Orcas Island Whale Watching in San Juan Islands booking from $109.00

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

Tue 24 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $109.00

Make a reservation

Tue 24 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)

JustmeT2011

Jun 2013

We did two trips with these folks on our recent trip to Orcas- a whale watch and the Sucia kayaking (full day) trip. Both of the trips themselves were great, no complaints and plenty of fun to be had. We saw whales on the trip and the boat wasn't crowded, which was awesome. Kayaking was fun- saw harbor seals, eagles, otter, etc.They are very knowledgeable and it was a good experience, overall. The way things were managed however, was less commendable. First, beware of the check in process which is a zoo- there are people everywhere throwing elbows to check in and one guy behind the deck who is completely stressed out trying to get everyone's information and get you on your way. Meanwhile the phone is ringing and he's trying to deal with people on the phone. We accidentally overpaid when we booked the trip. Upon my phone call one month before we went, they told me we could straighten it out when we got there, but because of the chaos for check in, they suggested we come back after the trip. When we came back afterward, the next boat was checking in and the chaos was even worse than when we left. We skipped it, thinking when we came back for the Sucia Kayaking trip, we'd iron it out then. Same thing the next day, so we ended up not tipping and hoping they'd pass along our overpayment to the guides. The whole thing was run very unprofessionally and left a bad taste in our mouth. The main guy who runs the place is always on his cell phone and seems to always be arguing (although not aggressively) with someone about problems. Lastly, the one of the kayaking guides was using some foul language (as normal conversation- not in anger), and there were children close by. I found this to be very unprofessional and a bad reflection on the company. If you can handle the chaos of the management, the trips are worth it and the price is right- especially if you go through Travelzoo. Arrive early for the check in, if possible. TIPS: If you are going on the Sucia kayaking trip be aware that they don't give you a check list or too much detail about your trip before you go. Here is what we wished we'd known! 1) Lunch is NOT provided. Bring your own. 2) Be aware that you may need to carry a tandem kayak very far at low tide through muddy tidal flats. I ended up going barefoot because my flipflops got stuck in the mud. I cut my foot on a shell or a sharp object. Wish I'd known to bring watershoes! 3) Be in good shape. If you can't carry a kayak, the guides may do it for you, but we didn't see them doing this. Also, be aware that you'll be paddling about 9 miles around the entire island and it's a very long day. There is a light current in some places and you have to power through it, which isn't a biggie, but is tiring. Getting in and out requires flexibility and you have to be able to bend your knees tightly and flex your hips a bit. Anyone who is on the fence or has any physical challenges had best sit this one out. 4) There are several stops along the way at coves where you can snack, each lunch or reapply sunscreen. 5) Dry bags are provided and they are large enough to fit a DSLR camera or a large backpack. 6)The kayaks are very stable and not tippy, which is a bonus because that water is COLD! 7) The trips generally get back around 4pm, but it depends on how they decide to use their shuttle boats. After our trip, they brought one boat to shore which could only bring back 6 people, so the rest of us waited on Sucia for about an hour, until it came back to pick us up. We were never informed that we'd be waiting and hanging around for an hour after the trip and they seemed completely disorganized about what boat was taking whom and what the situation was to get us all back to Sucia. Oddly enough, the boat captain was also the guy who was always on the phone dealing with problems. It was strange to see him out of the office as a captain- even then he had his cell phone glued to his ear until we left the harbor, and then again as we arrived back at Orcas. We ended up getting back closer to 5pm that day. If you have plans later that evening, make sure you don't schedule yourself too early. Hopefully this post will help you in your planning and give you some information that might be relevant should you decide to go with Outer Island Expeditions.

Gary K

Apr 2013

Much to the delight of our 12 person group, The Blackfish II crew found a family of three "transient" Orcas that we viewed for 45 minutes late in the afternoon. No other whale watching boat in the state had any whale sightings that day - very early in the year for the resident pods to return to the San Juans. Captain Paul headed straight north from the northernmost point on Orcas, and within minutes we were observing Stellar Sea Lions resting on a sunny rock outcropping and fishing in a tidal rip right off the Patos Island Light House - talk about a photo opportunity! After a really dedicated search by the captain and his deckhand John, word was recieved by radio that a family of Orcas were being followed in Canadian waters, quite a ways north of our location. Even though it meant a longish run, and a return well past the planned time, John asked our group,"Well, do you want to see some Orcas?!" After our enthusiastic "Yes!!", he cranked up the twin 250 hp outbards and the race was on. Forty minutes later we joined a small group of Canadian boats following the Orca family as they cruised southward. This was the advantage to booking on a fast, modern and really comfortable boat. It was a beautiful sight as the baby Orca followed his mother and large mature male, sometimes leaping clear out of the water when surfacing for air. Everyone on board felt so lucky to witness such beautiful natural sights. I can't say enough for the level of service that the captain and his helper gave to our group. John is clearly passionate in his love of nature and was eager to answer any and all questions, and was especially good with the several children in our group. We happily plan on returning for another trip this summer - this summer. By the way, the company gives discounts for groups of six or more, plus for cash/check payments - making their trips even a better bargain.

Amy G

Aug 2012

Our party of 5 contacted Outer Island Expeditions to book a sunset whale watching cruise. Before booking, Joe (the captain with whom I was speaking) informed us that we wouldn't see any orcas that evening as they had left the waters a few days before and would not be back in time. Although we were disappointed to hear that since we had all hoped to view the orcas, we appreciated Joe's honesty and decided to book the cruise anyway. We were so glad we did! Joe, who was our captain and naturalist for the cruise, and Damien (who I believe was another captain and naturalist) were a great team. They were friendly, funny, and quite informative. Although they tried their best to seek out whales, none were sighted. However, we thoroughly enjoyed cruising around the San Juan and Gulf (Canada) Islands, viewing Mt. Baker in the evening light, seeing many seals and bald eagles, getting wonderful views of the Patos Island lighthouse at sunset, and watching the full moon rise over the San Juans. The trip was quite magical, with so many lovely shades of blue and pink in the evening light. True to the company's word and their guarantee, we all received vouchers for a free cruise since we hadn't seen any whales. I called the following day to check on whale sightings as that would be our last day on the island. Beau (the owner) informed me that a humpback whale had been spotted and he was very accommodating, stating he would reserve spaces for us and not sell them to other customers. We took another sunset cruise that evening, again with Joe, and were not disappointed. The new, fast boats that this company uses enabled us to reach the humpback whale quickly and have more time to spend viewing the magnificent creature swimming around, spouting, and showing his tale. Joe was quite passionate about his desire to educate the public about whales in order to better protect them. In addition to the whale, we also saw eagles, a sea lion posing on a giant rock at sunset, lots of seals - including a new-born pup, along with a spectacular sunset, moonrise, and views of Mt. Baker. Both cruises were wonderful and we were very pleased with the integrity of the company and their willingness to accommodate us.

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Orcas Island Whale Watching

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