of 12,000 people, can sometimes double in population with up to seven cruise ships in port in a day. On disembarking we caught a glimpse of the Alutian Ballard, a Deadliest Catch ship (but actually in port as an excursion for passengers). We however had to be on the dockside before 7am to get a bus to our snorkelling site.

Driving around 15 minutes south of Ketchikan to Mountain Point, we were kitted up in 7mm wet suits, booties, hoods, gloves and masks before venturing into the Alaskan Pacific Ocean - really! These guys really know what they are doing however and within minutes of being in the water we were toasty warm. They guided us around the bay, talking about and showing us the marine life - seastars, urchins, cucumbers and crabs. It was a bit surreal swimming amongst so many jellyfish but we were assured we were safe unless it was the red-orange Lion's Mane jellyfish...we saw three of them! Before we headed back to change we had an "Alaskan sauna" - a tub full of very warm water tipped down our wetsuits! On the way back, (and indeed whilst we were in the water) we saw SO many bald eagles, which was hugely exciting!

Back in the town proper, we wander the historic centre and Creek Street looking at the mass of salmon swimming upstream. The damp drizzly day coupled with the floods of tourists and shops touting tat to them made for a somewhat false experience though. So we retired for a beer and some Alaskan salmon before getting back on the boat to journey to the state capital of Juneau.Read more