Snorkel Alaska

Elite '09

553

1284

Kathleen M.

San Jose, CA

8/22/2008

Snorkeling in Alaska? No, to get in the water we didn't have to chip through ice with an axe and ward off polar bears. The water was about 65 degrees when we were there in August - so that's actually pretty comfortable when you're wearing a wet suit. The only part of your body exposed is your mouth, and although your mouth is a little cool for 5 minutes, you quickly warm up. In fact once you're out of the water you're a little overheated in the wet suits so I passed on the complimentary hot chocolate they serve you in the Snorkel Alaska shack.

Initially we mixed this excursion up with another snorkeling one in Sitka  that involved dry suits. As a result, neither my husband nor I brought bathing suits! There were about 10 minutes during the drive to Mountain Point where I was worried that I was going to have to put my wetsuit on in front of everyone while wearing only a bra and panties. Thankfully the changing areas for men and women are separate. Taking on and off wet suits is such a trying experience you might end up exposing yourself anyway. The girls' side immediately started chatting and giggling and helping each other change while the guys' side was silent. It was like a slumber party. I don't know how I would have been able to take off my wet suit without some of the gals. I actually had to brace myself against a chair while they pried the arms and legs of the wetsuit off me. There was no time to be modest!

So, the snorkeling part. They gave us equipment (upon my request they even gave me a prescription mask with 25% magnification which was perfect - I only wear glasses to drive). My husband and brother-in-law got 14-16 pound weight belts so they could dive deeper but these weren't heavy enough. At Mountain Point we had a group of about 20 of us and three guides. They stopped us from time to time to point out what we should look for at certain places (starfish, sunflowers - my favorite, hermit crabs, harmless mini white jellyfish, big fish, super tiny fish). They also dove deeper to bring back to us specimens from the deep to look at, so if you didn't have a weight belt you really didn't miss out on anything. It was very peaceful and breathing was easy. The sealife wasn't as colorful as my other snorkeling adventure in the tropics of Thailand, but it was still impressive, especially the fields of starfish.

The wetsuits keep you super buoyant. This was great for me because I'm a terrible swimmer. I never had to think about trying to keep afloat. (Of course the super buoyancy part isn't as good for those who want to dive deeper.)

Our guides, Fred, Michelle, and Legare were really helpful, always there to offer to take pictures of you looking ridiculous in your wetsuits, and very knowledgeable about what you were seeing in the water. This is a super professional operation. Fred was able to catch (and release) a fish from the depths that he had never been able to grab before. It actually stung him. (Now that makes it sound not as professional but really, it was.)

I wish the logo for Snorkel Alaska was better and that there was a girlie fit for t-shirts. I totally would have bought a shirt!

• Add owner comment
• Bookmark
• Send to a Friend
• Link to This Review