For more than 10,000 years, the Tlingit people have thrived on these lands and navigated Southeast Alaska’s magnificent waterways. Since first contact with Western visitors, the Tlingit have shared their homelands and guided people throughout the beauty and majesty of Haa Aaní, our land. We welcome you to share our family tradition, an experience so uniquely Alaskan — the hospitality of Southeast Alaska’s first people.

Ava Martin – Kaa lei yk
Tour Supervisor

Meet Ava our Direct Tour Sales Supervisor! Ava Martin is now a Hoonah local who grew up in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. Ava would spend her summers visiting Hoonah with her grandmother who grew up here in the village of Hoonah. Ava is a shareholder of Huna Totem, which is the parent company of the port here, Icy Strait Point. She is part of the Tlingit Tribe from the Clan Dakl’aweidí (Killer Whale chasing the Seal House). Ava graduated with her B.A. from Western Washington University with a degree in American Cultural Studies with an emphasis in Comparative Ethnic Culture and always dreamed of moving to Hoonah to learn more about her family’s culture. Ava enjoys sharing information about the nearby wildlife and of the history that surrounds us. Day or night, Ava is always happy to help you book the Whale Watch trip of your dreams! Reach out to Ava to check availability.

Bob Koenitzer
Captain

Meet Captain Bob! Captain Bob Koenitzer moved from Ohio to Ketchikan, AK in 1982 seeking outdoor adventure. He has hiked and boated throughout Alaska’s Inside Passage including remote areas of Prince of Wales Island, Admiralty Island, and Chichagof Island.
Bob has engaged in outdoor activities in the Hoonah area for more than 20 years including hunting, fishing, and foraging the area’s abundant wild plants, berries, and mushrooms. He is a former restaurateur and current master gardener and stone sculptor.
Bob retired as a senior consultant from an Alaska research firm in 2022 and worked as a bear guard in Hoonah for two seasons. With more than 40 years of Southeast Alaska boating experience, Bob became a whale watching captain in 2024. He enjoys sharing the incredible scenery, abundant wildlife, and history of Chichagof Island.
Bob and his wife Susan maintain a home in Juneau and a cabin in Hoonah, along with their two labrador retrievers.

Alona Howland – Katyishaa
Deckhand

Meet Alona! Alona is a local Native from Hoonah. She is of the Eagle Moiety and part of the Kaagwaantaan (Eagle Wolf) clan from Gooch Hít(Wolf House). Alona says “we have lots of Whales to see here in Icy Strait and a lot of information to tell about the whales and the Tlingit Community. I just graduated High School here in Hoonah in 2023 and working towards my captains’ license. So come see me here at Icy Strait Point and any questions you may have, we can answer! Gunalcheesh!” Alona gives a tour that you do not want to miss!

Listen to the wind in the trees, the cry of eagles and the song and drums of Hoonah’s first people. A rich history resonates through this vibrant village—telling the story of more than 2,000 years of Tlingit clans working together to build a community.

Hoonah, our Tlingit name for this place, literally means, “protected from the North wind.” It describes the first chapter of the great struggle our people endured—to relocate here from our original homelands, now known as Glacier Bay. Forced out by advancing glaciers, the resilience and tenacity of our ancestors brought us to this beautiful place we now call home.

Hoonah is Southeast’s largest Alaska Native village with more than 750 year-round residents. We have survived hardships like the devastating fire that burned our village to the ground in 1944. Working together, and honoring our cultural traditions, and with the help of the U.S military, we rebuilt Hoonah. You may notice many of our quaint homes are very similar—a result of the prefabricated houses built after the fire.

Today, we are stronger than ever. Our vibrant community has experienced new growth resulting from the development of Icy Strait Point and the welcome visitation of the many cruise ship travelers like you. Icy Strait Whale Adventures is one of many locally-owned businesses developed from new opportunities created by Huna Totem’s vast investment in developing infrastructure to serve you.

We have never forgotten who we are, or where we come from. The enduring spirit of perseverance, community building and the value, clan before self, lives on today—Icy Strait Whale Adventures, and the many locally-owned operators, are a testament to that. Together we present, and share with you, our home – where traditions live on, thrive and take us towards a bright future. Welcome.