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

Thu 10 Apr

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

Thu 10 Apr

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

What To Expect

San Juan Island

San Juan Island is considered one of the best place to view wild orca whales because the surrounding nutrient rich water of the Salish Sea. These nutrients draw all types of marine animals, including large marine mammals like orcas. Take this Whale watching tour and see orca whales, during peak season we have a 90-95% success rate of spotting orca, minke, humpback and gray whales. What is the best time to see orca whales? Anytime. They are out and about all day. Aside from whales, many other marine mammals like harbor seals and stellar sea lions, as well as various sea birds, bald eagles and some unique terrestrial mammals are all common sightings! You'll definitely 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 (728)

Nancy C

Oct 2014

On Sat Oct 18 I was on the whale watching trip with Captain Mike, Kevin and Emily. I was hoping to see one Orca, and to my absolute delight we were "mugged" by a pod of ORCAS!! All I could and keep saying is WOW! It was absolutely magnificent, breathtaking, awesome, not enough adjectives to describe the experience. Was able to chat personally with Emily and Kevin, what great ambassadors they are for you; Captain Mike was busy piloting the boat but did get a photo of him. I haven't stopped talking about this since I returned to Chicago. Many, many thanks. I have told my friends they need to go to San Juan Islands and book a trip with you. Cordially, Nancy Chapman

Nancy R

Oct 2014

My husband and I and our 10 year daughter really enjoyed our trip. We went in September and had beautiful weather. The crew was very informative and I appreciated the captain's knowledge and respect of the laws in place to protect the orcas. We saw several pods that day but bear in mind you are usually about 200 yards away unless the orcas happen to venture closer to the boats, not ideal as the idea is to stay further away so as not to stress the whales. If I did this again I would definitely take binoculars for optimal viewing. From Friday Harbor it takes a good hour to get to where the whales usually are so bring a sweatshirt! My daughter also spent some time sitting inside looking at the books available, in all the trip was around 3 hours and she was always occupied. It's a good idea to bring water and snacks too.

Linda N

Oct 2014

My sister and I were visiting the San Juan Islands for the first time. We were excited about going on a whale watch since it would be a new experience for both of us. It rained hard that morning but stopped before we got on the boat. We had two naturalists on board with us and they were very excited about the sightings. We saw a Humpback Whale, Orcas, Sea Lions and Pacific White-sided Dolphins. Sarah, one of the naturalists on board was excellent. Very knowledgeable and so excited about each whale we saw. I highly recommend taking this trip with San Juan Safaris.