We've done this tour twice now, both times from Anacortes. The guides are knowledgable, and we've seen whales both times. The first tour we saw a grey whale, and it happened to come so close that we could smell its breath, the second time we saw quite a few orcas, none as close as that first trip, but that's totally ok, it is for the whales' safety! That's why we're watching from a boat and not from Sea World.