ALASKAN OWNED & OPERATED SUPPORT LOCAL!

About Us

Sea Wolf Adventures is a green, conservation-driven, eco-tourism small ship cruise adventure company. As rugged as it appears, Southeast Alaska’s environment encompasses hundreds of vulnerable ecosystems. These systems, in the air and on land and water, are melded together by fragile food webs that support the amazing flora and fauna that makes up that part of planet earth. Sea Wolf Adventures specializes in natural history cruises that explore the glacial fjords, traveling to where new life is attaching itself to barren, glacial scrubbed rock and then following the succession of plant and animal life in Glacier Bay National Park. Expert naturalists share not only their botany, geology, marine- and wildlife knowledge, but also past and current climate sciences about the wilderness, its known affects and possible outcomes. Sea Wolf Adventures operates under the belief that immersing guests in a pristine wilderness brings home to each person how there are not many places left like this in the world. Most harbor a dream of rebuilding fractured ecosystems in their own neighborhoods, towns, states and countries with a sustainable and green plan that promotes healthy lifestyles for humans and a future for all living things. Sea Wolf is trying to do just that in Alaska.

THE SEA WOLF

The good ship Sea Wolf is an before 97′ ocean-going ship that carries 12 passengers plus 5-6 crew in great comfort. She is an amazing expedition platform for cruising, wildlife spotting, whale watching and as a kayaking mothership. The Sea Wolf has many guest areas including a main viewing salon, covered aft viewing/dining deck and a wonderful wide bow. Our aft deck is enclosed in eisen glass and heated. There is a large outdoor viewing deck behind the wheelhouse. The side decks are also covered for your sightseeing comfort. Our staterooms each have their own bathrooms including shower, sink and head. We carry an extensive naturalist library for our guests to enjoy. Our crew are all fun, knowledgeable and eager to share their naturalist lore and stories. We carry 6 double kayaks for guests and 2 guide kayaks. We also have a 18′ Rigid inflatable for shore excursions. The Sea Wolf is an incredibly stable vessel and our waters as a rule as glassy calm for a wonderful cruising adventure.

Capacity: 12 guests in 6 staterooms

Year Built: 1941

Remodeled: 2003/2019

Crew Members: 5-6 crew members

Length: 97 feet

Beam: 22’6

Cruising Speed: 8 knots

The Crew

Kimber Owen

Captain/Naturalist
Kimber has had a variety of life experiences with people, horses and wildlife. Her love for nature and dedication to the conservation of wildlife and habitat brought her to purchasing the Sea Wolf. A driving passion of Kimber's is providing opportunities for adventure and immersion in the wilderness for people of all abilities. Kimber lives in Gustavus and cannot imagine living elsewhere. This will be her 22nd year as owner/operator of Sea Wolf Adventures.

Keith Thompson

Captain
Keith resides in Alaska, where he splits his time seasonally between the capital city of Juneau and Gustavus. His ever-growing curiosity and love of remote places has led him on numerous voyages to Antarctica and the Arctic as a naturalist and photographic expert. For Keith, being in the wilderness is always an educational experience and being a Captain with a naturalists knowledge gives him agency for learning and sharing together. Keith has been captaining the Sea Wolf for 4 years.

Darren Sparks

Captain
I am a passionate captain with a deep love for exploration and learning- very interested in the intricate balance of the ecological systems of SE Alaska. I bring years of experience in the Pacific Northwest , Alaska and the mighty Mississippi, Columbia and Snake rivers. Off duty I scuba dive and fish in Southwest Florida from my 45' motor yacht. Near future plans are to bring her through the Panama Canal and explore the west coast to Alaska.

Joe Rush

Port Engineer
Joe has worked on the Sea Wolf engines since 2003 when he worked for Tri County Marine Diesel. We love Joe as much as our engine does so when he retired we are happy he is back aboard the Sea Wolf as our Port and relief engineer. He is retired Navy and lives on Whidby Island, WA.

