Dear friends, we are no longer offering wildlife viewing tours aboard the Sea Breeze. We appreciate your understanding. We are still operating our Cliff House B&B.
Thank you!
Welcome aboard the M/V Sea Breeze
When you come to Kodiak, be sure to bring your camera, because Kodiak is a wildlife viewing wonderland. Here you can enjoy a crowd-free experience: Be amazed at puffins, watch sea otters play with their food, and relax like a harbor seal sun bathing on a rock. Plus, whales of all shapes and sizes frequent Kodiak Island waters. We hope to see you on one of our Kodiak wildlife cruises.
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." ~John Muir
All photos ©Marion Owen. All rights reserved.
Kodiak Wildlife Viewing on our Wildlife Cruises and Tours
We are longtime residents of Kodiak. Marion is an accomplished photographer and taught photography classes through the University of Alaska for 15 years. She continues to host photography workshops. Her images hang in The Smithsonian and have been picked up by Patagonia, Pillsbury, Reader's Digest and National Geographic Traveler, among others. If you have questions about what camera equipment to bring: Email Marion.
Marty was Kodiak's harbormaster for 20 years and his family roots in Kodiak date back to the 1930's. Lots of local knowledge, history and fun stories to share...
Nature provides the setting and we bathe you in hospitality. ~Marty and Marion Owen
Kodiak is off the beaten path...
...Which means wildlife is closer than you think. As Captain Marty navigates along the coastline sprinkled with spruce trees and wildflowers, you'll see why Kodiak is called "Alaska's Emerald Isle". Large picture windows and 360-degree access inside the boat and out on the decks, provide you with perfect viewing, which means excellent picture-taking opportunities. Many of Marion's award-winning photographs were taken along our tour routes.
She (the Sea Breeze) is a nicely appointed, 42-foot classic yacht, with your safety and comfort in mind, from the cozy cabin and cardamom coffee to the Coast Guard-approved emergency equipment.
We love to share Kodiak!
Since 2003, we have hosted family reunions, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, birthdays, the Discovery Channel, Disney, Natural Habitat Adventures, cruise ship guests, the History Channel, birders, congressmen, state governors, and professional photographers.
Kodiak--as the second largest island in the U.S.--is famous for its hospitality, coastal scenery, close-up wildlife, and its colorful, working community. Many of our guests say, "Wow, Kodiak is a real town!
What our guests say about Kodiak wildlife cruises:
Thank you for an amazing trip. The whole experience was amazing for our eyeballs and our bellies. – Paul and Bec from Australia
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What an amazing time we had on the Sea Breeze! Certainly an experience we will remember for many years to come. The boat is really a treasure. Thanks for sharing so much of your knowledge of Kodiak. – Holly and Grant L.
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Thanks so much for being such great hosts and guides. We’ve had a wonderful time enjoying the views and the stories. We’ve never done anything quite like it. We also now love puffins. – Ryan and Hailey B.
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Thank you so much for this experience and for all that you did for us. Our family has really enjoyed it and we will come back again. – The Lairds
About our Kodiak wildlife viewing tours:
The length of our tours range from 3 to 6 hours, depending on your interests and the weather. Every day provides a different palette of highlights in the way of animals, birds, light, sky, tides, and ocean patterns. Our goal is to share the best of Kodiak. Our tours generally run from May through September. Check out our tour sampler:
1. Join us for a Puffin Parade (3 hours)
Everyone loves puffins and Kodiak is home to two of the world's three species of puffins. Photographers and birders flock to Kodiak to see our horned and tufted puffins up close. During this personalized tour, you’ll cruise Kodiak’s barrier islands and bays for seabird rookeries, eagles, sea lion haul-outs, playful sea otters, perhaps whales... and puffins! Marion provides photo tips for capturing great shots of these amazing birds.
Included: Special box lunch, refreshment or snacks depending on tour time.
2. Walk among wild orchids and WWII Quonset huts (5 hours)
In the late 1930s, Kodiak was deemed a strategic location for protecting the North Pacific. Suddenly there were runways, docks, outposts, searchlight and ammunition bunkers, and Quonset huts to house the troops popping up around the Kodiak Island archipelago. The population of Kodiak soared to almost 25,000. Today, many structures still stand.
Located on Long Island, near the City of Kodiak, is a "village" of Quonset huts and bunkers still stand as one of the only clusters of Quonset huts remaining in the world.
