Posting this review far passed the amazing experience my friends and I had on our guided kayaking trip around Sucia after going crabbing and camping means that I am still thinking about it:) Outer Island Expeditions has an amazing, knowledgeable and kind staff- I will definitely make plans to book with them again soon. read more

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We had an amazing full-day kayaking trip around Sucia Island with Benson last week. The best part by far was how incredibly knowledgable Benson was about the wildlife. We saw tons of eagles, seals, deer, and more and he was able to speak eloquently about each, providing tons of information we would have never thought to ask. Our group was just 4 people (2 people in 2 kayaks) which was a perfect, small size. In the end, although it's called a full-day trip I think we only did around 4-5 hours of actual paddling. 3 hours in the beginning with an hour for lunch followed by 2 hours or so after lunch broken up by a small hike. I would absolutely recommend kayaking with Outer Island and if possible, ask for Benson to be the guide. read more

I've been whale watching a few times and this time was spectacular. I know not every watch will be like this (lots of sightings), but the staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. They will do their best to ensure you have an incredible time. read more

We had the pleasure of taking part in a whale watching excursion out of Anacortes August 1st, 2016. Captain Matt and Crew member Chelsea were capable, pleasant and fun. During the cruise they pointed out seals, cormorants, porpoise, and dogfish as we searched for whales. When humpback and minke whales were discovered, they allowed ample time for us to enjoy the encounter. They were knowledgeable about the animals that we were viewing, sharing about them and answering our questions. I would highly recommend this experience to my family and friends. Thanks so much! Engberg Family Burnsville, MN read more

What they don't tell you about this expedition is that the boat also acts as a WATER TAXI and WASTES A LOT OF YOUR TIME. For our pick-up at Willows Inn/SunSet Beach: out of the 12:15 - 5:00/5:30 schedule that we were advised (which I knew would mean solid few hours looking for whales), we spent an additional 30 minutes each way, taxiing to other ports and waiting around. While picking up other passengers is at least understandable (though not fun), on our way out, we also sat around in the boat doing nothing for a good 30-40 minutes, while they unloaded taxi passengers, lumber, groceries and misc goods. We also headed back to the hotel well before the allotted time ended (arrived at 4:30), after seeing one humpbacked whale. That was amazing, but I can't help thinking that two hours more should have let us search for another whale encounter (especially orcas!) and truly maximize our time. To add insult, we had an extremely RUDE encounter with a man we found out later was one PROPRIETOR/OWNER. It would have been nice for the owner to come chat /check in with his paying guests as we waited at that marina to unload the taxi stuff, but surprisingly (1) he only spoke with one pair of people he apparently already knew, and apparently causing more delay as the crew had to wait for him to leave; and (2) he was extremely arrogant and rude to me as well, as I offered to move my bag so he could sit comfortably -- he had sat on my bag as he spoke to the couple, which i wouldn't make a big deal out of -- but i shocked to receive a rude, curt, bullying response when i was offering to make HIM more comfortable!! I was already shocked at his behavior, but I was even more appalled to find out afterwards that he is an OWNER. I would NOT recommend this tour because of the two points above. That said, the people on our boat (Katy and Benson) were lovely people, and Katy was very knowledgeable and entertaining the whole time. We saw a humpback whale. They would have gotten many more stars from me, if not for the poor management that obviously puts guests concerns below their own -- wasting the guests' time, and not even caring enough to show the basic level of politeness. read more

We loved everything about our whale watching excursion. Fabulous crew, knowledgeable and personable. A beautiful way to spend an afternoon. read more

This was our first time on any sort of whale watching trip - and we loved every minute of it! The guides were very knowledgeable and nice, they really made the most out of the whole day. The boat was comfortable and exciting and the day was perfect to be out on the water. We would definitely recommend Outer Island Expeditions, and we are looking forward to going again sometime! read more

Captain Drew, Brooke and Dani were AMAZING hosts. Super knowledgeable about the whales and wild life. Captain drew was hilarious. Brooke was so friendly and kind. We saw so many whales in their natural habitat. Definitely choose them for your whale watching excursion! read more

