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

Sat 26 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

Sat 26 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)

Amanda T

May 2016

What a great day! San Juan Safaris provided such a great experience whale watching and boating around San Juan Island. The entire crew was so friendly and helpful. The naturalists knew so much about the populations of whales that we were seeing and we were able to view orcas, humpbacks and porpoises. The boat was nice and clean and they even had blankets if we were cold! Sarah was very enthusiastic and jumped up and down when we saw the baby humpback whale breech. Don't miss out on this great adventure!

Dita O

May 2016

If you're looking for a top-notch company in the San Juan Islands to see the amazing Pacific Northwest at its best: Sea and island life, bald eagles and amazing shorelines, this company is excellent. San Juan Safaris is run well and tightly. Our craft the Sea Lion was military clean, orderly and organized. The staff is so friendly and helpful. Sarah, the naturalist on board loves loves loves her career and knows more facts about the orcas, sea life and the ocean in general. She was such a delight. She loves to answer any and all questions. Hats off to Captain Mike for putting in the time and effort to get us right in front of one of the jpods. We saw breaching killer whales, jumping whales, babies, "spy hops" and we followed whales around the point. It was amazing. Such a great Mother's Day gift! The Orcas are truly magical creatures. Seeing them in their natural habitat brings you nothing but joy. Do this! I would absolutely book with them again.

stellestelle

May 2016

We took our mom out with San Juan Safaris for this past Mother's Day, and boy oh boy, we had the best time! They are unable (obviously) to 100% guarantee that there will be orca sightings, and as it was still pretty early in the season, we definitely didn't get our hopes too high. We rode around the gorgeous San Juan Islands for a few hours, with no whale sightings, but Captain Mike knew exactly where to head to spot harbour seals and a whole gang of giant Sea Lions. Just as I began to accept that this was not a day for whales, which would have been fine because it was such a beautiful day and the scenery was gorgeous, all of a sudden Sarah, our fantastic naturalist, yelled for us to look towards the front of the boat. As soon as I looked up I saw an orca jump entirely out of the water! A full-body breach! All of a sudden there were orcas to be seen everywhere, and over the course of the next hour we saw another full breach, two baby orcas slapping their little tails, some spy-hopping (google it, it's adorable) and miles of following these unbelievably magnificent creatures. We had the best time and San Juan Safaris really made us feel welcome and comfortable. An extra mention must be made about Sarah the naturalist, she was an absolute delight in her unbridled enthusiasm for the killer whales and her life in the San Juans. There was no question that she couldn't answer and we found her explanations absolutely fascinating. Ten out of ten, would (and probably will) go again.