Ketchikan, Alaska: The Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure

Ketchikan’s Mountain Point offers an unusual way to see Alaska: from the water, looking down at kelp, rock walls, sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, fish, and other small creatures. You wear a full 7mm wetsuit with hood, boots, and gloves, so the cold is far less of a concern than most people expect.

I like the heated changing rooms and the small group limit of 10. I also like that PADI-trained guides handle the instruction and stay with you in the water, making this a reasonable choice for a first snorkel outing. The main drawback is clear: this is rated Most Strenuous, and you enter from a rocky beach where currents may be present.

Key points before you book

• 65-degree summer water: Long daylight hours and the lack of nearby glaciers can bring mid-summer surface temperatures to a surprising 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Heated preparation area: You change into your gear at the shop, with secure storage for your belongings and warm drinks waiting afterward.
• One hour in the water: The full tour lasts three hours, including transport, changing, instruction, and a guided marine-life tour.
• Small groups of 10: Your PADI professional can give more direct help than you would get on a large shore excursion.
• Rocky entry and physical effort: You need reasonable fitness, comfort in the water, and the ability to manage a strenuous shoreline entry.
• A different Ketchikan experience: This is not a standard wildlife cruise or forest walk. You spend much of the active portion looking beneath the surface.

Why Mountain Point is worth seeing from the water

Ketchikan is famous for rain, forests, salmon, and shore excursions. Mountain Point adds another layer, one that is easy to miss if you stay on land. The site has shallow tide pools, underwater rock walls, kelp, and sheltered areas where small marine animals gather.

You may see multi-colored sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, fish, and other invertebrates. The point is not to expect a giant-animal show at every turn. The appeal is the close look at ordinary marine life that you would not notice from a ship or dock.

The site is about five miles from the ship area, so you are not spending the whole outing in transit. The setting also helps explain why the water can be comfortable in mid-summer. Unlike many parts of coastal Alaska, this area does not have glaciers feeding directly into the nearby water, and the long summer days give the surface time to warm.

That does not mean you enter in a swimsuit and feel tropical. You still wear a thick wetsuit, hood, gloves, and boots. It does mean the equipment does its job well. A participant in late June found the wetsuit warm enough that cold was not an issue, and a September participant also reported feeling comfortable in the water. Conditions can change, but the full suit is a major reason this works in Alaska.

Meeting at Berth 2 and getting ready

Your meeting point is the Liquid Sunshine Gauge beside the Ketchikan Visitors Center at Berth 2 in downtown Ketchikan. This is useful for cruise passengers because the location is in the main port area rather than at a distant marina.

From there, roundtrip transportation takes you toward the shop and Mountain Point. The shop is on the way to the water, and you change there in heated dressing rooms. That small detail matters. Putting on a thick wetsuit outdoors, especially in wet weather, would make the start of the outing much less pleasant.

Bring a swimsuit or beachwear, a towel, a change of clothes, and an extra pair of socks. The socks go under the wetsuit boots. You also have secure storage for your belongings, so you do not need to carry everything down to the rocky shoreline.

The operator provides the mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit, hood, boots, gloves, and optional weight belts for breath-hold swimming. Prescription masks are available, which is a useful touch if ordinary rental masks are a poor fit for you. Drinking water, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate are also provided.

A careful lesson before you enter the water

The guides are PADI professionals with qualifications that may include Snorkeling Tour Guide, Rescue Diver, Divemaster, or SCUBA Instructor. They also hold CPR and First Aid certifications.

You receive full instructions before getting into the water. For a beginner, this is one of the strongest parts of the outing. Snorkeling looks easy from shore, but a mask that leaks, fins that feel awkward, or a wetsuit that fits poorly can make the first few minutes frustrating. A guide who checks your equipment and explains the entry can prevent small problems from becoming serious ones.

The group limit is 10 people. That is large enough to keep the outing social, but small enough for the guide to keep an eye on everyone. The guides also provide an informative marine-life talk, including the chance to learn about and handle some of the smaller animals.

You should still take the physical warnings seriously. The tour is rated Most Strenuous. You enter from a rocky beach, currents may be present, and the water portion requires steady movement while wearing fins and a thick suit. The operator says it is not suitable for people with back or mobility problems, heart or respiratory conditions, epilepsy, a history of seizures or fainting, or serious fitness limitations.

The stated weight range is 80 to 260 pounds. Children under 8 cannot participate, and the suggested age limit is 65, depending on fitness. The limits are not minor footnotes. They tell you that this is an active shore excursion, not a seated boat ride with a quick look over the side.

What the one-hour marine-life tour is like

The guided water portion lasts about one hour. You move over shallow tide pools and kelp areas, looking for animals attached to rocks or moving across the bottom.

Sea stars and sea urchins are among the likely highlights. Sea cucumbers and colorful invertebrates add variety, while fish move through the kelp. The shallow sections are especially useful for beginners because you can focus on breathing, clearing your mask, and staying balanced without immediately dealing with deep water.

Mountain Point also has steep underwater rock walls. These give stronger swimmers a chance to explore along the edge, and optional weight belts are available for people interested in breath-hold swimming. You should not feel pressured to use them. The regular guided snorkel is the heart of the experience, and the guide’s job is to keep the outing suitable for the group.

The water may not be perfectly calm every day. A September outing had rougher conditions, though the guide team helped the group manage them. That is worth keeping in mind when you picture clear, glassy water. The area is described as calm and clear, but coastal conditions still depend on the day, tide, and weather.