We took this company's ferry out to Sucia Island. The ferry out was fine but on the return we were picked up from Sucia in the Hobbit. The boat had no seats, just large storage boxes and the captain told us to "sit or stand" anywhere. No life jacket was offered to my under 13 year old daughter. My kids sat down (thank god) and I stayed standing since he had said it was okay. Half way back the captain sped up smashing into a large wave which literally threw me off my feet. I crashed into the metal side of the boat tearing up my arm and leg. I very easily could have hit my head. The captain seemed annoyed that he had to pause the trip back while another passenger who was a physician's assistant made sure I was okay. The captain was not apologetic at all and honestly didn't seem to care in the slightest that his actions as captain had put his passengers at risk. His lack of compassion was startling. My daughter (who was sitting!) also suffered an injury. I saw a nurse and she told me my injuries would take more than two week to get better. Bleeding, abrasions, a flap of my arm was almost torn open, large blue (now purple) bruises. I tried sending these guys an email but got a very disappointing canned response back with no follow up or inquiring if I was okay. Boating can be dangerous which I get but I honestly think this company might end up really hurting someone. We had a great time on Sucia but this company is a floating disaster. read more

The kayak tour was amazing! Saw plenty of friendly jelly fish, seals, and a few bald eagles! Katie P was awesome and educated us on all the nearby islands! An Orcas island must! read more

Don't let the extremely rude and unhelpful heavyset man who answers the phones in the office deter you from having an extraordinary kayaking tour. Katie and Julie led our group to Point Dowdy and back, pointing out wildlife along the way- bald eagles, seals(!), jellies, stars, spider crabs, and anemones. They also knew a great deal about the history of the islands and all of the landmarks visible from the point. Very friendly and enthusiastic about sharing the beautiful area they call home, it's unfortunate to have to deal with the office staff, but it is truly worth it and our group forgot about how terrible he is minutes after hitting the water, we'll be back again soon :) read more

We had a great tour with Matt, Drew, Alex and the OIE team. The crew was fun, friendly and knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting the Seattle area. However, it is about a 2 hour drive from where we were staying (SeaTac). read more

Absolutely amazing one of the best things I've ever done in my life. We have done this twice and have gone with this group twice and they are wonderful. read more

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We had the best experience with this company! Not only did we see humpback and orca whales, our guide was super friendly, helpful and nice. We had a private charter and highly recommend! read more

Had the best time ever!! Going to swim with the sting rays was the absolute highlight of my trip to the caymans. We loved it so much we went out a second time. read more

Best ever Orca cruise! Good thing we chose the dinner-time cruise because we showed up right as the whales were enjoying a juicy meal. They ate, frolicked, ate some more, frolicked some more, and generally put on the best show imaginable. It was June 2013 ... Katie and Joe were also awesome! read more

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Super disappointed in the customer service policies with booking. Got a deal voucher that saved a few bucks, but then because I'm bringing my 1 year old along, I had to pay the difference anyway or buy a full price ticket for my child that will be riding on my lap. Person on the phone wasn't helpful. Hoping the service and excursion exceed the low bar they've set so far. read more

Had a great time. This was a swap out for what we'd originally planned on since the weather wasn't cooperative for kayaking (we just paid the difference). Thought it was kind they called ahead to tell us we had this option when things weren't looking promising weather-wise (thanks PNW bi-polar weather). Glad we had the chance to go on a fun, informative whale watching excursion with a knowledgeable, informed, funny crew. The guided were wonderful, comedic, sharp and answered everyone's questions. Knew exactly where to go and cared about the safety of the whales as well as their passengers. Highly recommend this outfit over the others. read more

It was a perfect day to be on the water and they delivered. We saw Humpbacks, Killer Whales, and Stellar Sea Lions.

The lady running the sign-in desk, Large lady with arm tattoos, Erin, was exceptionally rude and condescending. A major step Outer Island Expeditions can do to improve their customer service is to keep this lady away from guests. We signed up for a Kayak excursion and a whale watching trip. The guides were nice and we had a good time. The whale watching was a bust as the whales were hanging in Canadian waters and we could not venture there due to Covid-19. To the crew's credit, they did warn us of this possibility. Side note, they don't let you use a single Kayak on the tours so it you are going there expecting to be able to use a single Kayak, you will be out of luck. read more

Great kayaking tour! Knowledgeable guide and a sunny day with so many wildlife sightings!

