Charter fees are quoted in $US and include all taxes and port fees

3rd Stateroom Occupant - $1495.00

Destinations

Remark
Full -- please inquire.

Trip Commentary
Alaska to Vancouver via the Queen Charlotte Islands (10 days/9 nights) -- this is the trip that all of our staff fight to get on!! Your adventure starts when you board the Nautilus Explorer in Juneau, Alaska on Saturday afternoon. Previous guests have often flown in the day before departure and spent time touring and looking around this very interesting city. Otherwise, you should fly into Juneau in time for to board after 1600 and get underway at 1800. After a relaxing and scenic dinner cruise of the Lynn Canal (and likely our first sighting of humpback whales) we should be able to get in a warmup dive, kayak lessons and a bit of fishing in before anchoring overnight. Sunday.. Divers will have the opportunity for a prebreakfast dive on the wreck of the passenger steamer Princess Sophia before getting underway for the icebergs, waterfalls and glaciers of spectacular Tracy Arm. Enroute, the crew will be keeping an eye out for a snorkel/dive/kayak opportunity around a suitable iceberg. Visiting Tracy Arm is an amazing experience and something that you will likely not forget for a long time. Underway at 2300 for an overnight run down the Inside Passage. Wake up Monday morning at Cape Commaney and the best dive on the entire west coast (weather permitting), excellent fishing or a shore hike followed by a short transit and anchorage at breathtakingly beautiful and remote Coronation Island. If we are lucky, this may be our chance to have a shore bonfire before an overnight transit to the Queen Charlotte Islands. Tuesday. After clearing Canada Customs, there will be the opportunity to explore the Haida village of Masset. This is a fantastic stop for anybody interested in First Nations culture as well as 'birding' or just going for a walk. Afternoon departure for the famous fishing hot-spot and great dive sites at Langara Island. Anchor overnight. Wednesday. We are planning on spending another day at Langara with more diving, great fishing, kayaking, exploration of the beautiful and deserted beach at Lepas Bay as well as a guided tour of the ancient Haida village of Kiusta. Thursday morning arrival at another ancient Indian village, 'Skedans' before for another tour followed by more exploration and activities along the east coast of Gwaii Haanas. Friday promises to be a busy day with the choice of a morning dive on the wreck of the Transpac (with it's spectacular orientation) or a shore visit to the abandoned community of Butedale. This is prime season for bear watching and the odds are excellent that we will see Grizzly bears today (and maybe even the rare 'Kermode' or white spirit bear). Later in the day, divers will have the opportunity to splash the sunken steamer 'Ohio'. After one of our last overnight runs of the trip, you can expect to wake up in 'world famous' Browning Pass (or maybe Dillon Rock) with more spectacular diving, octopus and wolfeels as well as activities for all the other folks onboard. Anchor overnight. Sunday. On our last full day at sea, we will be transitting Queen Charlotte Strait with a very good chance of seeing orcas and maybe even getting in the water with dolphins. In our experience, we have always had our best luck in viewing these critters during early September -- so our timing is just right!! You can count on more activities including a shore visit and diving the Stubbs Island area. Monday early afternoon arrival in Vancouver..... During our southbound adventure we will likely spend 3 nights at anchor and have 6 overnight transits. This particular trip should be one of our most interesting of the year with many and varied adventures over 10 days. Plus, in our opinion, early September usually has the nicest weather and some of the best 'vis' of the year. Please note that we operate with the philosophy that one of the best things about expedition yacht cruising is the flexibility to change itineraries 'mid-stream' and take advantage of changing conditions. For example, if the weather is beautiful, and the winds are calm, we might suggest diverting along the outside of Prince of Wales Island or even diving one of the offshore islands. Conversely, if the wind picks up, our suggestion would be to detour into the protected waters of the Inside Passage. The above itineraries are intended as an example only and our actual routing may be different. Notes on the activities. There are some excellent dives on the outer coast of Alaska as well as some very interesting wrecks in the Juneau area. However, please remember that these trips are the 'full meal deal' with lots of other activities including kayaking, fishing, birding and shorehikes as well as upclose viewing of icebergs, calving glaciers, spectacular scenery, black and grizzly bears, humpback whales, orcas, natural hot-springs, etc. We will likely do 15 - 16 'feature' dives during the 10 day/9 night trip. Fishermen will have the opportunity to go fishing for salmon or halibut from our small 8 hp skiffs. Please note that these skiffs are intended for use in sheltered waters only and that we do not allow jigging for rockfish along reef structures. Kayakers will have lots of opportunities to go paddling in our Necky Santa Cruz kayaks with instruction available to less experienced paddlers. We hope that you will join us and promise you a wonderful experience that you will never forget! We welcome all feedback, comments and ideas.