We had a perfect tour on Outer Island Expedition on the double-deck Blackfish boat, with captain Trevor and naturalist Sam. We saw an Orca Whale, three Humpback whales, and Stellar seals. Then we passed Spieden Island and saw a herd of Sitka deer. read more

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I'm extremely disappointed with how my situation was handled recently. Due to a family illness, I had to cancel my whale watching trip and provided what I believed was plenty of notice. Despite that, they refused to issue a full refund. When I booked, I expected a reasonable level of customer service and flexibility, especially for something as unpredictable as getting sick. Instead, I was met with rigid policy. It felt like they cared more about keeping my money than doing right by a customer who couldn't safely attend. I understand that businesses have cancellation policies, but there should be some level of compassion and common sense--especially when someone gives advance notice and isn't canceling last minute. Unfortunately, this experience left a bad impression. I would hesitate to book with them again and recommend others read the fine print very carefully before committing... because even with advance notice, you will not get a full refund if you need to cancel. read more

We did an Orca excursion with Outer Island Excursions that was great fun and very informative. Our captain was Jarrett and our Naturalist was Sheila. Jarrett did a super job of finding us Orcas. Sheila was a font of great information and highly personable. We got to see male, female and baby killer whale orcas in two different pods. We also saw seals and eagles along with their young. It was a very well conducted excursion. read more

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We did a sunset kayak tour with guide Dom that was absolutely stunning. We saw 3 Bald Eagles, (a pair in their nest, and then a single one a bit later) along with seals and jellyfish and an amazing view from Point Doughty for photos. Dom was knowledgeable, fun and made sure everyone was safe. Then later in the week we had a terrific whale watching experience on The Beacon with Captain Elliott, crew Jenny and Dom. They were highly skilled, answered all our questions and taught us much about this beautiful part of the world. We saw a momma humpback and her baby for about 30 minutes! This company was efficient, knowledgeable and super fun. Would highly recommend. read more

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We had an amazing whale watching tour! We went out in the afternoon and saw several pods of Killer Whales. Brooke, Sofia and Jeff were extremely knowledgeable, kind and courteous! Great trip with great people! read more

Outer Island Excursions. Tiffany and Jarrett On 06/20/25 afternoon, the whale watching experience was well worth it! Jarrett was very professional and he put safety first. Tiffany was a pleasure as a guide during the trip on the boat. She knew her stuff very well and she was very good with kids! read more

Elliott and Gabe were great on this orca excursion from Rosario location. Very knowledgeable and courteous to customers and respectful of other boats also trailing a pair of male orcas for 90 min. Water was choppy in a few places with clashing currents but overall a great ride out and back. read more

Amazing crew and we saw Orcas, Stellar Sea Lions, an otter and beautiful sunsets! Becca, Tiffany, Sam and Drew were awesome!

The guides have years of experience and Biology degrees from the University of Washington. Our tour had Orca activity they described as "extremely rare" and "as good as it gets". The whales seemed happy, jumping, splashing with their fins and tails. The distance rules were followed + a cushion. I learned a lot about Orcas. Outer Island Expeditions exceed all my expectations. read more

Our captain, Chaz, & naturalist, Gabe, were incredible! We saw otters, a humpback whale, seals, sea lions, salmon, porpoises, & best of all, orcas! Everything was well organized, safe, clean, and done well. read more

I realized I never added pictures from my fun trip with this tour outfit back in 2018.

What an absolutely amazing experience! Captain Brock is a Rockstar! We saw orcas, sea lions, and even a suuuuuuper cute sea otter! It was so much fun! Captain Brock was hilarious and so much fun, Brooke was amazing too! I learned so much, and I can't wait to go again! I came all the way from Salem, Oregon and it was well worth the drive! read more

We had a great time on our whale watching excursion! The boat crew-Matt and Becca were so knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend this company to go whale watching! I'll be back! read more

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Captain Jack and First mate Naturalist Hayden were very excellent in their experienced guiding. They got us up real close to animals on island, we saw a lot of different marine animals, seals stellar sea lions, killer whales, and many Humpback whales. I would definitely book with these guys again. Also Hayden was very knowledgeable of the islands and geography of the local area. Awesome trip. My granddaughter loved it. The crew was also very safe and respectful of others at all times. read more