It was my first time on orcas island and my first time whale watching! After a couple hours of whale searching, we finally got word of the Jpod up in Canada. I feel so lucky to have been able to see these beautiful creatures as close as we did! Thank you soooo much Lindsey and Dillon for the most incredible experience! They were extremely knowledgeable and made the trip so enjoyable regardless of how cold it was out there. We will definitely be returning! read more

Excellent service from my initial telephone call, to the welcome & safety message on the boat, to the well-informed commentary while on the water. The on-board interpretive staff and captain really went out of their way to ensure our trip was informative and fun. It certainly didn't hurt that the captain positioned our boat for excellent viewing of a pod of transient Orcas for over an hour, in addition to a little sightseeing commentary along the way. I have enjoyed several whale-watching trips in Hawaii, California and Washington -- Outer Islands Expeditions was by far the best. read more

Money well spent! We had a blast today on our whale watching tour. Not only did we get to see the orcas up close, we also learned a lot about the marine mammals that frequent the area. The ride was exiting and fun and the crew made every effort to get us to see the orcas. read more

Amazing experience, we saw two humpback whales, and some sea lions for almost 45 mins, it would have been even more amazing if we could see orca but , we were so happy with what we saw. I would definitely go back again and next time hoping to see some orca read more

It would have been better if I knew I could bring a cooler with food and beverages as I saw others did. Really enjoyed it though! read more

Terrible customer service! Terrible preparation and guidance! Our party signed up for a Sunset Kayak tour and it became a chaotic fight to not get swept out to sea. A storm had rolled in that afternoon and we called to see if the tour could be postponed, but were told "No. They go out rain or shine." But there was much more than rain this evening! There were winds clocked at over 16mph. We told them we were inexperienced and they still sent us out saying it would be fine. By the way, the "training and preparation" for kayaking lasted about 8 minutes! They wanted to hurry and get ahead of the storm. But that did not happen. We fought against the current and could make no progress. There were 2 adults and three young teens in our party along with a couple of other kayaks. The guide seemed overwhelmed at what to do since many of the kayaks were getting pulled out to sea. We ended up being told to turn around about 30 minutes into the tour and it took the next hour or so -fighting against the waves - to get back to shore when the guide began to tow us, one by one, to a sheltered place and then back to a channel that we could maneuver back to shore. This was no relaxing tour to see the sunset from a kayak and we were also told that no one EVER sees whales from the kayaks! Just FYI. We asked for a refund since we really had no tour whatsoever and were told that we were "just scared" and they would not give us a refund. The condescending tone used toward us was absolutely the worst. Yes! One should be scared if you fight against the current for 15 minutes and can make no progress and little by little are getting closer to the open sea while the wind and rain are blasting you! This tour should have been canceled or postponed as we requested. We are all thankful to be well and just want to share our recommendation to forego this expense. Rent a kayak on your own on a beautful day of weather and enjoy! I am a travel agent with a whole host of clients interested in this trip I just took. I will NOT be recommending this to them!!! read more

Called to get information on kayaking excursion. The guy on the phone recommended the 10am excursion and I explained that we were catching the 1030 am ferry from anacortes and if he had any other recommendations ... he recommended the 10am excursion... was a bit annoyed and didn't book. Could have been a bit more helpful since it was our first time to the island, as I had explained already. Will revise review if I get the chance it go back and go on an excursion. read more

All in all, it was fabulous. At first we were kinda wondering because the guy who took our payment was quite ambivalent but it was uphill from there. We were on the "Blackfish" boat which was comfortable and speedy. Bobby was our naturalist and Dylan our driver. These 2 young lads were awesome. Bobby knew so much about all the different types of sea life and was especially knowledgable about whales. We saw humpbacks, minkes and orcas. Fabulous! It was kinda pricey but they took us out for 4+ hours. Also, it would have been nice to have some water available. But other then that-we were happy campers! read more

This was great! I called to make an appointment the day before. The person on the phone was patient (he was so busy, I could hear the other phones ringing, but he never rushed me) and answered all my questions. We booked a trip for the next day at 530pm. We saw a family or orcas! Lindsey and captain T was knowledgeable and friendly. They let us know fun tidbits and also what the plan was for the night so we knew what to expect. Overall, a great enjoyable trip! Bring a jacket or two. read more

We have used this company twice now. We were able to see whales both times. It was great. I would definitely recommend this company.

