Orcas Island Whale Watching

Overview

Small group whale watching tours on some of the fastest boats in the region with GUARANTEED WHALES! See whales with us or come again for FREE.

City: San Juan Islands

Sun 20 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $109.00

Make a reservation

Sun 20 Oct

Starting at $109.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

3-4 hour tour

Professional guide

High Speed Vessels

8.1% Washington State sales tax and applicable fees. The taxes and fees are required by the governing authority and not within local supplier's control

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
This tour departs from Orcas Island. The island can only be reached by the Washington State Ferry System. If your party is not already on island we recommend our Anacortes departure location.
Check in begins 30 minutes prior to departure.
Face masks required for travellers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
We have limited the passenger loading to 50% of seat capacity and increased our sanitation measures.

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (297)

maggiesR4067BI

Apr 2022

My best friend and I took the whale watching tour with Orcas Island Expeditions last weekend led by Captain Roland and Naturalist Liberty and it was an absolutely perfect experience. Liberty was absolutely born to do this job and her enthusiasm, respect, and love for whales is infectious. We also took the sea Kayaking tour with Chaz the day before and it was a full five stars as well! It was a choppy day but his leadership ensured we had a great and safe time!!! Would recommend 100%!!!!!

gavinatc

Apr 2022

Welcomed aboard Blackfish III by Capt Roland and first mate/naturalist Liberty for our tour out in search of whales. Getting out of the harbor was interesting as the tide was out so the entire entourage shifted to the front of the boat so the props would clear the bottom of the channel. From there it was full throttle out into the Salish Sea with the Capt and first mate in constant communication with other tour boats in the area about possible whale sightings. The trip out was sunny, the seas relatively calm and Liberty was an absolute treasure trove of information on the general area, various species of fish and mammals that occupy the area and what the general plan was for the day. Eventually we received word of a spotting in the channel between Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island. When we arrived, there were 4 other boats in the area and we shadowed the family pod of about 6 orcas for 30 minutes or so. Absolutely amazing seeing the way the pod interacted with each other and Liberty was on hand to describe how the family supports each other. The pictures don’t really capture how special the experience is. The boats are required to keep at least 200 yards from the whales and the Capt wants to err on the side of caution as boat/whale interactions are bad for the boat and worse for the whales. Because we’d come so far to find the pod we had to head back after half an hour and I know everyone would’ve loved to stay longer. All in all a great experience. This is our second trip with Outer Island Excursions and we’ve received our money’s worth and more on both trips. Can’t say enough about Capt Roland and Liberty. They really went above and beyond to make the trip memorable and to ensure we not only saw whales, but learned something as well.

Pamela_B

Apr 2022

Our trip was fabulous! Liberty is an outstanding, very knowledgeable guide who shared great information on the orcas, the area in general and on other marine animals that we encountered. Her enthusiasm was amazing. She took time to answer questions from several of the children onboard and sought to make their trip as interesting and fun as possible. We had a remarkable encounter with a small orca pod who were hunting a stellar sea lion. Mom and older son were teaching/showing her youngest how to hunt. Fascinating how they worked together - and were able to communicate with a sister pod to come to dinner once the kill was made. It was like being part of a National Geo documentary...truly amazing.