By war canoe, brigantine, fishing boat, ferry, cruise ship, sailboat, kayak, wooden dory, oceangoing rowing shell, and even floating bicycle, people have explored the protected waterways of the Inside Passage of Canada and Alaska for hundreds of years.

Most visitors who sail the Inside Passage today choose a slightly more seaworthy vessel: a cruise ship from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the head of the inland waterway at Skagway, Alaska. Hundreds of islands buffer these inside waters from the storms and swells of the Pacific. Slipping through straits, sounds, and passages, oceangoing cruise ships press on into smaller canals and arms, and from there into even tighter inlets and narrows, to linger in the region’s bays and harbours.

In the more open waters of Queen Charlotte Sound, hundreds of Dall’s porpoises and Pacific white-sided dolphins may swim alongside your trip. Look for the creatures that gracefully leap clear of the water; these are apt to be dolphins. Gregarious and fast, dolphins often ride the bow waves of the ship.