The best orca whale watching is off San Juan Island, near Seattle. The San Juan Islands are considered the "jewels" of the Pacific Northwest, located in the Puget Sound.
San Juan Island is considered the best place to view orca whales because the salmon, which are their prime source of food (about 95% of what they eat), travel up and down the west coast of San Juan Island and outlying areas.
Take this Whale watching tour and see orca whales which has been viewed on over 90% of the tours with the possibility of spotting minke, humpback and gray whales to be higher. What is the best time to see orca whales? Anytime. They are out and about all day. You will be guaranteed see marine mammals and come back with memories to last a lifetime!
Enjoy the beauty of San Juan Island on an exclusive Whale Watch Cruise from Friday Harbor. Sail aboard the fast, new 55 foot MV Sea Lion (with windowed, heated cabin, which seats up to 24 guests). 40 or fewer guest aboard this comfortable boat with walk around deck.
Want a more intimate tour - join the special limited tour, small groups with a maximum capacity of 12 people.
Important Note: Regardless of whether you are bringing your car on the ferry, it is best to be at the Anacortes ferry parking lot 1 hour prior to the ferry departure (not to be confused with the time of your tour departure) In July and August arrive at least 1.5 hours prior to the ferry departure if you bring your car across. A car may not necessary on San Juan Island.
Park your car in the Anacortes ferry parking lot and purchase a passenger ticket. Allow at least 90 minutes driving time from Seattle to Anacortes. Use I-5 north, Exit 230. The diamond lane makes it a breeze to drive up.
Ferry schedule changes seasonally and has specific departure times. Please ask about the latest Washington State Ferry schedule to ensure you arrive with enough time to make your way to the tour departure point.
To start this trip, my wife and I took a Seaplane from Seattle. The day was perfect for it. Clear, visibility was so good, Mt Baker was in sight the entire flight. Went to San Juan Safaris, checked in, the employees were wonderful. The boat wa s the Sea Lion of course. The best part of the sightseeing is that there were so many whales. The guides talked about the different species and pointed out their characteristics as the Orcca's moved through the water. A Wonderful day. The return ride offered rock islands full of sea lions. Porpoise's were plentiful during the ride home. Absolutely a wonderful day.
Review by: Lana O, July 2016
Best whale watching trip ever. Saw about 10 whales from j pod. Nice boat. Fun day
Review by: Kelly C, June 2016
We loved the tour. We went early in the season so we only saw a couple of humpbacks. Great crew! I would recommend this trip.
Review by: kimberly v, December 2015
Professional staff on board. Great day on the water. Bring a warm jacket!
Review by: Charles M, December 2015
Smooth booking process and the tour company delivered on whale watching! I would recommend to a friend. Thank you!
Review by: Dawn F, October 2015
This was an excellent tour. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and we got to see all kinds of sea life including seals, sea lions, and whales.
Review by: Steve S, September 2015
We had a very good time
Review by: Deepa B, August 2015
The guides were great. We saw lots of Whales and other Sea creatures. Highly Recommend!
Review by: Lena P, August 2015
It was frustrating that there weren't any whales
Review by: Lisa G U, August 2015
We followed a family of orcas for about an hour! The guides were great! We noticed the other whale watching boats would sit back and follow ours!
Review by: Rebecca J, June 2015
Although this was a long drive and ferry ride from where we were staying, it was more than worth it!! The staff was so easy to deal with and sent a very thorough set of information about getting to the island. The sightings were awesome and the entire day was something our family will never forget!
Review by: Michele K, August 2014
Tour was all we expected. Saw Orcas and Humpbacks. Everyone was friendly and informative. Thanks for a great adventure!!
Review by: Rita A T, August 2014
We enjoyed the whale watching - saw 4 whales for almost an hour
Review by: Ramadurai R, August 2014
Nice boat, knowledgeable and friendly staff. We even lucked out seeing 10 whales circling the boat at one point of time.
Review by: Lisa B, July 2014
We saw a lot of Orcas and our naturalists were very enthusiastic and nice. It was a fabulous trip!