This was my second excursion with Outer Island. Both times we left from their site on Orcas Island. This last trip we took it the last week of May. I would have to rate this trip as better because we had beautiful weather and we had such great success with the whales. Even out boat driver said he had never see the whales act like that. Outer Island really cares about the whales and they really want you to see whales and will do what they can to help you see them. They have a great network so they can find out where the whales have been spotted and don't waste anytime getting you there. We were on the Blackfish III with Nate and Austin. They were both very nice and knowledgable about the wildlife we saw. I got my tickets for my party of 7 through Groupon and as able to book it easily on their website. There is a tip jar on the boat, so I highly recommend tipping your guides when there. This is such a fun thing to do whether you live here or you have out of town guests. Everyone in my group had the best time and I know we developed some great memories! read more

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This was a great whale watching tour. Captain Brock and Sam were amazing. The service was great. Captain Brock took us right to a humpback whale. Sam was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. Great way to spend a day on Orcas Island. read more

Arrive 30 minutes early or kiss your money goodbye. This was a birthday gift from my wife, and since we're from out of state, I didn't know about the 30-minute check-in rule -- and the "standby voucher" they gave us is useless because we'll never be back. They told us we could get on the 3 PM trip, so we stayed in Anacortes all day, only to find out there weren't enough seats for us. No birthday acknowledgment, no real solution, and no refund when no service was provided. read more

We were on Orcas Island going on a orca whale watch. There were a pod of 15 resident orcas off the coast of Friday Harbor the morning we were heading out. There were also sightings near Port Angeles around lunch. So we get on the boat around 3:30 and leave south in the harbor. The Captain says we have a 1:45 min ride to Port Angeles unless we see something closer. What i was surprised/not happy about is we ended up going within 10 mins of Edmonds (2 hrs and 10 mins from where we left) to find a pod of 4 transient orcas. When I asked why we didn't go west, they said they didn't hear of anything on San Juan Island where there were 3-4 posts throughout that day saying there were spotting off San Juan. If I wanted to see Orcas in the sound I will go to Edmunds or Port Townsend where there are charters for that. By the time we got back, all the restaurants were closed. The crew should have planned better and thought about going somewhere closer than Edmonds. read more

This is what the doctor ordered for us. We came to the island in 2020 and seen not a single whale or a killer whale. We received a rain check for the two of us to go back on the charter group out of Friday Harbor. We had everything planned out that we were going to catch a ferry on Tuesday morning to Friday Harbor and see the whale watching tour. We arrive at 655 am to find out that the ferry doesn't have a captain for the day. We had to cancel our whale watching tour and stay on Orcas Island. Then I seen this place somewhere and grabbed the discount code and said mine as well not ruin our day and see if one is available. We went out on the 3 pm. Let me tell you this charter does an outstanding job. They provided us with jackets. Nobody does this. They are the first that we've seen. We've been on a dozen whale watching tours. They provide a spill about what they are doing. The captain and the mate does an excellent job and goes around and chats with everyone. He provides answers to any of the questions that you may have. They don't bother wasting everyone's time by going and checking out seal island like all of the charters do to provide some sense of happiness. We went straight out to Canada to see the orcas traveling through. It was an outstanding performance. We never gone this far with any charter before. We were as far as Swartz bay in Canada. This is the best tour that I've been on since 2015. This crew does an outstanding job to take you where you want to be. read more

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Got to go out from Orcas Island twice this week and it was a-ma-zing! Crew was knowledgeable, kind and entertaining and the amount of wild life is incredible. They know where to go to see all the best stuff. Breathtaking views are everywhere you look. Can't wait to go again. Oh and baby Orcas are the cutest read more

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Worth it! I booked two tickets through Groupon and had a very easy time scheduling our guide. The captain and naturalist were both very friendly. We had a very wild ride out to Canadian waters to view a set of humpbacks. We were able to see three humpbacks and followed a mom and her baby around as they dove for food. Beware of the spout! The scent of dead fish the whales spew from their blowhole will definitely wake you up in the morning. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any Orcas but I enjoyed our experience nevertheless. Will definitely be rebooking this company next season! read more

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Got in a whale island tour with Drew, Clint and Liberty. Very intentional about seeing whales, got in two somewhat rare sittings! Appreciated that Clint was there for emotional support, would recommend to anyone stopping in! read more

