The Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure is an all-inclusive Shore Excursion located in Ketchikan, Alaska. We provide everything you need to snorkel safely and comfortably in our waters. From roundtrip transportation in the comfort of our high-top Ford Transit Van to our heated dressing rooms and state of the art wetsuits we insure you will not be cold while snorkeling in Alaska. Our tours are led by PADI certified professionals, and all the equipment and full instructions are included. We also provide a fun and informative one hour guided marine life tour while we lead your around the snorkeling site.
Southern Southeast Alaska has some of the best snorkeling in the state. This is due to the lack of glaciers in the area, long summer days and the Japanese Kiroshio current which warms waters up to 65 degrees in mid-summer. And without all the glacier silt and sediment our waters are also some of the clearest with visibility averaging about 30 feet throughout the summer. There is a plethora of beautiful marine life to be viewed beneath the surface. From the smallest Barnacle to a Giant Humpback whale every tour is a dive into adventure. You will see a variety of colorful Sea Stars, Sea Urchins and Sea Cucumbers while you float amidst the kelp. We also see a variety of mostly harmless jellyfish floating along with the plankton. There are lots of different types of Rockfish, Crab and even the occasional Wolf Eel or Octopus. Both Harbor Seals and Sea Lions frequent the area and sometimes even a pod of Orca go silently cruising by.
Snorkel Alaska is a completely independent company having foregone the cruise ship contracts after COVID. For 19 years the Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure was sold exclusively by all the major cruise lines that stopped in Ketchikan. But it was at a hefty price. The cruise lines pay tour operators a “wholesale rate” for their services but then mark up the cost of the tours by sometimes double what they pay out. They will take whatever the market will bear and line their pockets with hundreds upon thousands of dollars each day they are in port. In many cases the Shore Excursion Department is the highest revenue generating department on the ship!
The cruise lines want their guests to book their tours so they can make more money. As a result, they employ scare tactics to coerce cruisers to book directly with the cruise line. They often mislead guests and say a variety of incorrect things about the independent tour operators. The cruise lines will tell guests they will miss their ship if they book independently. They will say the independent tour operators are not vetted by the cruise line and often don’t carry adequate insurance. This may be true in certain third world countries but not so in Alaska. Fred Drake the owner and founder of Snorkel Alaska worked on Norwegian Cruise Line ships for 7 years as a Diver and in the Shore Excursion Department. The Alaska tour operators are some of the best in the world according to Fred.
Many of the independent offer a “Back to Your Ship Guarantee”. Snorkel Alaska does and in 24 years of tour operations not one person has ever missed their ship. So do make sure you read all the fine print and ask your independent tour operator if they have a back to the ship guarantee.
Even those tour operators who choose not to sell through the cruise lines provide high quality tours. By book directly with the tour operator you will often save money and enjoy smaller group sizes and a more personalized experience. For instance, when Snorkel Alaska was sold through the ships the groups sizes were up to a maximum of 20 guests. Now that Fred does all the bookings independently the maximum group size is 10. Smaller groups mean more individualized attention and less fins in your face.
The Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure is a 3-hour tour. Tours times are available for every ship that stops in Ketchikan or the Mill at Ward Cove, the Norwegian Cruise Line private dock. The most affordable way to the book the tour is over the phone with Fred. The office number is 1-907-247-7782 and you can leave a message if Fred is out snorkeling. You can also book directly on the website www.snorkelalaska.com however the booking platform FareHarbor charges a 6% booking fee when bookings are done by the guest online. If you call Fred, you will save on the booking fees and still get our 10% promotional discount.
Once you have booked you will receive a detailed confirmation email which tells you where to meet and what to bring. All tours meet at the Ketchikan Visitors Center Liquid Sunshine Gauge located on Berth 2. The Liquid Sunshine Gauge is more commonly called the Rain Gauge, and it showcases Ketchikan’s rain fall total which can be up to 13 feet per year. It’s a centrally located meeting place and easy to get to from all 4 cruise ship berths. If your ship arrives at the Mill at Ward Cove, then you first take the free shuttle bus to town. Guests are instructed to meet 15 minutes before tour time and if we get everyone early, we can spend more time playing the water. One of the Snorkel Alaska Snorkeling Tour Guides will meet you at the Rain Gauge and get you checked in.
