About
Together Capt Jayleen, Capt Luke, Capt Jim, Capt Larry, Capt Steve, & Capt Jeremy offer over 70 years of experience on the water–and while safely navigating the waters around Juneau is their first priority, customer service is a close second. Come join us on a tour; we are ready to show you a whale-watching tour you’ll never forget!
Captain Jayleen
Jayleen is 29 years old and has worked in the whale watching industry for the last 18 years. Learning this trade at such a young age inspired her to start a whale watching company that could not only be personalized and fun but also show the intimate side of Alaska not many people get to see while visiting Juneau.
Jayleen grew up on a remote island where her home was an eight mile boat ride away from Auke Bay Harbor in Juneau, Alaska. Because of the remote nature of where her family lived she was homeschooled from 5th grade all of the way through high school. This allowed her to be crew on her dad’s whale watching boats during the summer, starting when she was 12. At that young age she decided being on a boat was one of the best experiences there was. By the age of 18, Jayleen had passed her USCG 50 ton license and started captaining a whale watching boat that summer at age 19.
Office Manager & Captain Tori
Office Manager & Captain ToriTori, a born and raised Alaskan native, originally from a village of 35 people, has always felt a strong connection with Alaska’s lands, waters, and wildlife, especially the whales of Southeast Alaska, even more, so the rarely sighted orcas.
Her love for Alaskan waters began before she was born, as much of her family are fishermen and crabbers in Bristol Bay and her dad grew up on a floating logging camp in Ketchikan, Alaska. When she was 12 her dad bought a 48-foot wooden liveaboard and from then on all their summer (and winter) vacations were spent exploring all the unique places Southeast has to offer.
Captain Jim
Moved from Oregon to Alaska in 1976 because I’ve always wanted to live in a little “wilder” place. After various jobs including working on the North Slope operating heavy equipment I knew I wanted to be on saltwater.
I started a halibut charter business out of Valdez, Ak., and ran that for seven seasons. But In order to get to Valdez I had to drive 350 miles from my home in Fairbanks. That got old quickly!
A family-owned business in Fairbanks, Greatland River Tours, owns a 65’, 150 passenger stern-wheeler riverboat and needed a captain. I signed on and ran their boat, the Tanana Chief, for five seasons before moving to Juneau in 2008.
Captain Jeremy
Hi, I’m Jeremy. I have roughly 20 years of experience on the ocean; 10 years of commercial fishing in Alaska & 10yrs commercial fishing/crabbing in Oregon.
In 2015 I decided to get my captain’s license because I enjoy what offering tours gives back to the public and wanted to be part of an operation that would let me share the love of the waters with new people every day. After I got my captain’s license I started operating whale watching & fishing tours off the coast of Oregon, out of Newport.
Captain Luke
Luke has been local to Juneau for ten years. Originally from Reno, Nevada, the Pacific Ocean is not where this desert dweller saw himself at 35 years old. But if you ask him now, he’d have it no other way. Luke excels in marine life viewing and natural history. His area of specialties includes Humpback Whales, land predators, coastal geology, Alaska history, toponymy, and Alaska Native culture.
As a teenager, Luke spent several summers living in Alaska’s Brooks Range with his father, a prestigious Grizzly Bear guide and researcher. The desolation and wild moments of these summer expeditions led Luke back to Alaska in 2012 after serving three tours of service in the U.S. Army.
Captain Larry
Hi, I’m Larry! Born in Ketchikan Alaska, I lived in a float house in a logging camp near Ketchikan from ages three through fourteen. Our house was on a log float, moored a hundred yards or so offshore, in various sheltered bays. In some places we could walk a series of logs to reach the beach, but most of the time we had to take a boat or a floatplane to touch ground. Floating logging camps were used for timber sales that were too small to justify a permanent camp, so we moved frequently, and I got to live in a lot of remote sheltered bays within perhaps eighty miles of Ketchikan.
Later I worked as a deckhand on a small boat carrying freight to logging camps, on a tugboat, commercial fishing boats, and owned and operated a landing-craft for hire.
I also had a forty-year career as a computer programmer and bureaucrat for Alaska Department of Fish and Game and National Marine Fisheries Service. I spent a lot of time teaching computers to count fish.
After forty years behind a desk I’m now making up for lost time. I’ve been a whale-watch captain for one season, in my new career I’m just getting started, but I’m enjoying it immensely!
Captain Steve
Hello! I am Captain Steve, Jayleen’s uncle & previous owner of Alaska Humpback Adventures.
Water has always been an important part of my life. I grew up waterskiing and sailing on Lake Washington and the Puget Sound. I have boated for over 50 years, 37 of those in the waters of Southeast Alaska.
16 years ago I started working as a whale watching boat captain in Juneau for Jayleen’s dad, Jay Beedle. It is with great joy and a full circle that I now join Jayleen’s Alaska. I am excited to work for Jayleen and believe that Alaska Humpback Adventures could not be in better hands.
The Salty Girl
The Salty Girl is a custom-built 27’ Alaskan Hewescraft. Manufactured in 2020, the Salty Girl was built in Colville, Washington.
This boat was built with ALL the upgrades that Hewescraft offers. An individual had it custom-built for Tuna fishing off of New York — when life went back to ‘normal’ after COVID the previous owner decided to sell it in Sitka, Alaska — this is where Jayleen’s Alaska bought it in June of 2023.
Now the largest boat in our fleet – this lightly used fishing boat is perfect for its new life of whale watching in the Juneau area!
The Alaskan Girl
The Alaskan Girl is a 26’ Sea Raider and was custom built for whale watching. She was built in Colville, Washington in early 2014 and as the original vessel with the company she offers the most hours on the water–with very little wear & tear for the hours! The Alaskan Girl is still in great shape and tends to be Capt Jayleen’s boat of choice.
She was made with a large bow area, this provides plenty of space for passengers to sit and enjoy the front of the boat. The back deck is also large enough to allow viewing for all passengers on board. Inside, the windows are large and low so that, even while seated, there is a clear view of scenery and wildlife.
From a captain’s perspective, the boat turns on a dime and handles rough waters excellently!
The Island Girl
The Island Girl is a custom built 26’ Alaskan Hewescraft. Manufactured in 2017, the Island Girl was built in Colville, Washington.
She was made with an open bow area with space for passengers to sit and enjoy the front of the boat. The back deck is also large enough to allow viewing for all the passengers on board. Inside the boat the windows are large and low enough that, even while seated, there is a clear view of scenery and wildlife.
From a captain’s perspective, this boat handles rough water very well and with a single V8 300 Yamaha engine–this boat will fly!
The Merlin
The MerlinThe Merlin is a 26’ Alaskan Sea Runner Hewescraft – build in Colville, Washington.
This original 6 passenger boat design is what started the personalized whale watching legacy for Jayleen’s family. This design features the open bow area for passengers to sit & enjoy while watching whales. And a back deck large enough for passengers to view comfortably.
Inside the boat there is large bench seating, enough for all 6 passengers to sit comfortably.
The Merlin has been tested in many waters – from the very roughest to the calmest and this boat handles like a dream.
Courtesy Shuttle: Raven
Courtesy Shuttle: Fluke
Courtesy Shuttle: Sasha
