Our 4 Best San Juan Islands Whale Watching Tours

1.Whale Watching from Friday Harbor

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 780 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $135Our pick

Cruise from Friday Harbor aboard the 55-foot MV Sea Lion, a heated, windowed boat carrying up to 40 people. Naturalists share facts about orcas, humpbacks, minke whales, seals, sea lions, and birds while the captain follows current sightings. Bring warm layers, snacks, and patience: orcas are likely in season but never guaranteed.

“Crew was awesome explaining the whales we were seeing and diet of whales...saw sea lions...white seals...lots birds....bald eagles”

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2.Whale Watching Tour from Anacortes

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 681 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $119Best value

From Anacortes, Outer Island Excursions takes you into the San Juan and Canadian Gulf islands aboard a high-speed vessel. Expect three to four hours on the water, with guides such as Drew, Tiffany, Matt, and Brooke sharing details about whales, birds, and local waters. Sightings are guaranteed from April through early September.

“Perfect day, followed pod B65 and learned a lot. The crew made the trip experience the best. I will do this adventure again!”

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3.Orcas Island Whale Watching

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 442 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $119

From Orcas Island, you’ll spend about 3.5 hours aboard a small, fast vessel searching the San Juan and Canadian Gulf islands for orcas, humpbacks, gray whales, and minkes. Guides such as Phil, Ginny, Elliot, and Sheila identify wildlife and explain the islands as you go. Dress warmly and plan carefully around the ferry.

“Captain Phil and Sheila were great! We didn’t see any whales for the first maybe hour and a half, but once Captain Phil got news about whale sightings more north, he got us over there as fast as possible. We got incredible views of about twelve orcas. Sheila shared so much information about the islands and identified some of the orcas we saw. It was such a great experience, we would highly recommend.”

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4.Guaranteed Whale Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 239 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $119

From Orcas Island, you’ll spend about 3.5 hours searching for orcas, humpbacks, seals, porpoises, eagles, and other wildlife with a professional crew. Guides such as Sheila, Phil, Brock, Tiffany, Jim, and Brooke have helped make past trips both informative and personal. The tour costs $119 and promises a free second excursion if no whales are seen.

“We had a 1:00 PM reservation for whale watching boat trip and a 7:30 AM ferry reservation to the island. The ferry system had a boat down so the 7:30 ferry was canceled. The next ferry to the island wasn’t until 3:15 later that day. I call the place and spoke to the owner and explained the situation. The exact words were “the ferry being down was not his problem” and refused to refund my money. This place was a complete ripoff and the owner was very arrogant about the whole situation. Stay away from this we whale watching your company.”

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