GREAT EXPERIENCE! Capt. Brian's rules; #1, Don't fall overboard. #2, No stress. We left at 0800, 4 of 6 guests on board. Rainy with the remnants of a storm still pestering Sitka. Capt. Brian met us on the dock an explained that we would be staying inside the Sound due to 10-13' ( 3-4 m) seas. No argument from our party. VERY knowledgeable re: the local environment. We saw Stellar sea lions, porpoise, many bird species incl bald eagles An intimate trip. Want to see the Sitka Sound from a locals perspective?book with Sitka Sound Tours

I highly recommend this trip. Captain Brian was great and we saw lots of whales and seals. The scenery was breathtaking and it was far better being in a small boat than one of the larger more commercial ones. Captain Brian has so much knowledge and a big thanks too to his wife Heather who always responded very quickly to my email questions. A great time and really enjoyed this.

Capt Brian knew we would like to see whales and so advised us when we arrived that due to the fog and mist it would be hard to see whale spouts and thus might not see a whale. He left the decision up to us whether or not to go out, saying we customers work hard for our money and he didn't want us to feel cheated if we didn't see a whale. We decided to go, and the haze soon lifted. Though he had room for 6, my wife and I were the only 2 who booked and he went out with just us. Therefore, it was super personal. He took us to 'secret' coves that others don't go to, where we saw eagles, and learned from him about the size of and encounters he had with bears, about the special medicinal benefits of the 'moss' on old growth trees. He told us about a Russian shipwreck from days when the Russians controlled Sitka, and told us information about the fish and the sea birds. In the end we did see a whale 3 different times, though from a distance. We also saw sea otters, salmon jumping out of the water, and unique sea birds, and stellar sea lions. We just plan enjoyed the boat trip with an excellent sea captain!