Alaska & BC
Alaska & British Columbia
To the lover
of pure wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the
world.
-John Muir, Travels in Alaska
Wildlife
Cruises:
Friday Harbor-Ketchikan
Ketchikan-Juneau
Juneau-Gustavus
Gustavus-Hoonah
Hoonah to Juneau
Juneau-Petersburg
Petersburg to Petersburg
Ketchikan-Port
McNeill
Port
McNeill to Friday Harbor
Photography
Trips:
Wildlife Special I with Betty Sederquist
Wildlife Special II with Brenda Tharp
Whales & Bearswith Don Paulson
Inside Passage Explorer
Friday Harbor - Ketchikan
Our cruise
starts in Friday Harbor, WA, one of the most popular destinations in the
San Juan Islands. Come enjoy the splendor and awesome grandeur of the
Inside Passage. We'll travel a long and rewarding passage through the
famous Inside Passage, passing through Discovery Passage and Johnstone
Straits, all the way to Ketchikan, AK.
This area alone provides a lifetime of cruising with more to see than can be described here. No other part of coastal northwestern North America offers so much wilderness as this stretch of the Inside Passage of northern British Columbia. It is wild and it is remote. This is an area for those hankering to explore areas still unexplored.
Check schedule
Across
Southeast
Ketchikan to Juneau
This trip
does it all! We'll begin in Ketchikan, a hard working town, and cruise
to Kasaan, a native village with an incredible totem park and a traditional
long house on 
an old village site. Then, onto Anan Creek, simply the best place
to witness black bears in their own habitat. We will cruise through Frederick
Sound and the very best humpback whale area in route to Pack Creek and
grizzly bears! Pack Creek is wonderful for observing brown bears and their
playful cubs. We'll focus on the needs and desires of the group: we'll
immerse the photographer in the wildlife and photographic highlights of
southeast Alaska. The possibilities are endless!
Check schedule
Glacier Bay/Icy Straits I
Juneau to Gustavus
Glacier Bay/Icy Straits II
Hoonah to Juneau
Join us aboard
the Delphinus for a creative holiday coupled with the natural wonders
of Glacier Bay and its associated wildlife. Explore the possibilities
of creatin
g images in a new way,
challenge yourself and expand your boundaries.
"...an imposing array of jagged spires and pyramids,
and flat-topped towers and battlements, of many shades of blue, from pale,
shimmering, limpid tones in the crevasses and hollows, to
the most startling, chilling, almost shrieking vitriol blue on the plain
mural spaces from which bergs had just been discharged."
-John Muir's description of Hugh Miller Glacier, Travels in Alaska.
Check schedule
Glacier Bay
Gustavus to Hoonah
Glacier Bay National Park is the pinnacle of spectacular scenery of mountainous, glaciated southeastern Alaska. It is the home of the most outstanding scenery of North America plus a haven of wildlife including grizzlies, black bears, humpback whales, sea otters and lots of bird life: nesting tufted and horned puffins, bald eagles, Kittiwakes and more.
John Muir
described this area as the "grandest place on Earth." He came
north to recharge his soul in southeast Alaska. He returned home fulfilled.
So, too, will you.
Explore back to the "beginning of time" at the foot of calving glaciers where life begins on bare gravel. The park is a living laboratory of ecological succession and an extremely important wildlife reserve, preserving life the way it was.
Check schedule
Wildlife Special I: A Photo Tour with
Betty Sederquist
Juneau to Wrangell
Our journey
combines everything that makes Alaska so special ...quiet moments with
wildlife, inspirational landscapes, remote villages, natural hot springs
and much more. Enjoy an in-depth sampling of all the adventures southeast
has to offer. Cruising in protected waters
, we'll visit calving
glaciers, the Ice Kingdom, Pack Creek and its special grizzly bear reserve
and we'll also visit Anan Creek for black bears! Plus, the best whale
waters of southeast, Frederick Sound. The boat will be our home for the
entire trip, allowing us to continually explore Frederick Sound and the
region around Admiralty Island.
As
we travel, some of the animals we might encounter include humpback and
orca whales, sea lions and seals, bald eagles and bears. Trips ashore
will provide us with opportunities to explore the ancient Tongass forest
and colorful native villages. before ending our cruise in Wrangell.
Betty
is a popular photo instructor and professional working photographer. She
has had a career in Alaska as an editor and acting photo editor for Alaska
magazine. She has years of professional experience in both teaching and
photography and has taught on Delphinus for the past 9 seasons. For more
information on Betty, see www.sederquist.com
Check schedule
Wildlife Special
II: A Photo Tour with
Berenda Tharp
Wrangell to Juneau
Your trip
starts in Wrangell, a small independent, frontier spirited town that displays
its Alaskan heritage proudly. Like Petersburg it epitomizes life and culture
in southeastern Alaska.From
one special bear reserve to another, we will
cruise through the protected waters of the I
nside
Passage into the heart of Alaska and one of the best humpback viewing
areas. We'll visit the two premier SE bear viewing locations: Anan Creek
for black bears and a few days later, Pack Creek where grizzly bears gather
to feast on salmon and berries. We will visit remote locations only accessible
by boat where we will explore ancient forests and experience old totems
and native art. Always
some new angle, some new light: sunny, misty, sunny again; broken clouds,
scattered clouds, overcast, clear; sunrises and sunsets that go on for
hours providing outstanding photo opportunities. It is always changing
and is great for dramatic photography. For more information on Brenda
see: www.brendatharp.com
Check schedule
Whales, Bears & Glaciers
Juneau to Petersburg
Our
journey combines everything that makes Alaska so special...quiet moments
with wildlife, inspirational landscapes, remote villages, natural hot
springs and much more. Enjoy an in-depth sampling of all the adventures
so
utheast
has to offer. Cruising in protected waters, we'll visit calving glaciers,
the Ice Kingdom, Pack Creek and its special grizzly
bear reserve and the best whale waters of southeast, Frederick Sound.
