Whale Watching from Friday Harbor

Overview

The best orca whale watching is from Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, just an easy day trip adventure from downtown Seattle. The San Juan Islands are considered the "jewel" of the Pacific Northwest, located in the Puget Sound.

City: San Juan Islands

Mon 28 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

Mon 28 Oct

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Whale Watching Cruise

Local taxes

Additional Info

Service animals allowed
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
For maximum safety children under 2 should be in a harness carrier strapped to a parent and remain in the cabin
"Special Limited" tour not recommended for child aged 13 and under
Restrooms are available on board the boat
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
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
50% capacity on vessels

What To Expect

San Juan Island

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.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (660)

Waterfordfour

Apr 2018

Very well organised, got a good briefing before we boarded "Sea Lion " headed off on a cold April day, there were blankets if needed, we were able to move around the vessel easily and plenty of space to look at wildlife, we saw sealions in the sea and along the shore, a bald eagle catching a fish and J-Pod 2 different parts of the family, the naturalists on board gave us great details on the Orcas we saw, it was almost like a family reunion when we came across the different Orca, they seemed to know who was who and who was connected to who. They are so lucky to see Orca for work!

Response from Host

Apr 2018

Many thanks for your kind review! We had an exceptionally magical encounter with J-pod on the day of your tour. Thank you for letting us know we were successful in providing your family a memorable tour experience. We work very hard for our guests, and we're glad to hear it showed. Come see us again when you find yourself back in the area! Brian Goodremont Owner & Captain San Juan Safaris Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

ktsears

Apr 2018

Since it is early in the season, we could only hope to be lucky enough to see any whales. We started out slow seeing two types of seals, sea lions and eagles. The naturalist Eric and Alexandria were wonderful at pointing out different things and answering all our questions. After about 2 hours the crew received notification that orcas had been seen. Captain Mike wasted no time getting us to that location. We where very fortunate to spend about an hour watching the orcas. On the ride back to Friday Harbor Eric came around and showed us how they identified which families of whales we had seen. The boat is equipped with a bathroom and they have blankets and rain ponchos if you need them.

Hope L

Apr 2018

The staff is great, the boat is great! We saw porpoises, sea lions, birds and sheep, but no whales. Do not go when it's not peek season! No Whale watching, just whale looking.

Response from Host

Apr 2018

Hi Hope, It's always disappointing to read a review from a guest who did not have a great experience. My hope is that we meet everyone's expectations when they join one of our whale watch experiences. Because of the nature of wildlife, we understand that may not always happen no matter how hard we try. Regarding your comment "don't go when it's not peak season." As a 25 year whale watch captain veteran, and a San Juan Island local, I couldn't disagree more. While the statistics of March & April whale sightings is lower than our summer departures, the rewards are often much greater. I just returned from today's whale watch & wildlife tour (April 18th) in which we encountered 20+ killer whales, a gray whale, minke whale, and many porpoise, stellar sea lions, harbor seals, and bald eagles. I hope this demonstrates that not seeing whales has nothing to do with the amount of research and effort that goes into every trip. There simply were no whales within range of our boat the day of your tour. How we communicate with our guests those chances and doing the best job we can is what we do. We can only do the best job that we can, be honest with our customers, and make the best effort to educate about ecosystem and species conservation. In the future as a reviewer, please know that small family owned and operated businesses like mine are very responsive to customer requests. Our goal is to meet the expectations of every guest. In your case we did not meet your expectations and I'm sorry. I hope you will consider contacting owners or managers in the future to talk about your disappointment instead of posting a negative review which may lead consumers to believe we do not provide a high quality product and we do not stand behind our product. I look forward to speaking with you, Hope. Ask for me personally, Captain Brian, and I will make every effort to show you whales in the wild. Sincerely, Brian Goodremont San Juan Safaris Owner & Captain