Seasickness on Icy Strait whale tours
If boats turn your stomach, three hours on Icy Strait is a fair thing to worry about. The strait is an inside passage and usually calmer than the open ocean, but no captain controls the wind. This guide covers how rough the water can get and what tends to help. It ends with a few ways to enjoy Hoonah if you would rather stay ashore.
How rough Icy Strait gets
Icy Strait runs between Chichagof Island and the mainland, one of the sheltered channels of Southeast Alaska's Inside Passage. It is generally calmer than the open Gulf of Alaska, so on most summer days the ride is gentler than anything on the outer coast. That shelter has limits. When the wind blows against a running tide, the surface can turn short and choppy, and a small boat feels every wave.
A tour has two kinds of motion. First comes the run out to the whales, which recent reviewers put at about 40–60 minutes. A boat moving forward at speed tends to feel steadier than you expect. The second kind is the one that unsettles people. Once the captain finds whales, the boat slows to idle and drifts while everyone watches, and a drifting hull rolls with the waves instead of cutting through them.
Why some people feel sick
Seasickness comes from a mismatch. Your inner ear senses the boat moving while your eyes, fixed on a cabin wall or a phone screen, report that nothing is moving at all. The brain objects to the conflict. Yawning and a cold sweat usually come first, then nausea. Some people never feel it. Others feel it on a calm lake. A poor night's sleep makes most people more sensitive, as does a heavy breakfast or a hangover.
Nobody can promise you will be fine, but the habits below help a lot of people get through a three-hour trip comfortably.
Before you board
- Eat something light. An empty stomach makes nausea worse for many people, yet a big greasy breakfast on the ship does not help either. Toast or crackers an hour before is a common middle way;
- Go easy the night before. Alcohol and a late night both lower your tolerance the next morning;
- Plan any medication early. Anyone planning to use a seasickness remedy should ask a doctor or pharmacist which one suits them, then take it before boarding as directed, since many work poorly once the queasiness has started. Do not choose a medicine for a child or during pregnancy without a doctor's advice;
- Dress warm. Being cold makes everything feel worse, and you want to stay out in the fresh air; what to wear whale watching in Alaska covers the layers.
On the water
Where you sit matters more than most people think. A boat rolls least near its middle and lowest point, so take a seat near the center rather than at the bow. The bow climbs and drops with every wave. Keep your eyes on the horizon or on the shoreline, which gives your brain a fixed line that agrees with your inner ear. Fresh air on deck helps most people, while a warm, stuffy cabin with the windows closed is where nausea tends to build. Put the phone away between sightings and tell a crew member early if you start to feel unwell. Crews are used to it and can suggest a better spot.
A catamaran with a restroom aboard
Hoonah Whale Tours is the only catamaran among the six. It carries 14 guests in a heated cabin with an onboard restroom, from ~$314. It is non-refundable and cannot be changed, so book it only once your port day is settled.
Which boats ride steadier
A catamaran rests on two hulls set apart, and that wide stance generally makes it roll less from side to side than a single hull of a similar size. Hoonah Whale Tours, from ~$314, is the one catamaran among the main tours, and it also has a restroom. Glacier Wind Charters, from ~$285, lists a restroom too, though its listing asks that guests have no heart problems or serious medical conditions. Icy Strait Whale Adventures, from ~$302, takes up to 24. Its side windows open beside the indoor seats, so a breeze is never far away. Open decks on the smaller boats let you stand outside with a hand on the rail and your eyes on the horizon. Our comparison of the six boats lists every cabin and deck.
When the weather cancels
Operators watch the marine forecast, and a small craft advisory is the usual reason a trip does not go. Icy Strait Whale Adventures says it runs in all weather except a small craft advisory. If Hoonah Whale Tours calls a trip off for weather, it gives your money back in full. Your own nerves are a different matter. Four of the six main tours cancel free up to 24 hours before the start, which lets you wait for the forecast. Glacier Wind and Hoonah Whale Tours are the two exceptions; they cannot be refunded or changed at all. The price guide sets out every refund rule, and the best time for whales in Hoonah describes the summer weather month by month.
If you would rather stay ashore
Not everyone in a group has to go out. Hoonah Beach House runs an Icy Strait village tour and crab feast, from ~$195, over 3 hours ashore with crab to finish. Its catch for a queasy traveler is a short stop aboard a local fishing boat to see the crab pulled up, according to the listing. It also has no whale watching at all. If you do want whales but fear a long trip, the private boat from Hoonah Whale Tours, from ~$314 per person, carries only your party, so asking the captain to head back early affects nobody else. Its catch is that it is non-refundable, priced per person. For more to do around the port, read Icy Strait Point on a port day. Choosing between Hoonah and Juneau helps if your ship stops at both.