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 27 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

Sun 27 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)

Sneakych

Jul 2018

Summary: Take seaplane if coming from Seattle Friendly/knowledgeable crew RIDE THE KESTREL. TIP THE CREW. The reservation process was easy an extremely friendly. I booked online to go aboard the SeaLion, however I added a note to contact me if a spot opened up on the Kestral (high speed RIB style vessel). They contacted me a week later to let me know that it had become available. I highly suggest dropping the money on booking the tour with a seaplane ride. I was staying in Seattle, and paid a little extra to ride a seaplane to the marina the Safaris is based out of. WORTH EVERY PENNY. I had more time to enjoy the harbor and surrounding attractions, and less time driving. The tour itself is very friendly, they outfitted passengers with exposure jackets (optional) at no cost. Even if you think it's warm take one (you can't wear what you don't have). The guide was knowledgeable and very friendly, happy to answer questions about the whales and the surrounding areas. Biggest suggestion: RIDE THE KESTREL. The kestrel is a high speed (30mph+) rib. Some may find it less comfortable at those speeds but we beat the other boats to the whales by A LOT, and that with stopping to look at sea lions and porpoise. We undoubtedly had WAY more watching time than the other boats. My only critique would be to have some sort of music at least while boat is in transit. Don't forget to look at the beautiful anemones growing around the dock, I also recommend the Whale Museum (walking distance from Marina)

BuBunch

Jul 2018

We took the Adventure Tour package and could not have been happier. From the time we booked, they called and checked in on us to see if we had any questions. They were great on questions before we booked. And they even checked in again a day or so before the tour. Once there, they welcomed us and provided information on what to do on the island as we arrived early. So friendly...never once did I get the feeling that this was just a job for them. Once on the boat Rachel and Mike toured us around to various sites. We got the incredible experience of seeing the orcas up close (could have touched them because they decided to surface right next to our boat) and yet we were not done after that like the other boats around. We went out and found other wildlife like eagles, rock sausages, and the likes. But we also found another whale and learned about the bait balls. What an experience to see that in real life...and again, we were the only boat out there experiencing it. Such a great experience. I highly recommend them for their superior customer service, their naturalist on board with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and willingness to work to ensure we were able to accomplish seeing the wildlife.

Bill B

Jul 2018

We have been looking forward to our trip with San Juan Safaris for months, and it exceeded all our expectations. We were thrilled to see humpback whales, two pods of orcas, bald eagles, and seals on our trip. Our guide Jordan was enthusiastic and informative. We would recommend this trip to everyone.