Alex Westcott

Engineer
Alex grew up in Gustavus, Alaska and spent his summers commercial crabbing on his family's boat in the majestic waters of Glacier Bay. After acquiring a degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University, he worked across the pacific northwest in habitat conservation and climate change related forest research. While in school, he served as Chief Operator for KSVR-FM where he did both broadcast engineering and program production. He moved back to his hometown in 2020 and now focuses on keeping the Sea Wolf running smoothly!

Paul Granthem

Engineer
Paul is from Wyoming and loves the outdoors

Sven Hooson

Chef
Sven knows his way around a kitchen having worked and studied in a variety of restaurant, pub and bakery settings. His first year on the Sea Wolf in 2021 earned him accolades after each meal. He is also a keen blues guitarist and singer, outdoor enthusiast and expert kayaker. He lives in Gustavus with his partner.

Jenny Hahn

Author, Professor, Naturalist & Kayak Guide
NATURALIST JENNY HAHN HAS MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF WILDERNESS TRAVEL UNDER HER BOOTS AND KAYAK HULL—INCLUDING KAYAKING SOLO FROM KETCHIKAN, ALASKA, TO WASHINGTON. CURRENTLY SHE IS A PROFESSOR AT WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY'S FAIRHAVEN COLLEGE, TEACHING COURSES ON NORTHWEST WILD FOOD AND THE SALISH SEA ECOLOGY. JENNY GUIDED HER FIRST TRIP WITH THE SEA WOLF IN 2011--A WILD FORAGING TRIP. IN 2015 JENNY TOOK A SABBATICAL AS SHE RECEIVED A GRANT TO STUDY SEAWEED TOXICOLOGY IN THE SALISH SEA. SHE IS CURRENTLY SHARING HER RESEARCH RESULTS WITH TRIBES & FIRST NATIONS AND DIVIDES HER TIME BETWEEN TEACHING, WRITING AND GUIDING.

Yarrow Platt

Naturalist/Deckhand
Yarrow grew up near the waters of Glacier Bay National Park, in rural Gustavus, Alaska. She’s spent her life exploring, hiking, kayaking and adventuring in SE Alaska and lives as closely connected to the lands as possible by hunting, fishing and gathering other wild edibles from the surrounding area. Yarrow holds a certificate in Outdoor Studies and Leadership from the University of Alaska Southeast and is pursuing a degree in the Outdoor Studies program. She has spent the last two summers as a Kayak Guide in Glacier Bay and enjoys ski instructing and backcountry skiing in the winter. Yarrow has always had an interest in the maritime industry and is excited for her first season on the Sea Wolf.

Laurel Khan

Chef
A woman with a past has a story to tell…I guess that’s like saying “live life to the fullest”, which I have strived to accomplish on all avenues, my life has wandered. Raising three awesome boys has been my proudest and hardest accomplishment. My career/personal path definitely veered here, there, up and around…starting with Oregon State, University of Minnesota, VISTA Volunteer in Decatur IL, Marriage, Motherhood, Culinary School, past 16+ years owning Mackinaws restaurant, the past 3 years owning my boat “Hygge” and running a small catering cruising business. I am truly excited for my next adventure; my love for cooking, my love of the water and boating and the chance to be a part of the Sea Wolf family makes this the perfect next “road” to travel.

Monika Becker

Naturalist/Guide
Monika Is a long time Naturalist/Guide in Southeast Alaska, leading multi-day camping paddling trips as well as guiding on the Sea Wolf. Monika has guided for the Sea Wolf for 7 years. Off -season, Monika lives in New Zealand with her husband, dog and farm animals on a small organic farm growing as much of their own food as possible.

Nina Valadez

Naturalist/Deckhand
Nina grew up in California and has been living in Alaska for the last 25 years. She graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a degree in Biology and Wildlife Biology. She was a former Law Enforcement Ranger for the National Park Service in Gates of the Arctic, Yukon-Charley Rivers Preserve, and Glacier Bay National Park. She loves to be in the backcountry in the quiet and values Alaska solitude. Winter is her favorite season!

