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

Sun 29 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

Sun 29 Dec

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)

Joanna V

Oct 2013

My friend and I were in from Boston. This was my friend's first ever whale watch, while I had been on a couple east coast watches. What we really wanted to see were, obviously, killer whales and killer whales we saw! A small pod of Transient Orcas were hanging around while the Residents were out of town. It was great to see them, especially since three days before there hadn't been any Orcas. We also saw sea lions, harbor seals, Dall's porpoises and a distant humpback whale. I understand that these are wild animals and the crew can't promise anything, but they definitely met all of our expectations. The weather was perfect, the sea wasn't rocky (and I am seriously prone to seasickness...didn't feel it one bit!), the captain and crew were knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating...everything you could ask for. We lucked out and had ideal whale watching conditions. This was a small boat, holding probably 30 people. On shore the temperature was high 60s, low 70s, but when the boat is going you will want extra layers. I had a shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, windbreaker, thick jeans, thick socks, warm boots, a hat and a scarf and I was still a bit chilly (granted I stayed outside almost the entire time...there is a warm, indoor area but I was afraid of missing something). Bring gloves...I didn't and should have. If you can get a telephoto lens for your fancy camera, bring it. The boats are required by law to stay a certain distance from the animals (which is a good thing...gotta keep them happy, safe and healthy) so the photos you get will be much better with a telephoto lens. I will invest in one for next time. They don't sell any food or water on board, so bring your own. You'll be happy you did. You don't realize how hungry you are until the boat ride back to the harbor. If you forget binoculars, they have some on board to use, along with some great reading material about the animals of the Salish Sea. I would do this whale watch again in a heartbeat. Maybe next summer! I'll cross my fingers for Resident Orcas this time.

Amy F

Oct 2013

If your looking for a great whale watching trip you have found it! We had so much fun! This was a dream of mine for a long time to go and see Orcas. We found them! The crew and naturalist on board were amazing! So knowledgeable about Orcas. The naturalist was very informative and very engaging and enthusiastic. She definitely enjoys what she does. (But who wouldn't) We saw some amazing things. The orcas seemed to be performing for us, Jumping, Breaching, Tail slaps, head stands, porpoising out of the water.We also saw lots of Harbor Seals, Cormorants and a few Bald Eagles too. The Landscapes are just beautiful too!!! It was an amazing day. A week later and I'm still looking at my pictures wishing I was there again. If I ever have the chance again I WILL DEFINITELY BOOK ANOTHER TRIP WITH THEM!!!!!!! WELL WORTH THE MONEY!!!!

AScotsmanAbroad

Oct 2013

Great trip with loads of orcas from two of the three resident pods, along with seals, sea-lions, porpoises, a bald eagle and loads of other sea-birds. As with most of these things, though, it’s the crew that make the difference and naturalists Heather and Andrew and Capt. Mike were great. From spotting all the wildlife, to getting us in the right position to see it, to telling us so much about all the things we saw, not just the whales, they made the trip. So much so, that even without the whales it still would have been a good trip. There’s a huge variety of whale-watch trips to choose from and I would recommend San Juan Safaris anytime. The wildlife isn’t guaranteed, so might as well go with the thing that is guaranteed, which is an extremely knowledgeable, informative and enthusiastic crew. There’s a lot of opinions on here about whether big or small boats are better; this was a big, full, boat but there was plenty room and everyone could get a good view. All the boats are meant to keep the same distance from the whales anyway so no-one should have a real advantage there either and I don’t think any other boats passed us either, so speed didn’t seem to an issue .