Outer Island Expeditions - Fishing Near Me - Eastsound, Washington

UPDATE: The owner wrote a deceptive response to our review, so we are lowering to one star and writing to clarify. There is a prominent 25% off promotion for this business on Yelp for customers who check in at the place of business. We happily did so, and received the 25% off coupon. When we presented the coupon we were first told it can only be applied to a second trip, and then told the company no longer works with Yelp and is not able to honor it. Then to top that off, the owner responds to our review to make it sound like we were referring to some made-up scheme to solicit positive reviews, rather than the actual promotion they were running and did not honor. Absolutely shameful - especially seeing this behavior in a community as kind and caring as Orcas. read more

Kayak tour to Point Doughty... was just an average kayaking tour. Purchased on Groupon where it was advertised as a whale watching opportunity - seemed like all the others in the group were also misled. The guide let us know right away once we were on the water that this tour would not be one where we see any whales. Okay, no big deal - we adjusted our expectations accordingly... Once we got to Point Doughty we were given half an hour to hang out and relax before getting back in the kayaks and heading back. Everyone in the group of 5 kayaks was experienced so we made it back before our 3 hours was up without difficulty. We saw lots of cute baby harbor seals on the rocks, some large sea lions, and a few harbor porpoises. The view from the point was nice but definitely not something you need a guided tour for. There was nothing wrong with the tour, however if they're charging individually for the kayak tour then they should give you the option of having individual kayaks. The price of a double kayak rental for 3 hours is always way less than singles after all. read more

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Outer Island offers a few different services, the most popular appearing to be whale watching tours that depart from Orcas Island. They also offer sea kayak rental/tours. We were away for a vacation break and decided last minute to book with them, to go out and try to see some of the island's namesake orcas. It should be noted that this trip was July of 2020, so we were in the thick of COVID and even the whale watching industry has been affected. On the one hand, we were able to book a few days in advance with no problem; I imagine it's a much longer lead time in the full regular tourist season. I was also glad that when I called on the phone and mentioned Groupon, they honored the Groupon price when paying directly; I'd rather give them my money entirely than have Groupon take a cut. Due to COVID, they cannot currently go into Canadian waters. This obviously takes them off their normal routes and patterns. Also, because so very few boats are now going out, this really cuts down on the amount of whale reconnaissance reports that come in. All of this leads to one unfortunate conclusion: we weren't able to locate any whales on our trip. Normally, they have a whale guarantee, but again, due to COVID, the guarantee was temporarily suspended. I have nothing but compassion for the staff. They were professional and engaging, and did their best to provide a good trip and locate whales. We saw plenty of harbor seals and even a few Steller sea lions. We saw eagles, we saw lots of lovely scenery around the islands. They were apologetic about not finding any whales and I appreciated the effort. They're in a tough spot, and these things are way beyond their control. All in all it was a nice boat ride, pleasant weather, and we took some good photos of the island and of other wildlife we encountered. Maybe we'll get 'em next time. (SIDE NOTE: Lest any review readers feel great pangs of pity, we did see an orca whale two days later, from shore, on a different island. Check it off the list.) read more

Had two fantastic experiences with the Outer Island crew. Ellen and Katie were great at keeping me informed about my reservation and checking me in. Russ was a fantastic boat pilot and Ari an outstanding kayak tour guide. read more

We had an excellent whaling experience with Captain Matt and crew Becca! They shared so much information about Orcas the sea life, and history of the area. Great views of the whales as we were in the right place at the right time. Excellent company and definitely highly recommend them! read more

The boat cruise was nice. We say a few orcas, but mostly just the fins. We spent most of the time looking for them and we had to go out pretty far. Overall it was nice. The crew were friendly and went up to every group to answer questions and give us a little sea life education. There were a good amount of children, being loud, running around, so in that sense I wish it would have been an adults only trip. I bought the Groupon for a friend and I. At first it sounded like a good deal, but then when I had to make a reservation I had to pay additional fees, plus parking so it wasn't as cheap as I thought. Im not sure on whose end that is but it wasn't much of a saving and I wish Groupon would have disclosed the additional fees I was going to have to pay. I noticed there was a livingsocial and travelocity deal too but didn't see the prices. I imagine it's about the same. read more

Saw 5 orca whales with our 6 and 9 year old daughters on the blackfish 2 Trevor and Brooke were super informative, kind, and respectful towards the whales and all animal life. You can tell they love what they do. I would highly recommend this tour. They were the best and went out of their way to make sure everyone had a good time. read more

