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 26 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

Thu 26 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)

lisamarie514

Jul 2013

Sunset whale watching trip - Untouched nature and all its beauty. We saw many whales, bald eagles, harbor seals, and a gorgeous sunset. Even the sprinkle of rain was refreshing. Our boys have see all of these animals in a zoo, but it is a very different experience to see them in the wild. You feel very small out there with these magnificent animals all around you. Now youre on their turf. Fabulous experience. Our naturalist was very informative and very helpful locating the wildlife. She worked well with the Captain who did everything to ensure that we saw as much as possible. If we needed they had blankets, rain gear, and binoculars on board. We had no complaints. I just want to point out a few things that some of the people on the boat didn't seem to understand. Wildlife is unpredictable. One minute its there the next its gone. Whales don't surface and wait for you to take a picture. Also, seeing a whale "breech" - where it jumps almost all the way out of the water then goes crashing back down- is a rare thing to see. It may appear on the front of many whale watching tour brochures, but you probably won't see anything so dramatic. If you do, consider yourself very fortunate.

mooylinda

Jul 2013

The outing was fun, but we did not see whales. The guide actually told us that the whales have moved up north more making it harder to find them. We did see a few porpoises in the distance, as well as bald eagles, seals, and deer on some of the islands. Take more jackets than you think you'll need, as even in the summer the ride is quite cold. There is a small inside area, though with some seating space. Also, pack your own binoculars. Ours was a small group and even so, there were not enough binoculars to go around. My group of three shared one pair. If you sit on the front of the boat, hold on tightly, and plan on getting wet, as the captain will most likely get you wet when he "accidentally" hits some waves too fast at one point on the trip. At the end of our trip, we were told that even though we didn't get to see any whales, we did get a "white water" ride. Given what we did/didn't see, my group thought the trip was a bit long - a little over three hours.

Response from Host

Aug 2013

Hi Linda! Thank you for taking the time to review your tour with us! We loved having you out on the water. We are very sorry to hear that your tour did not exceed your expectations. We do encounter whales (killer whales, minke, humpbacks, etc) on 9 out of 10 tours. However, we can never guarantee wild animal sightings. Our tours are 3 to 3 ½ hours long, and you get to enjoy your tour on the newest vessel in the San Juan Islands with indoor cabin seating for 20-25 guests. As with all companies in the San Juans, you can expect to get some sea spray onto the vessel. It’s part of the excitement of being on the water! We will look into purchasing additional binoculars for our guests. Please be sure to ask us for an extra pair of binoculars, blankets, rain coats, or rain slickers. We have extra on board for our guests because we definitely understand that our climate is cooler (highs only in the mid 70s & cooler on the water) than most expect, especially for guests coming from Texas! We sincerely appreciate feedback from our guests and encourage you to contact us directly to go over your tour experience. It helps us learn how we can better accommodate our guests. As a small, local business we value each person who takes our tours. We are committed to providing the highest quality experience for all of our guests. Sincerely, Brian Goodremont Owner I Operator I Captain San Juan Safaris 800.450.6858

Susie B

Jul 2013

We booked our Whale Watching tour with San Juan Safaris prior to our recent trip to the Pacific NW. We spent two days and nights in Friday Harbor and our Whale Watching tour was the highlight of our stay. The staff was friendly and informative and the Captain was awesome. He stayed as close to the whales as he legally could and followed them forever. We got LOTS of good shots of the whales and really enjoyed the majestic scenery in the area. We felt we certainly got our money's worth on the tour.