We took their boat across to Peterson Bay and had an Amazing low tide walk. During the walk we saw…read moreSeastars, Chiton, Jellyfish, Sea Anemone, Crabs, Flatworms, and Mussels. After a small water and snack break we went on a 2mi walk thru State Park and Native owned land, filling ourselves with Blueberries! For an extra fee we stayed overnight at their research station allowing us to have more time on the beach with insightful explanations by the Naturalist that accompanies all excursions. The research center also had touch tanks that the kids spent hours using. Will definitely come back again!

You MUST do a guided tour with a naturalist and see and touch the tide pool creatures by the dock…read moreon the spit! They have a small yurt location (see photo I posted) behind Mako Water Taxi on the spit. Tours at 1:30 and 4:30pm. We saw many mollusks and echinoderms and a crustacean, including LEOPARD NUDIBRANCH, Christmas Anemone, Sea Star with its stomach sticking outside its body, green sea urchin, limpet, barnacle, feathered tube worm, bulb kelp, rock kelp, and many of them have tiny suckers that grab your finger! Jonah was an awesome guide!

Came to Alaska in 2014 and took my best friend halibut fishing. This place gave us the best time…read morefor our buck. You buy your fishing tags at the office and it lets you catch 2 halibuts and 1 king Salmon. We went out about 25 miles out to do our fishing. The capitan was a great host he lets us drink beers and we all had a great time. Be sure to pack a lunch since all there required is to get ya on the fish. After fishing for 4 hrs we cruised up the inlet to try our luck on salmon. Out of 10 of us on the boat I was the only one to catch a 24lb king salmon. After we got back to the dock they filet the fish for ya. If your looking to ship back your fish they will take care of all shipping for ya. I highly recommend this captain he definitely puts us on lots of halibut. Great times for sure

Absolutely fantastic time. Was a little nervous after reading some of the reviews but very very…read morehappy that we went with them. Old captain that seemed to rub people the wrong way is gone and retired. Fools gold was our ship, and was in fine enough condition, head was clean, plenty of room for the people in and out. We had the pleasure of being with Capitan Dave C. and Deckhand/first mate Ash. The two of them really made the trip incredible. We went with a group size of 7 plus a baby, and they were both insanely accommodating to the little one, let us setup a pack and play in the berth, even checked in on her when we were out fishing and she was sleeping. Tons, and I mean tons, of great conversations, hysterics laughter, and learning a boat load about the area, the fish types, everything under the moon, honestly. Both of them gave clean and consice rules, what to do, where to be in the boat, showed us how to bait, where to land the catch. Very patient folks, and made this excursion top notch. If you want to go halibut fishing, and want to have a good time, go with them. You'd be making a mistake to go with anyone else. Tl;dr: Awesome crew, awesome fish, very nice and would never fish with anyone else given the choice. All limited out, every one of us, with some impressive catches.

Had such an amazing trip with Smokey Bay Air. The guides made it a great experience, and we will…read morebe back for sure!

People come to Homer, Alaska, for a lot of reasons -- to hike, try their luck at fishing or just to…read moreexplore the quaint town full of art galleries and gift shops. But Homer is also an excellent launching pad for bear viewing in nearby Katmai National Park. There is so much of Alaska to explore -- however, as soon as I saw it was prime bear viewing season (stretching roughly from June through the end of August), I knew that we had to make a stop in Homer. We ended up visiting the first weekend in September, which is technically towards the end of bear viewing season. But clearly, the bears didn't get the memo. In total, we saw more than 20 bears on the trip! When you're getting this close to wild animals (we're talking bears weighing over 1,000 pounds!), finding the right tour company is essential. I mean, we are adventurous but we're not crazy! After researching nearly every tour operator in Homer, there was no doubt in my mind that we'd go with Smokey Bay Air. And I'm so glad that we did -- they went above and beyond our expectations. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And well worth the journey. And best of all? The trip will get you back early enough to head back into Homer to explore the shops and grab a coffee. After all, we were exhausted! We're not used to waking up this early!