I had been trying to book a kayak rental with Outer Island Expeditions and had spoken to someone over the phone who had been kind and had mentioned that the route that I wanted to do would work well, and suggested that I submit a float plan. I had created a float plan and emailed back and forth with the company who had agreed that the plan would work and that they saw no issues with it. At the last minute (leaving me no time to plan otherwise), the office manager, Beau, called me out of the blue and was incredibly rude and condescending to me over the phone. He had his own perspectives, opinions and ideas on my experience and who I was as a person and asked me rapid-fire questions, didn't give me time to answer his questions, and would talk over me. He didn't let me speak in complete sentences. He refused to believe that I had any experience kayaking and had pointedly and repeatedly told me that I "didn't know what I was talking about" and "had to business trying to kayak in the San Juan Islands" - in reality, I've actually guided for three years in the San Juans and was hoping to rent a kayak for a friend to paddle with me. He would have gained access to this knowledge and information if he had let me speak. The reason that he didn't rent a boat to me was because he didn't provide me with a space to actually answer his questions or describe my experience or paddling plans at all. I attempted to let him know that I would be willing to be flexible with our route times since we were renting their boats, but he continued to interrupt me and undermined his own staff by asserting that he "didn't care who I had talked to over the phone or emailed previously" because "he's the real manager". I'm hoping that this information is helpful to other guests in planning their vacation so they are aware that the company does not work together in unity. I had tried to book well in advance to have my travel plans solidified. At this point, I even offered to rent the boats for an extra day - and he yelled at me for suggesting that (??) if it worked better with their safety protocols, and also told me that he didn't know why I wanted to paddle to the islands that I had selected to paddle to. This part of the conversation was so confusing to me because it seemed like he was looking for additional information to make fun of me for. All in all, I don't even care that I'm not renting a boat through this company, I'm just so appalled that I was treated so rudely over the phone in such a condescending manner. I find it hard to believe that his aggression wasn't stemming from a sexist place, since he had already created his own story and narrative before he picked up the phone to call me. Beau had the opportunity to have a back and forth conversation with a guest and instead used the conversation to berate me (for what reason? what did I do to you, Beau?) and to be assertive. I would love to get in touch with the owner or manager of the company to discuss this conversation but haven't found a way to do so online. read more

We had a great time on the Point Doughty Kayak Tour with Outer Island Excursions. Our guides, Jake and Calvin, were great - knowledgeable, fun, and ensured the group was safe. While paddling, we saw harbor seals, sea birds, and sea stars. In the middle of the trip, we stopped at Point Doughty. There was an optional hike, which was pretty and led to a closer view of the seals. Everyone got to observe the tidal pools. A fun time! read more

We absolutely loved our whale watching excursion from Orcas Island into the San Juan's. Captain Trevor and Naturalist Katie were AWESOME! They were so knowledgeable about all the wildlife and sea animals including orcas of course! We learned so much more than expected as Katie is very passionate and full of incredible facts and stories! Trevor and Katie both had great vibes and were a ton of fun! We saw bald eagles & bald eagle nests, orcas & their babies, stellar sea lion, otters, and non native game animals & more! I can't remember which charter we went on but I think it was something like blackfish 2 on July 16, 2023. read more

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Thank you Paul for our amazing kayaking day around Sucia Island. You were full of knowledge about the marine life, and the history of the island. And bonus we saw a pod of killer whales and a family of river otters. Such a beautiful day! read more

Outer Island Expeditions - Sucia Island rest stop. - Fishing Near Me - Eastsound, Washington

We had a great time despite a little PNW drizzle. The boat was fast and the crew were very informative! We saw stellar sea lions, harbor seals and a pod of orcas! We'd recommend this trip to anyone! read more

Outer Island Expeditions - pod of orcas off of anacortes - Fishing Near Me - Eastsound, Washington

Great crew, great boat and great service. I will never use one of the "big" tour companies again. It was great having an intimate experience from a company that really get's it. Not a great day to see orcas, but plenty of humpbacks to see. Give these guys a try next time your on Orcas Island or need a great day trip when relatives arrive in town. Look for discount offers on GroupOn! read more

Outer Island Expeditions - Humpback whales - Fishing Near Me - Eastsound, Washington

