Juneau Whale watching-Is it rough?

[latebuyer]

Just wondering how rough it is when doing the whale watching in juneau? I was considering the harv and marv whale watching tour but i don’t like it too rough.
 

[Northern Aurora]

How "rough" the seas are is subjective topic.  We have done whale watching out of Juneau and personally didn't find it to be particularly "rough."  That being said, we have crossed Cape Horn three times and have been to Antarctica.  Neither my husband nor I had any issues with seasickness.

[cw2go]

I did whale watching out of Juneau, for me it was smooth as glass for my son it was roller coaster. I'm like Northern Aurora don't experience any issues with sea sickness. I have seen many people in rough shape on water related tours, I always feel so bad for them because they have no way out, just have to deal till we dock. 

 

 

Patty 

[Glaciers]

It can get rough, particularly late in the season, but most of the time it’s not bad.  We’ve been out many times from Juneau over the past 15 years and have only had one rough experience.  The small boat operators usually cancel if it gets too rough but it doesn’t happen often.

 

This from one of the small boat whale watch vendors Facebook page:  “There are several reasons why we shut down, every season, in the middle of September. NONE of these reasons has anything to do with whale activity! Humpback whales will continue to be in the Juneau area (usually) through the end of October. The main reason we stop offering tours in September is because of the weather. It gets BAD. Rough waves, high winds & heavy rain become a common occurrence in the fall “

 

[latebuyer]

Thanks. I’d be going end of june. I’m thinking about it. Do you usually see whales?

[Glaciers]

28 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

Thanks. I’d be going end of june. I’m thinking about it. Do you usually see whales?

Most vendors have some sort of guarantee that you’ll see whales on a tour and I’ve not heard of anyone not seeing a humpback. Although, it may only be a back, tail or some blow. The breaching and bubble net feeding opportunities occur much less often.

[Crew News]

On 12/2/2022 at 8:52 PM, latebuyer said:

Just wondering how rough it is when doing the whale watching in juneau? I was considering the harv and marv whale watching tour but i don’t like it too rough.
 

Smaller boats react more negatively to waves when stopped than the larger Allen Marine boats during whale watching.

[skrufy]

Can't give you a Juneau review but can give you Ann Icy Strait one. The watching left ISP and headed toward th mouth of Glacier Bay. The ride out was smooth. We reached an area where we saw a few whales, then went to another area, still calm sailing. Here we saw a large group of whales breaking this surface of the water. After a few minutes the group bubble fed and actually made a run right under the boat. Most amazing thing I ever saw. The water was calm with just small waves rocking the boat. The ride back to ISP was as calm as the ride out.  While whales are not guaranteed to be seen, there's a better chance to see many types of whales during peak season. For you who are going in September, our experience was the first week of September. This coming April we will be on the Carnival Miracle journeys cruise. The whales are just beginning to come back to Alaska, so don't know what to expec.q

[Mountaineer0313]

I've been whale watching twice in Juneau, both times on small, 6 person vessels, and it was not rough, at least not in my opinion. But I don't get seasick. And yes, we saw many MANY whales.

[Coral]

The truth is that it can be calm or rough. Sea conditions can change by the day and by the hour. I have been there when it is smooth as silk and also the opposite.

 

If you are prone to seasickness - speak to your doctor about options. I would also suggest going on a large boat such as booked through the cruise line (Allen Marine). It holds hundreds.