Once you board our van you will fill out the PADI Discover Snorkeling Liability Release and Assumption of Risk Form. Remember if you have any form of heart condition past or present, minor or major this would not be a suitable tour for you. We also must deny participation for major respiratory disorders or history of seizures or fainting. If you have any of these health conditions, please be honest as it’s for your own safety. The tour is alos not suitable for the elderly or people with limited mobility. Our suggested age limit is 65 depending on your level of physical fitness. After the paperwork is completed it’s time to head to the shop.
The Snorkel Alaska shop is located just 4 miles from the downtown cruise ship docks. On the way to the shop we will provide instructions on donning wetsuits and how to use the mask, snorkel and fins. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the shop and once there you will meet the rest of the team. Our tours are team led by two to three guides. A shop overview will be provided upon arrival. We have two dressing rooms one for the men and one for the women. They are locker room style, and we also have restrooms. We have drinking water, tea, coffee and hot chocolate available while at the shop. In order to get you in the right fitting wetsuit we ask your height, weight and shoe size and then select a suit, hood and boots for you to change into. We like to get everyone fully suited up at the shop and zipped up so we can ensure proper wetsuit fit prior to heading out to the snorkeling site. We have secure storage for all your belongings so feel free to bring along anything you like.
Once you are fully suited up, we head out to the equipment truck to pick up your mask, fins, snorkel and gloves. Our equipment truck is stocked with many different sizes and styles of masks to fit all the different face shapes. We even have prescription masks in 8 different strengths. Once everyone has all their gear, we take the Snorkel Alaska “wet bus” out to the site which is just one mile down the road from the shop. Mountain Point is the premier snorkeling site on the road system in Ketchikan. There are shallow tide pools to get comfortable in and there are also steep rock walls for freediving if you are feeling more adventurous. Freediving requires the addition of a weight belt which helps offset some of the positive buoyancy of the wetsuit. We offer up weight belts once at the snorkeling site and we provide instruction on their use and safe freediving techniques. Prior to heading down the trail to the site we spray some defog in everyone’s masks. There is also a nice bluff overlooking the water for photo opportunities.
There is a short trail to get down to the rocky beach that we snorkel from. Entries and exits can be a little tricky due to the often wet and slippery rocks. Once we gather everyone on the beach the lead guide will conduct a safety briefing. We go over where we will snorkel and where we shouldn’t snorkel. Hand signals are covered and how to identify your guides in the water. It’s then time to put on your fins, mask, snorkel and gloves and enter the water! The guides will provide a final equipment check in the water and go over maneuvering in the wetsuits. The wetsuit is like a full body life jacket to it makes you float like a cork. This is how we can take first time snorkelers with ease and even people who can’t swim.
Once everyone has adjusted to being in the water we are off to snorkel around the site. One of the guides will take the lead and one will bring up the rear and assist as needed or deal with any equipment issues. We usually snorkel a short distance and make a stop so people can take a break. We can stand on the bottom as there isn’t a coral reef in Alaska.
So, we encourage people to stand up when we want or need to take a break. During these breaks the guides will bring up some of the more durable creatures for you to pass around while we educate you all about them. Some of the Sea Stars, Sea Urchins and Cucumbers can be picked up and passed around the group without causing any harm or stress. These creatures are the returned the same depth and habitat where they were found. Your guides will always be on the lookout for any other interesting creatures, and we are constantly scanning the horizon for whale spouts. After about 45 minutes in the water, we typically offer the chance to do some self-exploration near the exit area. We cover freediving instructions while in the water and show you the best places to give it a try. We do guarantee one hour in the water and often times we can snorkel for up to an hour and fifteen minutes.
Once everyone has finished snorkeling we assist with getting your fins off and getting out of the water. We then walk back up to the equipment truck and start turning in the gear. After turning in your mask, fins, snorkel and optional weight belts we take our gloves and hoods off but we keep our wetsuits on for the drive back to the shop. We have a big cooler in the back of the truck full of hot water which is a nice treat. You can pour some of the water inside your suit and experience your own personal hot tub. It’s nice to rinse some of the salt water from your face and have a nice little warm up. Once everyone is ready, we load up the wet bus and head back to the shop to enjoy a hot shower and change back into your clothes. Now it’s time to enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate and purchase a souvenir T-shirt, hoodie or hat. We then get everyone back into the Ford Transit Van and drive back to town. We try to offer some different drop off options depending on the time and what people want to do. Creek Street is a great place to get off and check out the historical district. We also offer drop off service at our favorite watering hole. We can also drop off back at the Rain Gauge and for NCL guests we can drop off at the shuttle. And that’s what you can expect on your snorkeling adventure in Alaska. We hope to see you in the water!