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We booked their Groupon Whale Watching Tour from Orcas Island and saw 2 humpback whales and some seals (on our way back). The price is comparable to all the other tours going on (and you will see the other tours going on the water so really, its pointless to book a private charter because everyone sees the same things and all the boats have to stay a certain distance from the Whales, so everyone sort of is coralling around each other). We had a good time and the tour guides were nice, but I felt like the time dragged on a bit after awhile. I gave this tour a 4-Star purely because every time someone had a question, 50% of the time, the tour guides would say: "That's a good question, I'm not sure." One time I saw one of them literally Google-ing the answer. I sort of think if this is your bread-and-butter and we're asking these questions, others who tour are probably asking the same (similar) questions, ergo, you should kind of know most of the answers (I didn't feel like anyone asking questions had any outlandish questions). *They do guarantee a free return trip if you don't see any whales *Expect that this is a very quiet/mild activity with lots of sitting around. We really only saw the dorsel fin and tail of the whales (they rarely do a full breech fyi) *Snacks available for purchase *There was a restroom on our boat *Kids under 2 are free only if you pay full price for an adult ticket. read more

Outer Island Expeditions - Fishing Near Me - Eastsound, Washington

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We left from Outer Island's Anacortes location and it was a cool, cloudy day in late June. So, not the height of migration season, but we saw a couple of humpbacks rolling around in the sound and completely enjoying the day! As you can see from the pictures, the weather was, for us, perfect:overcast, cloudy and quite comfortable without the worry of a "cooked lobster sunburn"! The naturalist was informative and told us, to our disappointment, that the resident pod of Orcas no longer live in the sound. Apparently their hunting has not been productive enough to support the pod, so they have moved a richer hunting ground. That was disappointing to learn, but another factor in our education on sustainable living. The staff were helpful, kind and thoughtful during the entire trip and we had a lovely day with Outer Island Expeditions. Next time we'll try to be back during migration! read more

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Had a great kayaking trip today with Chaz He went above and beyond helping me find my keys lost on Point Doughty I recommend booking your kayaking excursion with outer island expeditions and asking for Chaz to be your guide read more

Outer Island Expeditions - Fishing Near Me - Eastsound, Washington

We took an afternoon kayak trip from the north shore of Orcas Island to Point Doughty, a State Park accessible only by water. Our expert guides/naturalists made our trip one of the best I've ever been on. We saw birds, seals, and all sorts of sea creatures. The views from both the kayaks and the park were outstanding! I'd definitely recommend Outer Island and our guides Ellie and Erica to anyone wanting to go out kayaking. read more

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Groupon Buyers Beware Cross posted tldr: if buying with Groupon read negative reviews first. Infants not included in Groupon/Voucher price, buy directly through the website if this is your same case. There are additional taxes and fees of ~$10/person on their site after purchasing voucher so don't expect the groupon to cover everything. Finally, TERRIBE customer service. We were on a family trip up to Seattle and purchased vouchers through groupon. Our group was 8 adults and 1 infant. Everything seemed to be going fine until about a week before. I was contacted to give all our voucher numbers, during this call I mentioned that we had an infant as well and they informed me that I'd have to pay for an additional ticket. I pointed out to them that their groupon specifically stated that children under 2 were free. I was forwarded to a guy named Beau who proceeded to give me one of the worst customer service experiences of my life. I showed him where it said that children under 2 were free and he insisted this was groupon's mistake and that they had absolutely no influence in the posting. Note that I took a screenshot of this because days later it was changed. I informed him that if he didn't honor what they had in writing I'd include it in my review, he responded by threatening to cancel my whole booking. I was informed that they would get back to me but wasn't contacted until 2 days before our scheduled tour. At this point I talked to the same guy, he informed me that the tour we had planned was unavailable because it was close was fully booked, this is despite the fact that I got an email when paying the taxes and fees saying my booking status was "Confirmed". I guess that email was a complete lie. I was given the option of going to another tour that would have required us waking up before 6am and traveling several hours and paying for a ferry. I told him this wouldn't work and that we wanted a refund which we got but now I'm stuck with ~400 groupon bucks. Overall a pretty terrible experience and I've seen similar reviews from other people across Google, Trip Advisor, Yelp, and Groupon. To this company: #1 If a customer points out that you have misleading advertising, thank them! Honor what you have in writing, change it for the future and move on. Instead they acted like I was calling in to harass them. #2 Just blanket include infants under 2 for free. You obviously understand this since you do it on your own website. Heck even Disneyland and Airlines do this. read more

Outer Island Expeditions - Groupon stating that children under 2 were free - Fishing Near Me - Eastsound, Washington

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