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)

JSJKA

Jul 2012

We used a Groupon for our whale watching trip. We were charged a fuel surcharge, like the other Groupon user, even though gas prices are lower than they were when we purchased the Groupon. When it came time to begin the tour we were assigned to the smaller, open air (aka "chilly") boat. Since we weren't given the choice between boats like the rest of the customers we felt it was related to the fact that we were the "discount" customers, but we'll never know for sure. Our tour was one of the few unfortunate ones to not see any orcas. Three out of five of us on the tour did see a dorsal fin of a minke for about three seconds. It was too far away to really tell what it was, but that's what we were told. The J, K & L pods returned to the area just a few hours after our tour. Because Outer Island Expeditions prominently advertises guaranteed whale sightings, we visited them the next day to ask if we could go back out to see the orcas. We were told no, that our brief sighting of the minke fulfilled their guarantee. I'm not saying they did anything wrong - I just feel that the whole experience was so much less than what we had expected based on the positive reviews the company receives on this site. It's easy to look good when everything goes well and you just need to drive the boat out to where the whales have been spotted, but the true measure of a company is in its customer service when someone isn't happy with an experience that they paid a lot of money for. Even so, I would have rated them a little higher except I felt the person that dealt with my husband and I on the 2nd day was impatient and condescending. Perhaps if our expectations had been lower (as this person implied they should have been), this company would have had an easier time meeting them.

Bryan S

Jul 2012

We took our almost 6 year old on a whale watching trip last Friday 7/27 and the guys at Outer Island were fantastic. Not only did we see several pods of whales, but the crew was incredibly friendly and caring when our son got a bit sea sick. They were always checking in on him and while it was a bit tough for him, he rallied when they offered a small stuffed animal Orca as a parting gift. We had a wonderful time and I can't say enough about what they did to show us a great adventure and to take care of our son when he was feeling a bit ill. Thanks guys for a memorable experience and we will definitely be back again.

Phil B

Jun 2012

Captain Paul gave us a great whale watching trip on a 9 passenger Glacier Bay Catamaran based from Smugglers Villa Resort Eastsound Wa (Orcas Island). This is a smaller faster boat with open bow seating, behind the windshield seating and additional seats in the stern. The boat ride is very smooth dry and and comfortable. There is a toilet on board. Warm coats and binoculars were provided. We followed the Orcas J pod at a respectful distance for 3 or 4 miles and great sightings and photo ops. Also saw bald eagles, bald eagle nest, harbor porpoise and seals. There are also larger enclosed boats at this location. Highly Recommended. We plan a return trip with Outer Island Expedition. This is more of a custom trip with fewer people than the larger whale watching boats.