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

Wed 25 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $109.00

Make a reservation

Wed 25 Dec

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)

nks1234

Aug 2013

I've whale-watched in New England several times and twice in Alaska. My experience with Outer Island paled in comparison. Their website and brochure are focused on Orcas (their van has several large orca decals on it) so I was expecting to see at least one Orca. Instead, we caught a few brief glimpses of a couple minke whales (which aren't real impressive to see in the wild, they're on the small side and barely break the surface of the water) and a few stellar sea lions and harbor seals. I get that they can't control where the wildlife are and want to provide the best opportunity to deliver on their "whale guarantee" even if that means a quick view of a minke, but I was hugely disappointed that we didn't even try to find orca. Also, the boat was small and didn't allow enough inside space for everyone on board. On my trip, a large family occupied the entire cabin and left no room for other guests, so we all froze and got wind-whipped on the deck. If we'd seen orca, I probably wouldn't have cared about how cold I was, but it added to the disappointing experience.

LoraxLawyer

Aug 2013

We have now done three trips with Outer Island Expeditions over the course of three years: the Point Doughty kayak trip, the Sucia Island trip, and the whale watch trip. All three were very good experiences. The Point Doughty trip was my personal favorite -- our knowledgeable guide took us past the seal whelping grounds. The really impressive thing was that he seemed to have no particular educational background in the region's biology, and had only been on Orcas a relatively short time, but had amassed a pretty decent understanding of the region's ecosystems and wildlife -- they seem to value that at OIE. Sucia Island went smoothly and was well worth the money. The whale watch trip encountered a pretty significant problem -- no whales within several hours of Orcas -- but I thought OIE handled it really well. They offered us a choice of re-booking on a different day, or using the time to do a wildlife tour of the local area. We did the latter, and I thought they did a very good job for a spontaneous unplanned expedition. Overall, I find their service to be friendly and relaxed without being sloppy. As a point of comparison, I called their competition before the most recent trip (Shearwater) and asked about taking my 8 year old son on a kayak trip. They were snotty and condescending over the phone, but OIE reps were patient and informative; and on the trip they were really great with my son, who had never paddled a kayak before (but did great with the guide's instruction and help).

Patrick E

Jul 2013

Signed up for four-hour whale watching tour from Lummi Island. Boat arrived 40 minutes late. Spent three hours sailing around to other pick-up spots and less than an hour watching a small group of Orcas. Return trip was disorganized. Dropped off at Orca Island and shuttled around onto another smaller boat for return trip to Lummi. Not fun! $400 for two. Could have hired a private boat for $450.They all know where the Orca are. Not recommended.