Trip Advisor Reviews

Unbelievable Experience Thank you so much for an amazing time yesterday Gary. Your tour of the Ocean to see the Whales and other sea wildlife along with the bears was fantastic. You were some accommodating and looked after everybody’s wishes.The size of your boat was also great as it was just the right size (not too small and not too big to be overcrowded. As you know we gad booked the land tour with you for after lunch. Once we had eaten in the Smokey restaurant we were going to cancel and head back to the Ship as we felt our day was complete. We are so so pleased we didn’t. Our day just got better and better with Ryan. His personality and knowledge was brilliant and we had such a great time with him seeing the Fortress of the Bear, Raptor centre for Birds and Totem Heritage Centre. Great to meet you all for an experience my wife and I will never forget. Thank you again.

Amazing Captain Gary and Caitlyn are the best guides we have spent time. The passion and knowledge they have for Sitka and the wildlife makes me wish I could give them 20 stars. If you are looking for an unforgettable day in Sitka you must book with Captain Gary. I will do it every time I find myself in Sitka.

Wonderful experience Capt. Gary and Caitlin were absolutely fantastic. Bears, Sea Otters, Bald Eagles, Sea Lions and of course Humpback Whales!
Both are extremely knowledgeable and fun.
I would absolutely do this again and anyone heading to Sitka should consider booking with Sitka Adventures as well.

Awesome Sea and Land tour!! This was the 5th whale watching I've done over the years, and was by far the best! It began with booking which I did just a few days before our trip. He returned my calls promptly and was very accommodating to fit us in. We saw more whales than I could count! We also saw sea lions and otters. He tried to find us bears by the salmon hatchery, but no luck. It was still gorgeous scenery and fun to see the salmon juming. There was a "naturalist" on board who took lots of awesome photos and shared with us. Captain Gary was very friendly, professional and informative about the island and wildlife. After the boat tour, we were picked up in a van and taken to Fortress of the Bear where we had up close views of bears, Raptor Center to see eagles and owls, Totem Park for awesome totem poles and low tide on the nearby beach. It was an awesome day, and I highly recommend Captain Gary's tours!

Wonderful Tour in Sitka! I would just like to say that I loved my tour with Captain Gary and it was one of the very best tours of my Alaskan cruise. I chose this tour because of a recommendation on Facebook. We did the Sitka Whale Watching Marine Tour.

I got to fulfill my bucket list of seeing a bear in the wild and even her 2 cubs (all from the safe distance of the boat). The whale watching was fun and we saw plenty of whales. Also, were able to see sea otters and other marine life and some beautiful scenery along the way.

Gary was engaging and friendly. I always felt safe on his boat. His first mate was very knowledgeable and she also took pictures with a very nice professional camera and then airdropped all of those quality photos of our trips with us! I also appreciated the more intimate numbers on our boat. Only about 20-25 people on this tour.

If you are thinking of booking this tour, book with confidence. You won't be disappointed! My only tip-- remember to book the early shuttle if you have an earlier tour and are coming from the NCL Bliss. My husband and I thought we had booked it, but we didn't hit the confirmation button. We still were still able to get off the ship quickly on standby the morning of the tour and made it without issue.

Wildlife and whales galore We were a group of 4 siblings, spouses, and my special needs daughter. Captain Gary’s adventure was the hands down highlight of our Alaskan cruise. We saw sea lions, bears and cubs, jumping salmon, eagles, and over 20 whales.

Captain Gary is a gentleman in all aspects. He paid very close attention to assure my special needs daughter was in good order. If you think you can do better booking elsewhere, I can assure you the “you’re part of the family” treatment you get with Captain Gary will not be matched. After all, it’s a family run business.
Thanks again Captain!
Carson in Tennessee

Most excellent tour! Knowledgeable, friendly and created an experience of a lifetime!

Wonderful experience This was a great tour. Riley was a wonderful guide. Loved the Fortress of the Bear and how they care for these wounded or orphaned bear. Great information talking with the people to work there. Then the Alaska Raptor Center was awesome. Mainly because just after we arrived Riley, who knows everyone there, was informed they were going to release an Eagle back into the wild. A once in a lifetime experience and so happy we were able to witness that. Then the Totem Park was great.

Awesome trip Had an awesome trip. Riley was amazing; he had great stories and tons of information. Definitely recommend!

