A wonderful afternoon boating around the San Juan Islands and learning about the local wildlife. We saw two Orca whales, several seals, porpoises, and a bald eagle. The crew were well seasoned and extremely informed. Trey, our guide, is a marine biologist and extremely informative about the wildlife in the area including the history and habits of the Orca whales. We especially loved the convenience of getting on the boat right at the Rosario Resort. read more

I'm not the person that usually sits down to write a review, but I have to in this situation. We booked deer harbor charter for a whale watch tour on April 26, 2017. We had no idea what to expect. It most definitely did not disappoint! Yes, we saw a humpback whale and on the way home, stumbled upon 3 orcas. It was so exciting because we were actually headed back in. Not only did we see the orcas but learned so much about the wildlife out in the sound. I loved that it was a small intimate group, our whole boat was awesome! But when 3 hours came and went, no one was in a hurry to go back. We were actually out for 4 1/2 hours because we were so excited to see the whales...never once being rushed for time. When I come back to the island I will for sure book with deer harbor charters, I feel there is no need to try the rest when I have found the best! lol, that was cheesy, but so true! I highly recommend you see for yourself! And yes, there is a bathroom on board!!! read more

I gave the one star to Deer Harbor Charters because I felt their customer service was lacking and there was a lack of trying for that matter. This felt like a guided senic tour with a non-stop talking tour guide. Bottom line we were excited tourists hoping to see a whale on Orcas Island, we booked with Deer Harbor Charters because we were staying in Deer Harbor and it was convenient. Check prices AND sightings! We later came to realize we messed up and didn't do the proper research and in return we were disappointed with the entire experience from start to finish. read more

A M A Z I N G ! ! ! We were really lucky and chose a day when 2 pods of whales were 'resting' - we met the whales at the Orcas Ferry Dock, followed them past West Sound, into Deer Harbor, and out around the west side of the island. It was nearly perfect. read more

Definitely the highlight of our trip. The boat nice, nothing super special but nice and clean with plenty of viewing area. We saw about 12 orcas, several porpoises, some harbor seals and some stellar sea lions. It was an amazing day! However the trip was absolutely made by the knowledge of the naturalist on board, Tray. We learned so much about the orcas and other marine mammals and he clearly has great passion and respect for these amazing creatures. He know's them all by name and they know him! It was truly amazing, can't say enough good things about this company! read more

Absolutely amazing! Above and beyond service. Not only did we learn about these beautiful and incredible whales but also lots of fascinating information about the waters, the area and history. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this great trip! read more

Great tour!!! Beautiful whales, very knowledgAble staff, great fun with the family!!!!! If the tour was an hour shorter it'd be absolutely perfect!! read more

A wonderful whale watching trip with my sister. Fast, straight to a pod of whales. Both the captain and naturalist were friendly, and knowledgable. A great experience! I'd love to bring the family along next time. Very impressive to see how all the boats work together to find the whales for us tourist. They keep a distance and let the whales thrive in their habitat, however I wish we could be closer. Pictures taken don't come close to the experience. Thanks read more

What a great whale watching trip we had July 3rd with Deer Harbor Tours out of Rosario's in Orcas Island. The Orcas put on a great show for us. Take a trip with the captain and naturalist for an education and entertainment. read more

We had a great time! Saw whales and other sea life. The boat was very comfortable and clean. The guides and captain were super informative and appropriately narrated the trip. Our whale watching tour was an excellent part of our trip to Orcas Island and the Pacific Northwest - recommend! read more

We had a trip planned with another boat but misread the confusing ferry schedule and missed our tour. These guys didn't plan on taking the boat out (during off season) but were excited to get out on the water since it was a clear day. The captain, Nate, and his family were incredibly kind and the naturalist, Trey, was very informative. We did see a lot of wild life and some rare porpoises but knew it wasn't ideal for whales. We had so much fun and enjoyed the genuine excitement the crew had when spotting various wildlife. It was so nice of them to even take us out that day. We are returning during prime whale watching season. read more

We loved it. Extraordinary experience. We were lucky the Orcas were very nearby and thus we had several hours to watch them and then go find other wildlife (rather than having to travel great distances looking for whales). The crew was exceptionally welcoming, e.g., they didn't make us feel awful for holding up the show when our 4 yr old got car sick and puked all over herself 5min away from the dock, but still wanted to go on the boat and see whales. Instead, they gave the rest of the group the orientation while we were hustling aboard and nobody skipped a beat. Other reviewers appear to be upset that, yes, charters operate non-obtrusively by maintaining their distance from the whales. I was thankful and delighted to discover this was the case. If you aren't willing to behave in the interest of the whales, it would probably be best for you to watch more national geographic videos before going whale watching. For the rest of us, the binoculars provided were very sufficient. My family loved this and will remember it forever. Thank you all! read more

Our Captain and First Mate/Naturalist went above and beyond chasing down a pod of whales for us to view. Along the way we saw porpoises and sea otters. Great service, individual time was spent with each group. read more

Trey and Bill did a great job. Excellent information and great whale watching.

We had a gr8 time on our whale watching trip by Deer Harbor charters. The skipper Cameron and the naturalist Natalie were simply amazin! The boat we went on was just right for the weather, it was raining lil and pretty chilly and we could sit inside and watch the whales from the glass windows. Cameron is a genius, he simply told us that we are gonna see the grand finale, everybody got together and we saw 2 huge Orcas whales coming towards the boat...soooo close, Its just so hard to forget such a sight!!! We are very impressed and we will definitely come back again! read more

If you are running late for whale watching tour with Deer Harbor Charters, you are on your own! Forget about any refund or cancellation or that they will wait for you for few minutes. My mom and niece were visiting from Europe, first time in the United States, and we planned a trip to Orcas Island, and whales watching was one of the first things we wanted to do. So I made a reservation with Deer Harbor Charters, 3 adults, paid $325. Checking ferry schedule and estimated arrival time, I thought it should work out very nicely - oh, I was wrong. Ferry was full and left with 10min delay and it wasn't moving fast in some areas likely due to fog. In all, we were running late. I called Deer Harbor asking if they could wait for 10min, as we already arrived to Orcas and I knew exact time when we would arrive. The answer was NO but it was via an intermediary, so we still rushed hoping for the best. We arrived exactly 10min late and the boat was gone... They didn't offer any refund either. My niece, mom were very upset initially. Luckily, there are many other things to do in Orcas Island and eventually everyone was happy at the end of the day. read more

My sister-in-law and I take a girls trip to Orcas Island every other year in September. We go whale watching with Deer Harbor Charters every time because they are the very best. The guys make the trip fun and informative. We have never been disappointed, the Orca sightings, the wild life... Amazing to see!! These guys make sure you have the very best experience! read more

One of the most amazing experiences of my life.We saw thirty whales,harbor whales,and harbor seals.It was fantastic!

Best whale watching tour I have ever been on, and we saw 2 types of whales! That is a once in a life time sight, plus they tell you all kinds of stuff about the whale. read more