Emily Herman

Office manager
Emily is the glue that keeps the Sea Wolf Office together and the oil that keeps it running smoothly. She spends her time in the Sea Wolf's garden, kitchen, and office. Emily’s interests and love for adventure have led her to commercial fishing, dispatching bush airplanes, and a variety of roles in non-profit work. Emily lives in Gustavus with her husband and two children where they feel very lucky to be building a house on the edge of millions of acres of wilderness. They subsist on garden and sea and couldn’t imagine calling anywhere else home.

Emma Carey

Naturalist/Deckhand
Emma grew up on the coast of Connecticut and graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in Geography and Anthropology. She has been a guide and naturalist for 5 years in Maine, New Zealand, Hawaii, and of course, Alaska. She has spent most of her time kayaking the wild landscapes of Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park, and is thrilled to explore the incredible coast of Southeast Alaska. She loves to forage for useful and edible plants and fungi, is a budding bird nerd, and gets quite animated on the topic of geology. This is her second season with the Sea Wolf

Jess Mulligan

Ground Support/Naturalist
Jess worked as a naturalist/deckhand on the Sea Wolf for several years until her 2 beautiful daughters came along. She is a wonderful artist and is now in demand for her stunning murals in homes, and public facilities. Her bio pic is of the Gustavus library mural she did to backdrop our Orca calf KEET’k. She is a wild harvester, fisher woman, home canner, amazing mom and our ground person here in Gustavus.

Conservation and Philanthropy

Our Environmental Footprint:

  • The Sea Wolf has minimal ambient noise (underwater)so has a low disturbance rate to marine mammals
  • Minimal use of plastics with an annual reduction plan as new materials become available.
  • Meet EPA standards for overboard discharge of black water.
  • Recycle all garbage and food waste at the Gustavus Recycle Center
  • Use Eco-Friendly cleaning supplies
  • Guests are provided with eco-friendly shampoos, conditioners and soaps in refillable units to reduce plastics and be environmentally safe.
  • Our engine  in combination with a generator uses less than10 gallons of diesel per hour. We are investigating carbon footprint reductions and programs.
  • Use a paperless communication, marketing, and accounting system

Out Flora and Fauna Stewardship Program

  • Follow the guidelines of the “Marine Mammal Viewing Code of Conduct” as published by the National Marine Fisheries Service
  • Practice “Leave no Trace” principals
  • Follow wildlife viewing guides set by Glacier Bay National Park and the Tongass National forest.
  • Supporting Local Program

    • Our crew is over 70% Alaskans.
    • We Support various conservation and education organizations through monetary donations.
    • WE support our community of Gustavus by:
      • Purchase local produce from Gustavus and Alaskan community growers- Kimber-the owner also has an epic garden
      • Purchase our seafoods from local commercial fisherman
      • Hire locals for onboard and land support crew

Philanthropy

  • The Sea Wolf is an active wheelchair accessible vessel. We have a fund though Craig Hospital foundation to raise funds for trips for wheelers. The Therapeutic Recreation Program at Craig Hospital promotes overall fitness and well-being, with the goal of improving, maintaining or restoring physical strength, cognition, and mobility for someone with a nervous system injury through recreational activity. Recreation is an integral part of the total rehabilitation process. Leisure-time activities help define who we are, gives life fullness, and keeps us healthy. We have seen patients make dramatic improvement in their rehabilitation program when they rediscover their leisure-time activities.We love hosting Craig Clients on our wilderness adventure trips. We are all on an even keel as we paddle through the pristine wilderness-help support their adventures in life. Link to accessible photos. Click on Craig to give a charitable contribution. Craig (https://craighospital.org/foundation/support-the-sea-wolf-adventure-scholarship-program)
  • Southeast Alaska Conservation (https://www.seacc.org/)
  • Salmon beyond Borders to protect our Transboundary Rivers https://www.salmonbeyondborders.org/
  • We participate in Citizen Science projects whenever applicable.