Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure

Port of Call: Ketchikan

The Experience: Snorkeling in Alaska? Sounds like something the cruise lines should pay passengers to do! But thanks to the combined effect of the Japanese Kiroshio current, along with long summer days and lack of glaciers in this area near Ketchikan, water temperatures at this rocky beach average 55 degrees in the summer. With a quarter-inch thick wetsuit, booties, gloves and a hood, you're ready to discover marine life that includes colorful nudibranches, plume worms, crustaceans, giant sunflower stars, pink salmon and wolf eels. Shallow tide pools teem with marine life and steep underwater rock walls are great for free diving. A cup of hot chocolate wraps up this unique three-hour trip (one-hour snorkel).


Wilderness Exploration and Crab Fishing Adventure

Port of Call: Ketchikan

Description: Crabbing is among the more dangerous occupations in America -- especially here. Each winter, crab fishermen in the Bering Sea endure brutal winds and waves, and freezing temperatures. Fortunately, crab fans can pull a few pots in comfort on this delicious four-hour excursion. After a 30-minute scenic bus ride, you board a skiff, pontoon boat or catamaran and motor seven miles past snow-capped mountains, waterfalls and the Mahoney Glacial Cirque to the crab harvesting grounds. At Coon's Cove, home to the Dungeness Crab Fishery, guests help pull up crab pots before feasting on a Dungeness crab dinner at George Inlet Lodge. Sure beats winter in the Bering Sea.