Gastineau Guiding Company — Attraction in Juneau

Our family signed up for a guided whale watching tour and nature walk to Mendenhall Glacier thru our cruise ship. We were excited for the excursion but had no clue what was in store for us. We started the day with our guide- Chloe- at the port, then was driven by Lucas to a nearby river where we had views of salmon swimming upstream on a salmon run back to where the salmon were to lay their eggs 3-5 years after their birth (where they too were born) then pass on. We stopped for a few minutes since we had extra time until we were to drive to where our boat was. We arrived at Statter Harbor where public bathrooms were available before we embarked on our adventure on “The Observer” with Captain Leslie. There was a boat toilet on board but didn’t want to miss any wildlife- so be sure to use the public bathrooms before you board your whale watching cruise! While maneuvering to see Humpback whales we were educated about humpbacks- structure, body, behaviors, etc…. very interesting tidbits from Chloe. It didn’t take long before we spotted spouts of breath erupting from the waters. We were in awe. Next we saw bubble net feeding which is not something seen by most humpbacks- they tend to be solitary creatures so seeing a “pack” of ~12 humpbacks in the water surrounding fish with their bubbles- then stunning them in order to capture and eat them…was amazing. This behavior is passed down from humpback generation to generation- not all know how to do this. Little did we know that was only the prelude to the actual show! Other boats began circling around us in the center of the action as our boat just floated. Not long after the first encounter with bubble net feeding did we see more spouts then another bubble net feeding… THEN they started making their way calmly TOWARDS O U R B O A T !!!! Stunned and amazed I just kept repeating “oh my god!!” Eventually they approached SO closely that THREE of the humpbacks dove UNDER OUR BOAT!!! Tears rolled off my face from the sheer delight of being graced by such sentient, graceful beings… it was the most amazing wildlife encounter I’ve ever had. If we had been positioned inside the boat with the open windows we would have had their blow holes tossing air/snot right at us! One of the passengers said she was hit by these “breaths of joy”. Experiencing this changes you- you feel more connected to your surroundings and at peace and are more steadfast in helping these creatures live their lives peacefully. It only further emboldened me to help protect wildlife and their habitat. We only had 12 passengers along with Chloe and Leslie (making it 14 total passengers) on the boat so it was an intimate experience and never felt like we couldn’t get a good look at the action. We left the waters after seeing some seals atop of buoy… feeling at peace and amazed. Next we got back on the bus with new driver Chris and headed to hike at Mendenhall glacier where Chloe talked about the forest and the receding glacier with historical information. We saw Mendenhall glacier in July 2003- and 22 years later there’s so much LESS to see. It’s easy to see the impact of warmer climates and Earth’s rising temperatures have had on the glaciers. As majestic as it was it was sad to know in less than 25 years these frigid suppliers of food and sustenance to aquatic life will likely be melted thus drastically affecting the wildlife that intentionally seek out these glacial waters seasonally. We were provided a set of two snacks- granola bar and chocolate and nut trail mixture along with cups of water. Gastineau Guiding walks the walk and talks the talk. Chloe mentioned they used to distribute thousand of bottles of water for guests every year and needed to make changes. They now source the large container of water from a local company (with local fresh water) that resupplies them for every tour and the cups are composted locally. Even better is if you bring a reusable water bottles like our family does daily!!

Thanks Chloe and Gastineau Guiding for an experience we will...

7-11-24

I've been whale watching at other locations and with other companies, but this company has it down for several reasons.

First, a lot of companies have a large boat with a ton of people, and viewing is not enjoyable. You can't move around, whales don't come to your side because you want them to, and it's like an ant farm claustrophobic nightmare. It's just mass production and volume to get folks in the water.

Insert Gastineau.

We did our tour on the Ranger, with Captain Michelle, and none of this nonsense is involved. Expect a small boat, about 18 passengers, and no sardine effect. You are free and able to move around the boat per the location of whales and the number of people. The boat sits on the water, so you are eye level with whales. It is 360 viewing with no obstructions. The small group, the boat itself, is ideal and suited for wildlife and viewing for all. This is attention to detail, is customer focused, and makes for a good experience. This company gets it.

Second is the people. Captain Michelle will find the whales. We saw countless humpbacks, and luckily, we got to see a couple of pods of orcas (which is rare on these tours). Great videos and pictures galore. It was truly a magnificent tour.

Alyssa was our host from the port (downtown) and stayed with us throughout our experience. She did a great job and was very informative. I learned so much about both humpback and orca stuff from biology, migration, mating, and how whales are identifiable and recorded in a picture database-like thing. Neat. She will give you general knowledge about the area and other wildlife.

Alyssa also took us on the Rainforest Trail on Douglas Island. She knows the habitat well and is knowledgeable.

I believe this company has set itself aside from my previous experiences. The small group, the ideal boat, and the knowledgeable people make for a great experience. We are thrilled and wowed.

Thank you.

We saw eagles out the wazoo and the Mendenhall Glacier from afar, all with know-about from Alyssa.

I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed...

have been to Alaska three times now and each time, I have gone on a whale watching excursion. Emma and Gastineau Guiding made our whale watching/glacier tour the absolute best I have ever been on! Emma was so knowledgeable and smart. I thought I had heard it all from my trips before, but Emma taught me so much more. She also has the best, witty, personality and is extremely nice, kind and thoughtful. They put us right on the whales and we were so fortunate to see the whales bubble feeding that day! Then, we went to see the glacier after that. They provided snacks/drinks on the way. She really took time to explain every part of the walk down to the glacier and taught us about the different plants and animals and all about the glacier. On the way to and from, the van was extremely clean and nice. Emma was constantly telling us stories and more information about the area and its history. I cannot say enough good things. To top it all off, Emma took pictures of the whales bubble feeding with her professional camera. She didn't have to, but she emailed all of us the pictures and shared them with those of us who don't have a nice camera like that so we can cherish those memories forever. She also matched the whale tails to the whales that we saw and gave us the information about each whale identified. She didn't have to do that, she took time AFTER the tour was over out of her own personal time and day to send all of us those. I'll definitely do this tour again and suggest it to everyone I know. I booked it through Carnival and it was called VIP Whale Watching. I found out after the fact that if I would have booked directly through Gastineau Guiding, I could have gotten 15% off. Just a tip for...