Outer Island Expeditions is my go-to source for whale watching whenever friends come to visit, or I just long for a day on the water. Look for deals through Groupon, or just call them and ask if there are anymore seats left at the Groupon Price. The capts and naturalists are awesome! There are typically seats available departing Orcas when the Anacortes tours are full! It's a pleasant ferry ride, and you don't have to take your car - though it will likely cost less to ferry your car than to use the Orcas Island taxi services. If you take your car, plan to dine in Eastsound, there are several great restaurants! If you're in the mood for a retreat, Orcas has a couple of very fine resorts and Eastsound has a couple of great hotels! Outer Island guarantees you'll see whales, or they'll gift you another trip! But, we've never failed to find wildlife: eagles, harbor seals, harbor porpoise, sealions, stellar sealions, sea otters, minke whales, gray whales, deer, and of course - orcas! Sometimes you see one or two....sometimes you see pods of 20 or more! Interact with the captain and the naturalist and you'll have a blast - no matter what you see for wildlife! I can't recommend these folks strongly enough!