WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHING
Quick dry material is always best for any activity in Ketchikan. If you get wet in a pair of blue jeans, you’ll be wet the rest of the day.We provide paddle jackets and bibs for our guests and have pogies (neoprene paddling mitts) to keep your hands warm on cold days. Please wear one or 2 layers under your coat (on chilly days) as it is best to have a layer or two under our paddle jacket.
Fleece, wool and technical fabrics are ideal. On cold or rainy days it is a good idea to pack a warm hat, gloves and an extra layer to put on after you kayak. A baseball cap is helpful on both sunny and rainy days.
Despite Ketchikan’s reputation for rain there are many days when sunglasses and sunscreen are needed on the water. Sneakers, sport sandals or rubber boots are the best shoes for kayaking: your feet will not get wet. Hiking boots can be too bulky to fit in the kayak and may make it difficult to use the rudders.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO BRING GOOD CAMERAS
We have dry bags of several different sizes to accommodate cameras, binoculars and any other items you would like to bring on the kayaks with you. Waterproof cameras are great but don’t be afraid to bring a good digital SLR camera and put it in one of our dry bags. There are plenty of opportunities for photography and you don’t want to miss an amazing shot.
That said, while most of our tours do provide time for photography, some days can be breezy and may require paddlers spend the majority of the time with their paddles in their hands.
PLAN WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BRING IN THE KAYAK WITH YOU
Once you arrive at our mothership our guides will provide a place for you to store your backpacks and purses and give you a dry bag for the items you would like to bring kayaking. We don’t take anything on the water that is not in a dry bag.
Cameras, binoculars, an extra layer and essential medications can go in the dry bags. It is a good idea to separate the things you’ll want to bring on the kayak from the things that can stay on the catamaran with the host. We provide water on the catamaran but you are always welcome to bring your own water bottles.
TURN ON YOUR CELL PHONE
Please turn on your cell phone once you arrive in Ketchikan. Our guides carry a cell phone to the meeting place and will call the cell phone number listed on the reservation if you are not in the right spot at the right time.
Phones often get better service here when you turn your roaming on, but AT&T, Verizon, T Mobile, Sprint do not get roaming charges in southeast Alaskan ports.
We may also try to call you if there are changes to your cruise ship schedule or concerns with the weather.
ALLOW TIME TO FIND THE MEETING PLACE
We meet our guests at cruise ship berth 3. We arrive 10 minutes before each departure with a Blue Sign “Orca Cove”. Look for the large Red sign “Visitor Information/Restrooms” building on the pier next to Sockeye Sam’s store at 425 Water Street. If it’s raining we may be under the green roof shelter there.
Depending on which berth your cruise ship comes into you will need to 1 to 6 minutes to meet us. Berth 3 is central to all 4 downtown docks.
*** If you are docking at the Mill at Ward Cove (All Norwegian Cruises and some others) you will need to take a 15 minute shuttle downtown and then walk about 5 minutes from berth 4 to berth 3. Please plan accordingly and call or email us with any itinerary concerns.
REMEMBER THE TIME CHANGE
If Ketchikan is the first stop on your cruise remember that Ketchikan is one hour behind Seattle. Alaska has its own time zone: one hour behind the West Coast and four hours behind the East Coast.
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Contact us any time with questions. Check out our FAQ for answers to many common questions. Read our Blog to see what has been happening lately at Southeast Sea Kayaks.