Whale Watching from Friday Harbor in San Juan Islands booking from $135.00

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

Tue 22 Oct

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Starting at $135.00

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Tue 22 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)

jfran

Jul 2014

We had a very large group for a whale watching tour. They were very accommodating from the start and the tour was amazing. Our guide was clearly passionate about whales and it was contagious! All of us were excited to see the Orcas, and our guide could answer all of our questions. It was way more informative than I imagined it would be. A real education. We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the tour. They are organized, efficient and have wonderful guides. It was a highlight of our trip to the San Juan Islands.

Rob C

Jul 2014

When we were planning our trip to Seattle, my daughter's request was "lets do something we've never done before" so we booked our trip with San Juan Safaris. I found them on the internet but I had looked at many other company's as well. I knew it was a good fit for us once I made the call and spoke to the person with San Juan. She asked lots of questions about our trip, what we wanted to accomplish and most importantly our schedule. We were in town for the girls national soccer tournament so we were limited in how much time we had to make the trip to San Juan island. The recommendation was to fly with Kenmore Air on a sea plane to Friday Harbor and San Juan booked the entire trip over the phone with me. It was fantastic. The view of the islands was a gret experience especially the flight back just as the sun was going down. Once on the boat we saw lots of whales, bald eagles and many other creatures in the water and on the islands. The two young ladies on our journey had great knowledge about the islands, what we were witnessing and the history of many of the whales. It was educational and lots of fun. Overall it was a great experience and one I would highly recommend.

blackcattitude

Jun 2014

I really hate writing this review, but I feel that it has to be written so that maybe it won't happen to others in the future. For the last night of our trip to San Juan Island, we booked a sunset whale watching tour with San Juan Safaris. When we booked, we were told that the tour would be 3.5 hours and would begin at 5:30. We were asked to arrive at 4:50 to prepare. The night of our trip, we arrived at 4:45 to await our departure. When we checked in, we were told that the previous tour was running a "a little behind", and that we could return at 5:15 so we could board promptly at 5:30. We hung around the dock until 5:15, and the boat still hadn't returned. There were no updates from the San Juan Safaris booth to let us know where the boat was - we were just left to wait. And wait. And wait. Fast forward to 6:00 and the boat finally returned to the harbor. The crew then had to spray down and clean the boat before our group could board. Finally, when all was said and done, we disembarked at around 6:15 - a full 45 minutes after we were supposed to. There was a shallow apology, followed by "but I can't control how fast the boat goes". I'm sorry, but this company does multiple tours every day in the same areas, with the same tides, on the same boat. That excuse was ridiculous and only made me more angry. We were quickly informed that there were no orcas in the area, but that we would be conducting a search pattern to look for transients. The next day, I checked the Orca Network page to find that around 7-730pm, whales were spotted near Lime Kiln. We didn't even make it south of Speiden Island. Perhaps if our boat had departed more promptly we would've had time to see them? Regardless, the tardiness of the tour absolutely did not put us in a good position to find or see whales. We returned at 9:00 - the same time we were supposed to return even before our trip was delayed by 45 minutes. I understand that it was getting dark, so it probably wasn't possible to extend the trip, but that's why it is so imperative that the crew keep in mind that being late to a sunset tour robs the guests of the full experience. We paid full price for a tour that was 45 minutes shorter than advertised. We were offered no rain check, no compensation - nothing. We spent our last night on the island waiting for almost 1.5 hours just to board a boat, and the <3 hours on the trip were spent circling seals, porpoises, and exotic (non-native) animals on Speiden Island. One other thing that bothered me was that the captain found several porpoises. Apparently attempting to entertain an already frustrated group, he proceeded to circle the porpoises (who were clearly attempting to escape) for at least half an hour. I'm not exaggerating, he literally piloted the boat in circle and after circle around the animals. To me, this bordered on harassment. It would never be permitted for orcas, why should it be okay to do this to porpoises? Just something for the crew to consider in the future. The one bright light of the tour was Heather. She was happy, knowledgeable, and passionate, and we enjoyed talking to hear and learning from her. She knows a lot and is very excited to share her knowledge with others. She was wonderful. The blankets and binoculars and books that were provided were also nice touches. Ultimately, this tour was the biggest disappointment of our trip. I left the boat let down and feeling very regretful and sad that my last night in this beautiful place was spent waiting for a very late boat. I understand that sometimes things come up, but 45 minutes late for a 3.5 hour trip is unprofessional and inexcusable. At the least, we should've been given the option for a raincheck, or some sort of compensation, or a partial certificate for another trip in the future. Instead, it was basically "Too bad, not our fault, things happen". So, so disappointing. I hope San Juan Safaris takes better care of their guests in the future. We are all here looking for the same experience, we all clearly care about the well being of these animals, and we all want to know more about them. Treating some guests like their time is less important than others' sends the wrong message and tarnishes what should be a beautiful experience, even without whales. My only tip would be: if you are going to tour with this company, avoid the sunset tour. If the previous tour returns late, you'll basically be out of luck.

Response from Host

Jun 2014

We were very disappointed upon reading your review. At the heart of what we do is conservation through marine education, and providing the highest quality experiences on the water. Through amazing experiences on the water we hope our guests develop a deeper appreciation for wildlife and take actions in their own lives to conserve threatened or endangered species. We are also a very responsive company, and always mitigate concerns with our guests. It does not sound like we met your expectations, and I would like to opportunity to temper your concerns so that you feel better about your experience with us. While we do not guarantee whale sightings, we are often able to get guests on additional departures during their vacation at no additional cost if we are aware of an issue. I would like to address your concerns about our captain’s behavior around porpoise and that whales were present that we were unaware of. We operate under voluntary guidelines measured by an independent watchdog and San Juan Safaris has received fewer violations than any other company in the industry. That is due to our commitment to respectful interaction with wildlife. We are known throughout the whale watch industry as setting the highest standards. Having served an unprecedented 3 years as President of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, we will continue to do our best leading the industry. Your captain that evening is a 15 year veteran of the industry and widely considered one of the most respectful you will find. Finally, your concerns regarding Orca Network’s report that there were whales present that the whale watch industry was unaware of: It is always possible a small group of whales moved through Haro Strait that evening unknown to the entire whale watch industry. That is the amazing thing about whales in the wild, and Killer Whales specifically. I can only tell you that no whale watch vessels saw whales that evening outside of the vessels operating from Vancouver B.C., and that I cannot substantiate the report of whales you identified through the Pacific Whale Watch Association’s database nor any other scientific database other than Orca Network. I will confirm the validity of the report when I speak with them, as we are the primary provider (PWWA) of their sightings data. It is not often that Orca Network reports whale sightings we are unaware of. In summary it does not sound like we lived up to your expectations and I am truly sorry. I hope you will give us the opportunity to relieve your concerns by contacting us. While we do not guarantee whale sightings on our vessels, we do strive for 100% satisfaction of our guests. In the future I also hope you will contact owners like myself and give them an opportunity to address concerns and fulfill our goal of 100% customer satisfaction before airing a complaint on a public review site which leaves other consumers to believe we did not make efforts to meet your expectations. Again, I look forward to hearing from you and would appreciate the opportunity to mitigate the concerns from your trip. Sincerely, Brian Goodremont Owner/Operator San Juan Safaris

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Whale Watching from Friday Harbor

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