A wonderful way to escape the city to explore the gorgeousness of the islands in so many ways. Kayaking around Sucia Island for the day was one of the most relaxing enjoyable experiences this year. Extended the trip to go whale watching, and were lucky enough to find Orcas on a hunt too! These folks are working hard to keep options available for us to get out into our beautiful world, and do so safely. Masks and covid-protective policies helped us all feel safe to relax and enjoy a few beautiful moments on the water. read more

What an excellent trip! My husband and I booked a whale watch in October for our anniversary. We were lucky enough to see a "super pod" of orcas, as well as porpoise and stellar sea lions. The guides were knowledgable, friendly, and accommodating. I would HIGHLY recommend taking a trip with them! read more

Just finished a tour with Paul and Dayna. Paul got us very close to some Orcas which we followed around for a bit. We were fortunate enough to see some harbor seals and a bald eagle as well. Huge thanks to Paula and Dayna! read more

This whale watching expedition was the highlight of our trip, we enjoyed every moment of it. It was also very productive - we got to see the whales a number of times. In addition we also saw dolls porposes, seals and sea lions. The guide Lindsay was very knowledgeable, and made the whole expedition extremely interesting with her insights of whale behaviors. The captain Paul was amazing as well, he knew exactly where to take the boat to maximize the viewing experience! We will definitely be back here very soon! read more

I recently took a whale watching tour with Outer Island Expeditions. It was in fact, the day that the orca mother, J35, finally let go of her dead calf after carrying it around for 17 days. Although the captain and naturalists on board were knowledgeable and spoke about the declining salmon populations and other threats to the survival of the orca pods, they did not have an answer for the question "what can we do?" or "what organizations can we support that are helping to protect orcas?" After an emotional experience of seeing an orca pod that may no longer be here in a generation, many of us were ready to reach into our wallets and support any worthy organization doing its part to protect them. It was disappointing that those on board did not have suggestions for us. Not only would several of us on the boat that day have likely contributed to the cause, but if each tour group (which go out several times daily) were told and had even one person donate, it would make a huge difference for this cause. I am particularly disappointed because when I emailed the company about this, I got a very perfunctory response ("Thx") from Nathan Brandow (the owner) that indicated to me that he had no real concern for the ecosystems or species that he's profiting off of with their tours. As much fun as I had on the tour itself, I don't feel good knowing that this company is missing an opportunity to be a force for good for the orcas, and in fact, doesn't seem to care at all. read more

We went out whale watching and were impressed with the integrity of this company around not only providing us with an adventure, but meeting safety guidelines around covid. They ensured that each passenger wore their mask *properly* throughout the trip. We were so pleased that we rented kayaks from them a few days later and were just as satisified with their knowledge, helpfulness and ease. Kudos. read more

This was one of the most exhilarating experiences! We loved the fast speed of the boat. The naturalists were so informative and were excited because we came across a visiting pod of orcas that they had never seen before. We were fortunate enough to have many orcas come very close to us. It was the perfect afternoon. I was so thrilled with the whole experience that I just had to hug the captain as I got off the boat! read more

While the day started with enthusiasm hearing that there was a pod of transient Orca's nearby, it grew more disappointing as the afternoon went on. Somehow, we were always the farthest boat from the whales by a long shot. We were told that they had to follow the setbacks, I understand that. But somehow we were never one of the closest boats out of the 3-8 boats that were out there. And we were almost always shooting into the sun versus the other boats mostly having the sun behind them. We saw whales, but from a distance. Got some photos, but nothing to brag about being so far out. Saw sea lions on an island, but if Orca's are your thing, I would suggest a different company, maybe one with a faster and smaller boat. They always seemed to be in the action. Nice people, but that is not what we came for. Wanted great Orca photos. Left the boat disappointed. read more

My family and I had a great experience when we went on our sunset whale watching tour. The guides were knowledgeable and got us up close to a pod of Orcas hunting for their dinner, as well as to a number of harbor seals, porpoises, and a bald eagle. My young boys certainly struggled to follow the "3 points of contact at all times" safety rule, but the staff never once reprimanded us and, in fact, made us feel as welcome as any of the other guests with more typical ages in tow. Whale watching with Outer Island Expeditions was an incredible treat and I'm so glad we did it during our trip to Orcas. read more