Whale watching from Seward
Humpbacks feed off the Kenai Fjords coast through the summer and orcas pass in pods, while gray whales travel past Seward each spring on their way north. Seeing them depends on the route and the month, and then on luck. No operator promises a whale, but some choices tilt the odds your way.
Which whales swim off Seward
Several kinds of whale turn up on cruises out of Seward. Some are regulars and others come as a surprise. The list below runs from the most common in summer to the rarest.
- Humpback whales. The summer regulars, which feed along the coast and in the outer bays;
- Orcas. Seen in pods of a few animals or many, often moving fast;
- Fin whales. Occasional. A Viator reviewer saw one on the Resurrection Bay half day;
- Gray whales. Migrating past in spring, roughly March to May;
- Minke whales. Rare and small, quick to vanish.
Major Marine Tours gives mid-May to early August as the peak of whale watching. Both operators' listings state that whale sightings cannot be guaranteed, and a GetYourGuide summary of Kenai Fjords Tours' 6-hour cruise says some travelers wanted clearer expectations about seasonal whales. Plan around that, and treat every whale as a gift.
Humpbacks through the summer
Humpback whales come north to feed after wintering in warmer breeding waters far to the south. Off Seward you usually notice a blow first, then a long dark back rolling forward, and then, if the whale dives deep, its tail flukes lifting clear of the water. Each tail has its own pattern on the underside, which is how researchers tell individuals apart.
A breach, when a humpback throws most of its body out of the sea, comes without warning. It rarely happens twice in the same spot. Bubble-net feeding, where whales trap fish inside a ring of bubbles, is rare in these waters, so do not book expecting it. A calm humpback surfacing and diving near the boat for half an hour is a far more typical sighting, and a good one.
Resident and transient orcas
Two types of orca use the waters off the Kenai Peninsula. Residents eat fish and tend to travel in larger family groups, while transients hunt marine mammals and move more quietly. From a boat they look alike, a tall black dorsal fin and a white patch behind the eye, but the guide can often tell you which kind you are watching.
Recent GetYourGuide reviewers describe pods of orcas on the longer cruises. One of them counted 40 or more animals in a single encounter. Others saw none. Orcas cover a lot of water in a day, so captains share reports by radio and sometimes change course to reach a sighting, which is the idea behind Captain's Choice on Kenai Fjords Tours.
Gray whales and the two spring cruises
Gray whales migrate past the Kenai Peninsula in spring, roughly March to May, heading for feeding grounds in the Arctic. Two short tours sail for them before the summer season starts. Major Marine's 4-hour spring wildlife cruise, from ~$123, scores 4.8 from 158 reviews on Viator and 5.0 from 44 on GetYourGuide, and it also looks for sea lions and for mountain goats with their kids. Its catch is that it runs in spring only and includes no lunch (food is for sale aboard), on a deck that is cold at that time of year.
Kenai Fjords Tours runs its own gray whale watch, from ~$131, sold on Viator only. The catch here is bigger. It is spring only too, and its 4.5 from 45 reviews is the lowest score on this site, with mixed comments, while Major Marine's spring cruise costs less and rates better. For how spring compares with summer on the water, read our guide to the seasons.
Inside the bay or out on the coast
Whales show up more often on the open coast outside Resurrection Bay than inside it, so the routes that leave the bay give better odds. The half day still meets whales on some trips, as the reviewer who saw orcas and a fin whale on it can tell you, but on average it finds fewer. Longer routes also mean more open water, and our seasickness guide explains what the swell feels like out there.
| Tour | From | Hours | How far out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resurrection Bay half day | ~$150 | About 4 | Mostly inside the bay |
| Kenai Fjords Tours 6-hour | ~$230 | 6 | Open coast to a tidewater glacier |
| Major Marine 6-hour | ~$287 | 6 | Chiswell Islands and Holgate Glacier |
| Captain's Choice | ~$255 | 7 | Aialik or Holgate, picked on the day |
| Major Marine full day | ~$319 | 7.5 | Aialik Bay, two glacier stops |
| Northwestern Fjord | ~$288 | 8 | The farthest fjord on any daily tour |
Prices per hour and the full list of what each ticket includes are in our price guide.
More hours outside the bay
Major Marine's full day spends 7.5 hours on a stable catamaran, much of it on the open coast where whales are seen more often. A naturalist rides along and binoculars are on board to borrow. Fares start at ~$319. Lunch is a deli sandwich, and free cancellation runs to 24 hours before.
How to watch for whales
- Look for the blow. A puff of mist above the water, visible a long way off on a calm day, is usually the first sign;
- Read the tail. Raised flukes mean a deep dive, and the whale may stay down for several minutes before it surfaces again somewhere nearby;
- Follow the calls. The crew announces sightings by clock position. Move calmly to that side, and give way so others get a turn at the rail;
- Use binoculars for the search. Scan the horizon with your eyes, then lift the glasses once you have a blow;
- Set the camera before you need it. A fast shutter speed and burst mode catch a fluke or a breach, and a strap keeps the camera out of the sea.
Spend some of each sighting with the camera down. A whale surfacing a few hundred feet away sounds louder than you expect, and the breath carries across the water.
A day without whales
Some days the sea stays quiet, whatever the month. A whale-free cruise still has the ice, and calving at a tidewater glacier is the moment many people remember longest; our glacier guide covers which route reaches which face. The sea lions and otters fill the gaps too, along with the seabird islands, as our wildlife guide describes. If you only have one day in Seward between two ships, the cruise-ship day plan helps you pick a route that fits.