Ketchikan - Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure

The lush underwater kelp forests at Mountain Point are a thriving habitat for a variety of marine species. These towering plants provide food, shelter, and a stunning backdrop for snorkeling.

• Sea Cucumbers: Elongated red or brown sea cucumbers can be seen resting on the ocean floor.
• Clams and Mussels: These bivalves are abundant in Mountain Point's tidal areas and shallows.
• Octopuses: Giant Pacific octopuses occasionally make an appearance, typically hiding in crevices or under rocks.
• Rockfish: Black, yelloweye, and quillback rockfish are frequently seen hovering near kelp forests or rocky outcroppings.
• Greenlings: Look for kelp greenlings darting among the rocks and seaweed.
• Sculpins: These camouflaged fish are often hidden along the sea floor but can be spotted with a careful eye.
• Pacific Herring: Schools of shimmering herring are often seen moving through the water in large, coordinated groups.
• Sea Stars: Extremely colorful species like sunflower sea stars, leather stars, and mottled sea stars are common and can often be found clinging to rocky surfaces.
• Sea Urchins: Green, purple, and red sea urchins inhabit the rocky sea floor. These spiny creatures add pops of color to the underwater landscape.
• Anemones: Brightly colored giant plumose anemones and crimson anemones sway gently in the currents, providing a stunning display.
• Crabs: Dungeness crabs and hermit crabs scuttle along the sandy and rocky bottoms.
• Harbor Seals: Curious seals may swim by to investigate snorkelers. They are shy but occasionally approach.
• Sea Lions: While less common, these larger marine mammals might be seen in deeper areas, especially during certain seasons.
• Salmon: During the summer spawning season, you might see schools of salmon swimming upstream.
• Jellyfish: Moon jellyfish and lion’s mane jellyfish are occasionally seen drifting in the water. The lion’s mane is the world’s largest jellyfish and is stunning to observe from a safe distance.
• Rare Occurrences: River Otters, Wolf Eels, Humpback Whales, Orcas, Giant Lingcods Nesting

The average summer water temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface. Surface temperatures fluctuate between a low of 45 degrees in the spring and a high of 65 degrees in mid-summer.

No you do not need to know how to swim or snorkel. The thick wetsuits act similar to a life jacket in the water and float you on the surface. As a beginner you will not be taking a weight belt so that you do float. We provide full instruction on all the tours and we always have a minimum of 2 guides in the water per 10 people to ensure your safety!

We only operate from late April through late September or Early October when the cruise ships are here. Conditions vary throughout that time, the water is coldest in April and May but it is also the clearest at that time. As waters warm, fish get more active, such as in June and July, but then you get reduced visibility from plankton and algae movement and growth. August and September is when it cools off again and it gets a bit more clear.

Of course! You’re more than welcome to bring any or all of your own equipment, aside from your full-face mask. (They simply don’t seal well with a hood and the plastic lenses fog up profusely. Trust us — we’ve tried them many times.) But that’s a lot to pack for a cruise. While you certainly have the option of bringing your own gear, rest assured all of our gear is top-of-the-line and cleaned and sanitized after every tour.

We do highly recommend bringing along a camera or GoPro to capture this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure is 3 hours from start to finish. (For NCL guests and any ships docking at The Mill in Ward Cove, plan on 4 hours.) We guarantee you at least one hour in the water and up to an hour and 20 minutes depending on how quickly everyone gets into their wetsuits. Our shop is conveniently located 4 miles from town which is about a 10-minute bus ride. Mountain Point is another mile down the road. The rest of the time is spent changing, conducting safety briefings, and enjoying hot showers and cocoa after the tour. We also have a great selection of souvenir hats, T-shirts, and hoodies to choose from.

You should bring a towel, a swimsuit or shorts to wear under the wetsuit, and an extra pair of socks. The socks help the wetsuit slip on and off easier and also keep your feet a bit warmer. Remember to bring some cash or a credit card if you’d like to purchase a souvenir t-shirt, hat, or hoody. Also note that we do provide secure storage for all your belongings.

Participants must weigh between 80 and 260 pounds to ensure proper wetsuit fit. You should also be reasonably physically fit as the tour is rated most strenuous. (If you can’t find it difficult to walk one mile, then this tour may not be for you.) We snorkel from a rocky beach and current are almost always present, so the tour is not suitable for the elderly or guests with limited mobility. Our suggested age limit is 65 depending on your level of physical fitness.

Due to the strenuous nature of snorkeling in Alaska and in accordance with the guidelines established by The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Discover Snorkeling Program, we must deny participation for a variety of medical conditions. If you suffer from ANY form of heart condition past or present, minor or major, we are unfortunately unable to take you snorkeling. Heart conditions include but are not limited to murmurs, flutters, mitral-valve prolapse, angina, stints, pacemakers, defibrillators, bradycardia, tachycardia, congestive heart failure, valve replacement, bypass surgery, etc.  

We also must deny participation for major respiratory disorders like bronchitis, emphysema, COPD, exercise-induced asthma, etc. Lastly, if you have any past or present history of seizures or fainting, we are unable to take you snorkeling. Please accept our sincerest apologies if you have any of the above medical conditions. Your safety is always our number one priority.

If you are docking in downtown Ketchikan, you can book a tour time that is a minimum of 30 minutes after your ship’s published arrival time. The cruise ships are very punctual, so a 7:00 am arrival time means the gangways are set and you can disembark promptly at 7:00 am. Therefore, a 7:30 am tour time is perfectly doable. All tours meet and depart from the Ketchikan Liquid Sunshine Gauge located adjacent to the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau at Berth 2. There are 4 cruise ship docks in Ketchikan, all just a short walk to the Rain Gauge. Note that if your cruise ship does happen to be running late, we will wait for you.

If you are arriving on NCL or at The Mill at Ward Cove, you should allow a minimum of 1 hour to take the free shuttle bus to town. If your ship docks at 7:00 am, then an 8:00 am departure or later would be ideal.

We can 100% guarantee that you will not miss your ship! Our company owner, Fred Drake, has worked on cruise ships for 7 years and understands the importance of getting back to the ship on time. All of our tours are scheduled to give you plenty of time to snorkel, see the port of Ketchikan, and get back to your ship well before the posted sail away time.

Snorkel Alaska guarantees that you will get back to your ship on time, provided that all of the following requirements apply:

• Your tour is scheduled to end no less than 1 hour prior to the scheduled departure time of your cruise ship. It is your responsibility to confirm your ship’s departure time prior to booking, in addition to re-confirming the ship’s itinerary on the day of the tour.
• The delay in returning to the ship was due to no fault or action of your own.

In the event that you are not returned back to your cruise ship before it departs, Snorkel Alaska will cover up to USD 500 per person towards transportation and/or accommodation necessary for your travel to the next port of call. Receipts are required for reimbursement.