Your adventure begins when you board the Nautilus Explorer mid-afternoon in the fishing village of Steveston which is 15 minutes from Vancouver International Aiport. We will depart late afternoon for a lovely dinner and sunset cruise up the Strait of Georgia and our overnight passage past Campbell River and Seymour Narrows.

When you wake up, the Nautilus Explorer will be in Johnstone Strait and approaching the Port Hardy area. Keep your eyes peeled as this is THE HOTSPOT for orcas with over 350 animals visiting this area every summer. The diving is pretty darn good and local dive sites such as Browning Wall have been repeatedly voted as #1 in the North America. Non-divers will be kept busy as well with kayak lessons, fishing opportunities and other activities led by our onboard naturalist.

Today we will visit beautiful Shushartie Bay. Divers will be able to do multiple dives on Dillon Rock - home to 8 wolfeels, at least 5 giant pacific octopus and loads of ratfish. We are also very likely to see black bears on the beach - during 2006 we counted 6 bears on the beach at one time including a sow and 3 cubs.

Enjoy the pristine white sand beaches of Hakai Pass, wonderful kayaking and more beautiful diving. If the weather cooperates, this is a great opportunity for a crab feast and bonfire on the beach with sand as soft as talcum powder.

Diving the wreck of the Transpac is normally only done by expedition divers who are technically trained. But not on the Nautilus Explorer! The bow of this great wreck is at 110 feet with the stern perched on a ledge at 285 feet almost straight down. For those who would rather not do a deep dive, the topography and marine life above the wreck are very interesting. Shoreside, everyone will have the opportunity to visit and explore the ghost town at the old cannery of Butedale and go for a hike up to Butedale Lake. Divers may well want to do a "dock dive" looking for bottles and more octopus. We will be departing mid-afternoon to steam northbound through famed Grenville Channel.

Morning arrival at Ketchikan for our mandatory clearance by U.S. Customs and a chance for everyone to stretch their legs and check out the "cruise ship version" of Alaska. Noon departure for the quintessential Alaskan community of Meyer's Chuck - with great diving, a great local gallery and a really nice walk through the rainforest. Underway late in the evening.

Monday morning transit of the scenic and twisting waterway of Wrangell Narrows where you are sure to see lots of bald eagles from very close up. Continuing on past the Petersburg for the short run to the spectacular icebergs, calving glaciers and seals basking on bergie bits at Le Conte Bay. Lots of time to 'play', kayak and take pictures in the icebergs.

Our exact itinerary will depend on the weather. But our plan is to explore the area around Icy Strait (where we have discovered the most incredible cold water dive site anywhere), Pelican, Elfin Cove, Point Adolphus, Baranoff Island and Sitka Sound (including amazing St. Lazaria Island)... You can bet that we will be on the lookout the entire time for the most interesting marine life that we can find and do everything possible to find "bubble net feeding" humpback whales.

Morning disembarkation for either a connecting flight home or a shoreside stay in the old Russian town of Sitka. 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.

There are some excellent dives on the outer coast of Alaska as well as some very interesting wrecks in the Juneau area. We will likely offer 3 dives per day on most dive days. Lots of other activities will be offered by our onboard naturalist including kayaking, birding and shorehikes as well as upclose viewing of icebergs, calving glaciers, spectacular scenery, black and grizzly bears, humpback whales, orcas, etc. 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.