Sitka Sea Level Adventures — Attraction in Baranof Island

Whale Watching in Sitka with Sea Level Adventures – Absolutely Perfect!

We booked this whale watching excursion in Sitka through the Viator app with Sea Level Adventures, instead of going through our cruise line—and I’m so glad we did! Like many people, I was a little hesitant at first since cruise lines really push the idea that you have to book with them or risk getting left behind. But this was hands down one of the best decisions of our entire trip.

Our captain, Jaren Sumatran, who also owns the company, was incredible. You can tell he truly loves what he does and knows the area like the back of his hand. The boat was clean, comfortable, and not overcrowded, which made it feel so much more personal and enjoyable.

We saw whales, sea otters, bald eagles, and sea lions—it was such a magical experience. Jaren also provided snacks and drinks on board, which was a thoughtful touch that made everything even more enjoyable.

Not only did we make it back to the ship with time to spare, but we also walked away with a one-of-a-kind experience that felt way more special than anything a cruise line excursion could offer.

If you’re visiting Sitka, I 100% recommend Sea Level Adventures. It was a highlight of our Alaska cruise and absolutely worth stepping outside the cruise...

When our family (we are from Indiana) was planning a summer trip to Sitka we contacted Jaren with Sitka Sea Level Adventures. He was extremely helpful in the booking process answering all my questions and getting something on the books months in advance. When we had our trip in August, it was one less thing to worry about as we planned. Jaren was communicative in letting us know where and when to meet and how to prepare. The only thing better than Jaren’s communication was the experience on the water. We had three adults and three children under 5(!) and Jaren provided snacks, the necessary life jackets and made our family feel safe and comfortable.

Jaren grew up in Sitka and knows the water like the back of his hand. We saw every single animal we were hoping to spot: sea otters, sea lions, puffins, whales and porpoises. We even enjoyed time watching commercial fishing boats, something our five year old still talks about! Overall, our experience was simply fantastic and we would highly recommend anyone traveling to Sitka to book an adventure with Jaren. We have already decided that on our next trip to Sitka we will hire Jaren to...

We did a Royal Caribbean cruise recently and stopped off in Sitka. We didn’t have any excursions planned so we walked around the town. When we originally got off the bus at the visitors center, Maureen was there with a sign for whale watching. We are so so happy we started talking to her. She walked us to Jaren at the dock where we got on two boats. They could only fit 10 guests total on the boats so it was definitely a small tour.

That morning, Jaren was out by himself looking for whale activity. With their knowledge of the area being so extensive, they were able to put us right where we needed to be. We saw so many whales, it was absolutely amazing!! The whales ended up getting so close to us we could hear them breath in. Truly humbling being so close to such beautiful animals.

We ended up doing another excursion on a separate day through RC. The cost was almost 4 times the amount of Sitka Sea Level Adventures, yet we weren’t able to get nearly the customized experience as Jaren and Maureen were able to give. They even dropped us off at the cruise dock!!

Jaren and Maureen, thank you so much for a bad*ss time! A trip we’ll...