Sea Kayak at Fox Island

In order to get to Fox Island, you’ll need to hop a boat from the beautiful town of Seward. We went with Kenai Fjords Tours who ferried us out to the island. The great thing about going with a tour company is that they’ll stop whenever they see wildlife. Only ten minutes after departing, we paused for a mother humpback whale and her calf who had made their way into the bay. We also saw otters, Dall’s Porpoise, and plenty of birds.

Once docked at Fox Island, you’ll be welcomed by a kind greeting committee who will direct you over to Sunny Cove Sea Kayaking, the kayaking guide service who operates on the island. While they call themselves Sunny Cove, be prepared for any type of weather – rain specifically. This area averages around 161 days of precipitation per year.

Of course, it began to rain soon after arriving on the island, but that didn’t stop us from the prospect of an adventure! We brought along warm and waterproof layers for this scenario specifically. After a quick briefing on safety maneuvers from our kayak guide, Arthur, we geared up in full rainwear provided by Sunny Cove and headed down to the rocky beach.

We paddled near waterfalls, which were raging due to the rain; a massive rockfall from the 1964 9.2 magnitude earthquake, which leveled much of the area; and even some wildlife despite the rain. We were told that orcas frequent the area and if you’re extra lucky, you’ll even see them rub on the rocks near the shore!

One of the many great things about Alaska is that even in rain, the scenery remains jaw-droppingly beautiful. Don’t let the rain stop you from adventuring in Alaska; the peaks across the bay are staggering and the fog and rain combination only added to the drama.

After paddling around for a couple of hours and learning about the history, geography, and wildlife of the island, we made our way back to the shore via the same route. While I had an absolute blast out on the water, it did feel good to take off all the wet rainwear and warm up in the shop before the ferry ride back to Seward.