The boat will be our home for the entire trip, allowing us to continually
explore Frederick Sound and the region around Admiralty Island. As
we travel, some of the animals we might encounter include humpback and
orca whales, sea lions and seals, bald eagles and bears. Trips ashore
will provide us with opportunities to explore the ancient Tongass forest
and colorful native villages.
Check schedule
Heart of Southeast
Petersburg
to Petersburg
Imagine walking
along a salmon stream and viewing bears at the same time. Or, thrilling
to breaching whales and, if we're lucky, listening to the sound of bubble-net
feeding whales. We'll focus on Frederick Sound, in the very heart of southeast
Alaska's concentrated humpback whale watching area. Frederrick Sound is
where fully one-third of all humpbacks in the entire north Pacific are
found during the summer months. You'll be treated to wilderness scenery,
old-growth forests
and numerous backwater sanctuaries. In addition, we'll also visit the
best place for viewing grizzlies, Pack Creek on Admiralty Island.
Check
schedule
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Whales and Bears: A Photo Tour with Don Paulson
Petersburg to Ketchikan
This trip takes you to the center of southeast Alaska and to two unique towns as well. Visit the hard-working "real" town of Petersburg—a non-tourist town that proudly displays its Norwegian character. This special cruise emphasizes wildlife ...bears, whales, marine life and birds.
Picture book beauty is enhanced by close-up encounters with coastal grizzlies, black bears and humpback whales. You'll visit Admiralty Island that has the greatest concentration of both breeding brown bears and nesting bald eagles of any similar-size area in Alaska—or the world!
You will
cruise through Frederick Sound and the very best humpback viewing area
en route to Anan Creek, via Wrangle Narrows. Anan Creek is simply the
best place to witness black bears in their own habitat. Anan Creek also
hosts a wonderful old growth forest, waterfalls, and a salmon stream!
The scenery is always beautiful, the light always changing.
Photography is our main activity. You will photograph alongside professional
nature photographer, Don Paulson, www.donpaulson.com
both on shore and aboard the Delphinus. Don will be available throughout
the trip for any help or photo advice you may need. His passion for photography
is contagious and you will be inspired to try new and creative ways to
make photographs. If you are new to photography, Don will put you at ease
with his knack for clear and simple explanations to your questions. Advanced
photographers will benefit from Don’s extensive knowledge and many
years of working as a full-time nature photographer. Most evenings we
will eagerly download and view our photos for the day. Don will be available
to help you with any of your downloading or Photoshop questions.
Check
schedule
Spirit Bear Wilderness
Ketchikan to Port McNeill
British
Columbia and southeastern Alaska will provide you with a once-in-a-lifetime
adventure. Not only is Johnstone Strait home to the resident orcas of
Vancouver Island, this area also boasts a fascinating native culture.
This stretch of
the Inside Passage of northern British Columbia is brimming with wildlife.
It is a well-kept secret—or rather thousands of secrets. Princess Royal Island is the home of the white black bear, also called the kermode bear or Spirit bear. This is an area for those hankering to explore areas still unexplored. The island consists of a complex number of watersheds and inlets dominated by primeval ancient forests - each with their own personality. It is the home of abundant wildlife with characteristics of tameness similar to that of the Galapagos. We'll travel through Queen Charlotte Strait with potential feeding humpbacks and Orcas. Some of our best days with humpbacks and Pacific white-sided dolphins have occurred here.
Check
schedule
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Orcas, Wildlife and Native Culture
Port McNeill to Friday Harbor
More orcas
inhabit this region than exist in the rest of British Columbia and southeast
Alaska combined! This cruise spends time with resident orcas at two communities
as well as the transient orcas in betw
een.
The northernresident community is near Johnstone Strait and the southern
resident community is near Friday Harbor, Washington. This region, the
top of Vancouver Island to Friday Harbor, is the heart of a strong native
culture with well-developed art, religion and social structure.
The setting is one of unbelievable beauty - deep green bays rimmed by forests and mountains, punctuated by the black and white of the Orca whale. We will spend as much time as possible with the Orcas, visit bird pinniped rookeries and go ashore for brief hikes and beach combing. We will also make special visit to the wonderful native museums.
Check schedule
Dolphin
Charters operates under permit from the Tongass National Forest.
Dolphin Charters is an equal opportunity provider.
Supporter
of Leave No Trace Practices.
NOTE:
All itineraries and schedules are subject to change based on weather conditions
and the captain's discretion.