ORCA QUEST CRUISE

• Complimentary coffee, tea, and water are provided. Snacks, beverages, beer, and wine are available for purchase during the cruise.
• Departure location: Seward Harbor 360 Hotel
• Vessel: Orca Song (cruise typically runs on this vessel, but vessel is subject to change)
• Not wheelchair accessible and not recommended for guests with limited mobility. More information about vessel wheelchair accessibility can be found here.

• Though orcas may frequent the same areas day after day, they can be seen anywhere in Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park.
• Three types of orcas can be seen in the area: resident, transient, and offshore.
• Orca pods are matriarchal and families often stay together for their entire lives.
• Resident pods of orcas frequent the area from mid-May through mid-June to feed on salmon, socialize with other pods, and mate. These are the most commonly seen orcas on our cruises.
• Our experienced captains can often identify specific pods and individual orcas by characteristics such as notches in dorsal fins, scars, and saddle patches (the white patch behind the dorsal fin).
• Transient orcas are seen less frequently and visit the area to feed on Steller sea lions, Dall’s porpoises, and harbor seals.
• Resident orcas are much more playful than transients. They can often be seen at the surface of the water, breaching and tail slapping. They travel in larger pods and have shorter down times underwater. Resident pods also communicate more than transients.
• Transient orcas are more elusive. Since they prey on marine mammals rather than fish, their prey is much harder to catch and they have to spend more time hunting. They have to be stealthy to survive, traveling in much smaller pods without much socializing between pods. Each transient pod has inherited their own methods of hunting, passed down from the older generations of their pod.
• Offshore orcas are the most elusive of the three types of orcas. They live far out to sea and rarely visit the areas that we explore on our cruises. Offshore orcas travel in large groups and prey on fish and sharks.

Will I see any orcas on this cruise?
While we cannot guarantee whale sightings, our captains visit orca hot spots and communicate with other vessels about recent orca sightings to give our guests the best chances of viewing orcas and other whales. On average, we see orcas on 90% of our Orca Quest Cruises. The longer you are on the water, the greater your chances are of seeing whales. Orcas are most frequently seen in the area from mid-May to mid-June, which is why we run this cruise during that time.

Is a meal included on this cruise?
No, there is no meal included on this cruise. We have a snack bar onboard, and you are more than welcome to bring your own food with you. Glass containers and personal alcohol are not permitted.

Will we see any other marine life on this tour?
While the main focus of the cruise is orca viewing, we often see other wildlife including humpback whales, Dall’s porpoises, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, and seabirds.