Review by: SUPATSARA K, June 2014
Great experience!
Review by: Joye, August 2013
This was my third whale-watching trip--second from Friday Harbor. I take each of my grandchildren when he or she graduates from high school. My granddaughter's friend from Malaysia was with us last week, as was my sister. Unfortunately, this time there were no Orcas around, no fault of the tour conductors, of course. It was still a very special trip--awesome, in my grandaughter's word. An example of the very special service performed by the crew: Jessica's hat flew from her head into the water; immediately, the captain turned the boat, the female biologist, Caitlin (with the help of my sister!), fished the hat from the water, and the trip continued! That hat will remain special to Jessica! I will be back in three years, when my next granddaughter graduates!
Review by: Stephen D, August 2013
Did not see any Orcas. We should have been told that there are no Orcas sighted lately due to low salmon population.
Review by: ELAINE PRESBY E, August 2013
The Whale watching was perfect. The weather was beautiful and warm. Ashley and Kaitlyn were so knowledgeable and informative that the time flew by. This is our 3rd tour with Viator and they have all been wonderful and the staff is amazing. I would recommend this trip for all age groups and something everyone should experience at least once in their life.
Review by: Bharat S, July 2013
Friendly and informative crew. The boat was also pretty good. Great for family with kids.
Review by: Susan Z, July 2013
Our whale excursion with San Juan Safaries, Friday Harbor, WA was wonderul. Except for a slight snafu of Viator double booking us (they remedied it promptly without any problem) the entire experience from booking to end was excellant.
Review by: julie h, October 2012
Incredible trip! We saw many,many orcas and 3 came to the front of our boat (that was stopped)! We saw tons of sea lions and harbor seals! The guide was very helpful and it was just simply an amazing experience! We would definitely recommend this trip!
Review by: David M, May 2012
very good trip the guides were most informative. The only downside was we didn't see any whales but thats nature for you.
Review by: Judith L, August 2011
A great day and saw lots of whales!! Thanks for the experience.
Review by: David B. J, July 2010
Great trip, curtious staff, made the whole experience a pleasure. Will do it again.
Review by: , February 2010
I would love to take this trip at another time of year when the whales are more active but overall it was great.
Review by: Tina J, February 2010
I would love to take this trip at another time of year when the whales are more active but overall it was great.
Review by: Anonymous, February 2010
I would love to take this trip at another time of year when the whales are more active but overall it was great.
Review by: Anonymous, United States of America, October 2009
I would love to take this trip at another time of year when the whales are more active but overall it was great.
Review by: Tina J, October 2009
I would love to take this trip at another time of year when the whales are more active but overall it was great.
Review by: Laura C, United States of America, April 2009
For the price should have had water and sandwich on board. Got tired of eagles and sea lions.
Review by: Susanna Z, November 2008
Our orca guide to the seas was wonderful and had all kinds of information and stories to tell, both happy and sad ones. I really learned a lot. I had no idea orcas are of such intelligent and caring nature, especially for their own families. It was a wonderful experience I will never forget!
Review by: Judy M, November 2008
This is an excellent five hour tour. Really worth the cost. We saw killer whales, porpoise, seals, and even a bald eagle. Really great staff. All around, this was a wonderful trip.
Review by: Anonymous, Sweden, October 2008
Our orca guide to the seas was wonderful and had all kinds of information and stories to tell, both happy and sad ones. I really learned a lot. I had no idea orcas are of such intelligent and caring nature, especially for their own families. It was a wonderful experience I will never forget!
Review by: Susanna Z, October 2008
Our orca guide to the seas was wonderful and had all kinds of information and stories to tell, both happy and sad ones. I really learned a lot. I had no idea orcas are of such intelligent and caring nature, especially for their own families. It was a wonderful experience I will never forget!
Review by: Judy M, United States of America, August 2007
This is an excellent five hour tour. Really worth the cost. We saw killer whales, porpoise, seals, and even a bald eagle. Really great staff. All around, this was a wonderful trip.
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