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

Fri 25 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

Fri 25 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)

steves_closet

Sep 2019

I though ebout it a lot whether to go on this tour or not , because of the long drive from Seattle and having to get on the road very early to make it to the 9AM ferry. I must say that the Anacortes area was amazing and the ferry ride was also very nice. I have been told to take the 9AM ferry as the 11AM one gets delayed sometimes but when I was at Friday harbor - the 11AM ferry arrived on time. Laura and Olivia were very nice and informative and I enjoyed meeting them and learning from them. I would suggest the company to have an "adult only" tour as having crying babies and small children running around wasn't fun at all. After about 1.5hrs we managed to view orcas, too bad only a few binoculars were on board and everyone who got them also kept them so I had to see the orcas from super far away. By law, boats have to keep distance from the whales , something I haven't seen on the website as it would have probably changed my mind. I believe seeing them from the shore is a better idea as the tour was super expensive. My suggestion is to go to the island cause the view are just amazing but go to the other side of the island and watch the whales from there. It was a nice experience but it is very pricy for having the option to also see them for free from the shore.

Response from Host

Sep 2019

Hello steves_closet, I am sorry to hear that we did not meet your expectation on the tour you joined us for. That is certainly never our goal here at San Juan Safaris and I would like to take the time to explain some details of how we operate and the whales we see. Enacted in 1972, marine mammals are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which states that humans are not to approach closer than 100 yards to any marine mammal. Here in Washington State, Bigg’s orcas have a 200 yard federally enforced viewing distance and Southern Resident killer whales a 300 yard viewing distance. We are proud to uphold these regulations and our Captains work very hard to ensure that we follow best viewing practices. Of course, whales do not know these regulations, and sometimes we do get closer looks. In these instances, we either maneuver out of the whale’s path, or shut down completely to allow the whale to move past our vessel. Close views are exciting as a guest, but something we try to avoid as a company working to follow federal regulations and to have as little impact as possible on wildlife. We do carry some binoculars on board, but are unfortunately unable to carry enough for each passenger. I am sorry you were unable to get a turn with binoculars, and I will speak with our Naturalist Manager about our process for ensuring folks that want a pair of binoculars get a chance to view through them. While it is possible to view orcas from shore, this is not a common occurrence during that last couple of years. Viewing from shore is an amazing experience, but not something I ever tell people to expect. Orcas can travel over 100 miles per day, and if you are sitting in one specific spot, orcas have to come to your location. The advantage of the boat is that we can go to wherever the orcas are within a 50-80 miles range of San Juan Island. It sounds like the day you joined you were viewing whales off the west side of SJI, but this is atypical of where we have been viewing whales this summer. Less than 5% of our tours have visited the west side of San Juan Island for orcas. Our rates are on par with industry standards and cover the cost of our professional staff, fuel, and routine maintenance of the vessel. We value our staff members and are proud to offer competitive wages. We feel that our prices accurately reflect the knowledge and experience our guests come away with. We always aim to provide our guests with excellent service and an exceptional experience, and it does not seem like we lived up to your expectations. As small family-owned and operated business like ours we are always willing to work with guests to resolve issues and explain any tour information. In the future I would urge you to reach out directly to us, or any other company, to resolve problems, before writing a review. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach me at our San Juan Safaris office if you have any further questions regarding our viewing distances for your tour. Sincerely, Brian Goodremont Owner/Operator San Juan Safaris

J432

Sep 2019

We took their larger boat (not the high speed one). It was a nice size group of about 30, never felt crowded. Our two guides and the captain were awesome. They know the area and the resident pods of orcas and can recognize individuals. They kept commenting and answering questions to small groups on the boat during the whole trip. Highly recommended.

Response from Host

Sep 2019

Hi J432, Thank you so much for your kind review! We loved hosting you aboard our Classic Vessel M/V Sea Lion. We are so happy that you enjoyed your time with your crew, and that you got to see some of our amazing local wildlife! We hope to see you again soon! Brian Goodremont and the crew at San Juan Safaris Owner/Operator

neneaguayo

Aug 2019

We did the Adventure Whale Watch and Wildlife Tour. It is chillly, you get wet and it is absolutely worth every second. The suits they give you are quite warm but bring a hat. Piper was our naturalist and her knowledge and passion for the animals is contagious and fun! Our captain was great as well, super nice guy. We saw all the animals we hoped to see. This is the fastest boat they have and it definitely makes the trip most efficient. The office ladies were helpful with all info we needed and super friendly. As a day trip from Seattle it takes up the whole day (12 hours) but is totally worth it - and we saw orcas on the ferry back to Anacortes as a bonus!

Response from Host

Sep 2019

Hi neneaguayo, Thank you so much for your kind review of your experience on M/V Kestrel on our Adventure departure. We are so glad that you had a nice time on the water with Piper, and of course that you got to see all of the wildlife you were hoping to see! We never guarantee any wildlife sightings (They are wild after all!), but that Adventure tour gives you the best opportunity to see the most animals! Come back and see us again, Brian Goodremont and the crew at San Juan Safaris Owner/Operator