Best whale watching in Sitka!! All I can say is WOW! Captain Gary was the best. His boat was spotless and you can tell he takes pride in EVERYTHING he does. This was by far the best tour I’ve ever been on. He was on the hunt for wildlife and we saw it all. Sea lions, otters, bald eagles and a whales galore. We heard history and were educated on the lay of the land. Best part was a photographer onboard that was able to share the pictures captured on tour. Can’t wait to return to Sitka again and we will definitely spend the day with Captain Gary and his crew.

Unbelievably awesome tour Captain Gary is awesome. Our cruise ship arrived at port later than it had originally had been scheduled and Gary worked with us to get our full tour in despite me being skeptical, sorry Gary :). We saw so many Whales, Sea Otters, Sea Lions and much more. It was an awesome tour. The only thing I regret is we did not also do the land portion of the tour. If it is anything like the tour on the water it would be spectacular. Highly recommend Captain Gary to anyone visiting Sitka.

Gary Sitka adventures was the most thrilling excursion in Alaska! This was the best excursion I have ever been on. From the moment I called Gary to book until I got off his boat was a fascinating learning and wildlife adventure. Gary made us feel so comfortable and welcome and we laughed the whole time. It truly was such a thrilling experience to see all the ocean life. Had the best time ever!!! You can’t go with anybody else but Gary!!!! *****️

Ugh, too many whales But seriously, put this tour at the top of your list in Sitka. Captain Gary and Caitlin were excellent- knowledgeable, professional, hospitable, and friendly. Capt Gary knew exactly where to go to see the whales, otters, seals, sea lions, etc. We even contributed to scientific research that identifies and tracks whales. Caitlin shared her wonderful photos with passengers at the end via Airdrop. It was so fun to hear their stories and knowledge of the animals and the area. The tour boat,“Morning Glory,”was comfortable and smooth with indoor/outdoor viewing options, a heater indoors, snacks/drinks, and a small bathroom. Can’t say enough great things about Captain Gary’s Sitka Adventures- Thank you for the fantastic experience!

Great adventure and experience!! We had an amazing time today!!! Saw so many whales it was mind blowing! His boat is extremely comfortable and smooth. His assistant today was Caitlin and she was knowledgeable And a pleasure to listen to and communicate with. Communication with Gary was great and consistent. I would book with him again in a heartbeat!!!

Book it! Hands down the best part of our visit to Sitka! Capt. Gary was knowledgeable and lots of fun. A true top-notch operation! We were happy to support local highly, highly recommend Sitka Adventures!

Local knowledge, small group. Did the combo whale watching and land tour.
Communication with Capt Gary was excellent. The boat was very comfortable, snacks appreciated, and the group is small.
We did see whales which was very exciting but keep your expectations realistic, as Capt said. Local knowledge and access are important.
We thought the land portion was good but we’re disappointed to find out that afternoon that we weren’t going to the raptor center, as that was the main interest.
Having just been to see bears at the AWCC we thought the Fortress setting was less appealing but you definitely will see bears.

Whale watching with Capt. Gary Captain Gary is awesome! Leading up to our excursion, he kept us well informed of what we could expect. His boat is very comfortable with great sightlines throughout. Gary’s knowledge of Sitka and surrounding areas are second to none. He went above and beyond in his quest to find whales, seals and other wildlife. Gary and other boat captains share whale sightings over the radio in real time to know the areas to explore. Highly recommended!

Want to see a whale or two? Captain Gary and his crew know where to look for whales! And, Captain Gary over and over knew the seascape and the whales' behavior so well that he would be able to tell us where a whale would likely surface. We saw humpback whales, a gray whale and sea lions on our recent trip. When we returned to our ship, we discovered several fellow passengers saw no whales on their excursions. Captain Gary goes the distance Using technology like an online whale database to share information about whales even to specific individuals. He works cooperatively with fellow tour captains to share information in real time to locate whales for his passengers to see. The boat was very comfortable. We went out in a group of 14 and sat two by two in comfortable padded seats in a heated cabin and with clean and clear windows. There was opportunity to use the front and back outdoor decks when we slowed to watch the whales. Our experience with Captain Gary included excellent customer service. He followed up our initial inquiry with a personal call to secure our booking. Our cruise ship was late getting to Port and he and his team contacted all of us to secure a different tour time to accommodate our cruise ship itinerary change. It was a great trip! (And the snacks were really good too!)