Wildlife sightings also vary. You may see many small sea animals, but there is no guarantee of whales or other large wildlife. One outing had no whales nearby. I would book this for the underwater habitat, not as a whale-watching trip with snorkeling added on.

The guide makes the difference for beginners

The strongest praise for this outing centers on the staff. The team is described as patient, friendly, professional, and helpful, with particular care given to making first-time participants feel comfortable.

That matters because the first challenge is often not the wildlife. It is getting used to the mask, breathing through a snorkel, moving in fins, and walking over a rocky entry in bulky equipment. A calm guide can give you time to settle in instead of treating nervousness as a nuisance.

The guides also add context to what you see. Rather than simply pointing at a sea star and moving on, the tour includes information about marine animals and their place in the local water. The result is more engaging than swimming around on your own with rented gear.

All instruction is in English. If you need close assistance or have limited comfort in English, consider that before booking.

How the $189 price compares with the experience

At $189 per person, this is not a cheap add-on. The value depends on how much you want a specialized outing rather than a general Ketchikan sightseeing tour.

The price includes transportation from downtown, the full equipment package, heated changing rooms, secure storage, instruction, in-water supervision, and roughly an hour of guided snorkeling. You are also paying for trained staff, rescue and first-aid preparation, and equipment that would be costly to assemble for one short port visit.

The 7mm suit is particularly important to the calculation. You do not need to rent a wetsuit, buy gloves, find suitable boots, or figure out how to get yourself to Mountain Point. You arrive at the meeting point and the main practical pieces are handled for you.

I would consider it good value if you enjoy water activities, have already tried snorkeling, or want an unusual shore excursion. It is less appealing if you want the maximum number of minutes in the water for your money. The full outing takes three hours, but only about one hour is the guided marine-life portion. The rest is transport, changing, instruction, and preparation, all necessary but still part of the time you should count.

Compared with a casual beach activity, the price is high. Compared with a professionally supervised, cold-water snorkeling trip with full equipment and transport, it is easier to justify.

Who should book this Ketchikan excursion

You are a good fit if you are reasonably fit, comfortable around water, and curious about small marine life. It is especially well suited to someone who has already done ordinary snorkeling and wants something more distinctive in Alaska.

Beginners can also enjoy it. The guides provide instruction, full equipment, and in-water supervision, and the small group makes it easier to ask for help. You do not need to arrive as an expert snorkeler.

I would be cautious if you dislike rocky shore entries, have trouble walking in uneven areas, or find close-fitting equipment uncomfortable. The wetsuit is warm, but it is also thick and restrictive compared with a swimsuit. You need enough strength and balance to manage the shoreline and water conditions.

This is also not the right choice if your main goal is to see whales. Large wildlife might appear in the area, but the stated focus is the underwater habitat and its smaller animals.

Practical details that can make the day easier

Book a starting time that leaves a generous cushion before your ship’s departure. The stated duration is three hours, and you need to return from Mountain Point, change out of the wetsuit, and ride back to downtown.

Wear a swimsuit under your clothes and bring the requested towel, extra socks, and dry clothing. The socks are easy to forget, but they make the wetsuit boots more comfortable. Warm drinks are available after the water portion, which is welcome even when the suit has kept you comfortable.

Read the waiver and medical restrictions carefully before paying. Every participant must sign a release form. Anyone with heart conditions, respiratory disorders, or a history of seizures or fainting will be denied participation, and serious weight, mobility, or fitness concerns can also rule out the outing.

The operator offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure and allows you to reserve while paying later. Those policies help if your cruise schedule is still shifting, but they do not change the need to choose a realistic time and check the ship’s port schedule.

Should you book Mountain Point Snorkeling?

Book it if you want an active, unusual Ketchikan experience and the idea of seeing sea stars, kelp, urchins, fish, and other marine life appeals to you more than another standard shore tour. The full wetsuit, heated changing area, capable guides, and small group make this much more approachable than trying to arrange cold-water snorkeling on your own.

Skip it if you are out of shape, have any of the listed medical conditions, dislike rocky entries, or want a guaranteed whale sighting. At $189, the tour asks for a serious commitment of time, money, and physical effort.

For the right person, this is a memorable way to see Southeast Alaska from an angle most cruise passengers never get. Just treat it as a strenuous marine-life outing, not a gentle swim.

FAQ

Where does the tour meet in Ketchikan?

Meet at the Liquid Sunshine Gauge beside the Ketchikan Visitors Center at Berth 2 in downtown Ketchikan.

How long does the experience last?

The full experience lasts three hours. About one hour is spent on the guided marine-life tour in the water.

What is included in the price?

Roundtrip transportation, instructions, in-water supervision, secure storage, drinking water, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and all snorkeling equipment are included. Equipment includes a 7mm wetsuit, hood, boots, gloves, mask, fins, snorkel, and optional weight belts for breath-hold swimming.

How warm is the water?

Surface water temperatures can reach about 65 degrees Fahrenheit in mid-summer. You wear a full 7mm wetsuit with hood, boots, and gloves.

What should I bring?

Bring a towel, swimsuit or beachwear, an extra pair of socks, and a change of clothes.

Is the tour suitable for children and older participants?

Children under 8 cannot participate. People over 65 are listed as unsuitable, although the suggested age limit also depends on physical fitness.

Can I cancel the booking?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. The tour also allows you to reserve now and pay later.