First Steps into Alaska: A Family Whale-Watching Legacy in Ketchikan

Photos credit: Noam Bedein

When you first arrive in Ketchikan, especially when you’re looking down from the 15th deck of a Princess Cruises ship, Alaska reveals itself in shades of mist, cedar green, and salt air. This was our family’s first-ever cruise. For many onboard, it was their first footprint on Alaskan soil, and the welcome felt more like stepping into someone’s living room than just another busy port.

Ketchikan, known as Alaska’s First City and The Salmon Capital of the World, hugs the forested coastline in the state’s far southeast. Fewer than 9,000 people live here year-round, yet from April through October, more than 2.4 million visitors arrive by sea, hoping to experience wild places and unforgettable encounters.

Our own search brought us to One Eagle Tours, a family-run eco-tour company that has guided curious travelers through these waters for over 25 years. At the heart of it all is Jesse, the father and captain, who has spent decades at the wheel, guiding visitors toward whales, sea lions, bald eagle nests, and the rich stories that live in these channels.

Before we set out, we met Melanie, Jesse’s wife, who introduce us to her stepdaughter Morgan, who proudly shared how she became one of Ketchikan’s first female whale-watching skippers. Although we toured with Jesse that day, hearing Morgan’s story added something special to our experience and showed us how family tradition and quiet change can go hand in hand.

Once aboard, we found our spots on the sturdy two-level boat. Below deck was warm and cozy while the open upper deck offered the full force of the Alaskan summer wind, which feels more like fall or winter for anyone arriving from the Middle East. Even in July, the chill flushes your cheeks and reminds you that wild places should feel wild.

As Jesse eased us away from the dock, our first glimpse of Alaska’s untamed spirit came quickly. A bald eagle perched near its enormous nest, estimated to be 20 or 30 years old, on a forested island close enough to see every feather. Moments later, another eagle swooped low across the water, talons skimming for fish. For many on board, seeing America’s national symbol in its natural home was reason enough to smile through the drizzle.

Farther out, Jesse steered us past small colonies of sea lions stretched out across rocky outcroppings. Their barks echoed under the heavy summer sky while our kids pressed their faces to the windows, pointing and laughing each time one slipped beneath the waves and popped up again somewhere new.

The real magic waited out in deeper water. Jesse scanned the horizon for spouts with the calm focus that comes from a lifetime at sea. “Patience always pays off out here,” he told us, and he was right.

First, we spotted a distant plume, the soft burst of air from a humpback’s blowhole. Then another appeared. Finally, we saw the massive dark back arching just meters from the boat, barnacles glistening when the clouds broke. A fin surfaced for a breath before the whale disappeared into the depths again. At one point, a pair moved quickly right past us, their backs slicing through the water for a moment before slipping away.

We did not see the dramatic tail rise or a breach this time, but even that brief encounter, so close and so quiet, was enough. Seeing such a huge, intelligent animal glide past in its own world is something we will never forget.

On deck, we exchanged quiet smiles with other families. Grandparents pointed out the whales to grandchildren. Couples leaned close under blankets. Solo travelers with big cameras whispered that this was the dream that brought them north. For many, this was a memory for a lifetime, a moment to keep forever.

As we turned back toward town, the crew shared stories of life here, of young people who come from all over the country to spend a season working on the boats, and of locals who leave and inevitably find their way back. Something in these waters and forests always calls them home again.

When we stepped off the boat, we understood Ketchikan a little better. This is not just the first port of call for many travelers. It is the beating heart of what makes Alaska feel alive: tight-knit families, a deep respect for nature, and a welcome that makes an island so far away feel like home, if only for a day.

We are grateful to One Eagle Tours, to Jesse for finding the whales, to Melanie for greeting our family, for Morgan sharing her story as Ketchikan’s first female whale-watching skipper, and to the warm young crew who made sure we stayed curious and comfortable. Our first step into Alaska this time around, came wrapped in mist, eagles overhead, and the spout of a humpback beside us. We would not have had it any other way.