Have you ever wanted to load into an old Cessna airplane, and crash land on an island inhabited by…read morelarge brown bears? Do you wish you could sneak over the fence at the zoo? If so, this tour is for you! Zack expertly flew us out to his secret spot, threading the needle between mountain tops and volcanoes to land us on a remote wilderness. We hiked over to a feeding hole and watched as the bears came in to cool down, fish and play. No one else was there with the visible bears well outnumbering our group 2 to 1. The bears came as close as 50' but Zack and Tim kept us calm. We stayed tight in our group and enjoyed the show. It was fantastic. We hiked back and found the planes and we were airborne before we could say "where is the runway?" Bears aside, it was a beautiful ride and amazing location. I can't wait to do it again.

Absolutely amazing experience. Zack was awesome. The bears were in abundance. The time with them…read morewill be one I wont soon forget. I love animals and this was definitely the highlight of my Alaska experience. Thanks Zack!

We (my wife and I) did a full day private tour with Glen on his boat, and it was awesome!! Glen is…read morefriendly, knowledgeable and easy to get along with. He is a former wildlife and marine biologist, and knew a lot about the history of the area, something we were really interested in. We saw bald eagles, puffins, otters, seals and many other types of birds. Also got to visit Halibut cove and Gill Island. Glen also followed COVID-19 protocols, which was extremely important for us. A highlight of the trip was a great salmon dip that Glen had made for us, and also all the his stories. We would definitely recommend Glen if you want to do a wildlife tour in the Kachemak Bay from Homer.

Absolutely loved everything about this Kachemak bay tour! We saw stunning wildlife: otters,…read moredolphins, sea lions, water ducks, and eagles. The captain, who is a prior fish and wild life biologist, is very knowledgeable about Homer and the history of the bay. We even had the opportunity to meet a Oyster farmer and buy fresh from the sea Alaskan grown Oysters! I would highly recommended this tour to anyone visiting the area!

What a wonderful visitor center! The staff was knowledgeable, friendly, and gave us lots of…read moreinformation on what to do and things for children to learn and see in Homer. A must stop. Also recommend donating a few dollars to this amazing location.

Fascinating history exhibits, lots of great information about conservation. Had a delightful time…read moretouring the facility and the grounds. Saw cranes, eagles, other birds I couldn't identify, squirrels, and more! Such a fun way to spend a few hours with family.

My wife and I took a three-day, two-night trip on the Lady of the Sea. This was the first…read moreovernight boat trip my wife and I had taken. The name of the boat is perfect: she is a lady from stem to stern: lots of wood and space, all maintained beautifully. Though the boat only has three guest quarters, our room was comfortable and quiet, and we appreciated having a private shower. And the crew: Captain Rand fostered complete confidence in his seamanship. It was obvious he had grown up in Kachemak Bay. Both Rand and his assistant captain Mike showed their background as schoolteachers, always ready to tell us about what we were seeing without ever being intrusive. The food was magnificent as well. One night Rand's wife Lauren, a former culinary teacher, cooked and the other night a chef who Rand had taught in school cooked. Both prepared inventive and well-executed dishes. And Mike made sure we all had plenty of snacks on our excursions! We hiked and kayaked from the boat and that was well organized and we enjoyed the outings very much. We hiked to a glacial lake, and kayaked around small islands, and ate lunch on the beach. We also saw a lot of terrific sea life throughout the trip - a humpback whale that breached twice! Seals, sea lions, sea otters, eagles, puffins, and more! We would highly recommend a booking on Lady of the Sea!

Andrei far exceeded our expectations on our trip between Homer and Katmai. We expected a flight,…read morebut what we got was an unforgettable experience. From the moment we took off, he shared interesting information about the area and went out of his way to point out volcanoes and other sights along the way. It was our kids' first visit to the region and their first time flying in a seaplane, and Andrei made it even more special. We felt completely comfortable flying with such an experienced pilot. He was friendly, easy to communicate with, flexible when we needed to adjust our return time, and very punctual. We couldn't have asked for a better experience and would highly recommend flying with him.

Andrej is probably the best pilot out there for the brooks falls…read more If you're reading this review and have any doubts like I did before the flights, I would suggest to stop double guessing and book Andrej without any doubts.