On this special tour, you'll step back in history as you hike around this unique village on wide paths that once rattled with jeeps and trucks. You'll wander through moss-covered Sitka spruce trees, spot soaring eagles, tip-toe through spectacular wildflower meadows and tiny wild orchids, learn about edible wild plants, and listen to bird songs along the way.
Included: Special box lunch, refreshments and snacks. Ask us for more information about Kodiak’s military history.
Note: Guests must be physically fit, as this tour requires hiking and getting in and out of an inflatable raft to access the beach from the Sea Breeze.
3. Share a day with folks who embrace subsistence living (5 hours)
Where and how do people live on Kodiak Island? Some choose the conveniences of town near the City of Kodiak, while others enjoy a subsistence lifestyle, living off the land and the grid. On this unique tour, you'll meet a couple who have cleared a plot of land, built their own home and established extensive gardens and greenhouses. They've set up systems to collect water and generate power, harvesting as much of their own food as possible. On the way to and from, we’ll look for sea otters, puffins and whales.
Included: Special box lunch, refreshments and snacks.
Note: Guests must be physically fit, as this tour requires hiking and getting in and out of an inflatable raft to access the beach from the Sea Breeze.
Pricing for our tours:
Our wildlife viewing tours range from $250 to $450 per person depending on the tour selected. We can also customize tours to fit your needs. Please contact us with your dates, ideas and questions.
Personal note from Marty & Marion
As your hosts, we enjoy attending to your hopes, needs, and dreams. Kodiak is magic. You’ll feel relaxed and renewed because nourishing the body, mind and soul is our number one priority.
If you have any questions or when it’s time to book your tour, please Email Us.
Cheers and blessings to you,
Marty and Marion Owen
More About Kodiak Wildlife
Native Mammals
Only six species of land mammals occur naturally within Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. These include:
Kodiak brown bear (Ursus arctus middendorffi)
Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
River otter (Lutra canadensis)
Ermine (Mustela erminea)
Tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus)
Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)
(Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
Introduced Species
Between the 1920’s and 1960’s, several species of non-native mammals were introduced to the archipelago. Eight species established, spread, and now commonly occur on the refuge:
Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis)
Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus)
Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti)
Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
Beaver (Castor canadensis)
Red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus)
Pine marten (Martes americana).
(Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Habitiat
Kodiak Wildlife Refuge terrain is mostly mountainous dissected by fiords and deep river valleys carved by ancient glaciers. Diverse refuge wildlands, ranging from Sitka spruce forest on Afognak Island to rolling tundra on the Aliulik Peninsula, help sustain 3,500 brown bears within the Kodiak archipelago, support over 400 breeding pairs of bald eagles, and provide essential migration and breeding habitat for another 250 species of wildlife.
Brown Bears
Kodiak brown bears are a distinct subspecies from mainland brown bears because they have been isolated on the Kodiak Island archipelago since the last ice age, about 12,000 years ago. A rich variety of vegetation, salmon, and berries provide ideal habitat for bears, and their population flourishes, estimated at about 3,000 bears within the boundaries of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
NOTE: If you are interested in a fabulous bear-viewing trip, we highly recommend contacting Sea Hawk Air
Birds
The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge and the surrounding marine waters are a birder’s paradise. A total of 247 species, from Belted Kingfishers to Emperor Geese, have been observed on the Kodiak archipelago and winter bird counts are among the highest in Alaska. NOTE: The Kodiak Audubon Society hosts evens all year. During the summer, members volunteer as guides on fabulous hikes every Saturday and Sunday.
Visit Us in Kodiak
A visit to Kodiak endears you with bragging rights! We invite you to experience what many people say when they come here: “Wow, this is real Alaska!” If you enjoy hiking, sipping a latte or micro-brew beer, kayaking, bear viewing, gardening (how do you grow stuff in Alaska, anyway?), discovering local art, reading a good book on the beach, or taking pictures, Kodiak is for you.
We are longtime residents of Kodiak. Marion is an accomplished photographer and taught photography classes through the University of Alaska for 15 years. She continues to host photography workshops.
Marty was Kodiak's harbormaster for 20 years and his family roots in Kodiak date back to the 1930's. Lots of local knowledge, history and fun stories to share...
Discover Kodiak Destination Video
Connect with Marion Owen
