I checked out all the boats offering whale watching. Odyssey is #1 for comfort and viewing. Super helpful, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Dry and warm blankets allowed me to sit in the bow area with powerful binoculars provided by staff. Snacks and drinks available for a $1. Bountiful wildlife were spotted - killer whales in hot pursuit of a seal lunch, huge sea lions, various birds of prey, and a magnificent bald eagle. Our boat had the best viewing advantage. Captain Pete and the crew are the best. read more

Bucket List - Orca Jackpot! Family of 13 (including 4 kids under 12) all really enjoyed the voyage aboard Odyssey. All were comfortable and plenty of room for a good view. The crew was amazing. Very knowledgeable, my grandkids loved learning about sea creatures and the Orca names of the two families we saw. This was a dream trip - bucket list! read more

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Had the best trip out with Captain Pete!! The staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend for whale watching! read more

San Juan Excursions - Boating Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

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Above and beyond efforts by the captain and crew made for a victorious experience! It was the highlight of our vacay! read more

We had an amazing whale watching experience on The Odyssey with San Juan Excursions! The trip was easy to book and they are communicative ahead of time. My husband and I enjoyed the size of the boat- it gave us space to move around, sit in shade, sun or take a break inside throughout the journey. Some other tours are smaller boats and you're locked into your sane seat the entire excursion. It was a beautiful day and we saw a pod of 5 orcas and enjoyed their majesty together! The boat captain and naturalists provided a lot of information and their experience shines throughout the trip. I appreciate animal facts and there were many to be heard! Overall, we had an excellent time and would definitely recommend them for anyone looking for an informative yet relaxing whale watching experience. read more

San Juan Excursions - Boating Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

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We had a great time and spent 45 minutes with an Orca family of four! Learned lots from the naturalists on board and got free professional photos of the whales from our trip. read more

I had a great experience with San Juan Excursions. The captain and naturalists were very helpful and informative during the entire trip. They were also answering any questions we had. They handed binoculars to everyone which made it easier to spot orcas and other animals up close. They also gave us photos taken by a professional a week later which were much better than the ones taken with phones. Definitely recommend going to them for Whale Watching on San Juan Islands. read more

The captain and crew were friendly and knowledgeable. We spent a lot of time with the Orcas, so we didn't feel rushed. The photos they took were fabulous,so I can look back fondly on this great adventure. read more

Easy to book, great friendly captain and tour guides. The guides help point out where animals are so you don't miss them. They also hand out binoculars which I thought was fantastic. The boat also has snacks and drink on deck for $1. A week later we received photos the professional photographer on the boat took for us so we could really just enjoy the moments. read more

We had a wonderful time on this expedition. Nebula, the orca, was the best, but we saw so many different animals. read more

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Pros: Great communication and wonderful staff. Cons: Been coming to the islands for years and decided to try this company on a whim. Money wasted, all we saw on our 3 hour tour were Orcas and nothing else. As a regular here who goes on tours annually, the Salish sea is very rich in biodiversity and it doesn't take that much effort to be shown seals, sea lions, seabirds and the occasional bald eagle or a bald eagle nest in addition to Orcas. For me, a whale watching tour needs to have more than just whales considering how abundant marine life is here. Unfortunately we did not get that and I was left disappointed and waiting for next year when I will go back to my regular tour operator - Maya's Legacy Whale Watching. read more

My husband and I had a lovely time on this excursion. The naturalists were incredibly knowledgeable about the Orcas, being able to identify them by name. I was impressed! The pictures taken and sent to us were beautiful! I would highly recommend this tour to any one fortunate to visit Friday Harbor at San Juan Island. read more

Had a fabulous morning out on the water! The boat was comfortable the employees were fabulous! Great information the day was exceptional. Learned so much. Had great morning read more

We loved our day with your crew. The boat was comfortable and allowed for moving around throughout the day. The naturalist really knew their stuff and enriched the experience with all the education they provided. Loved it!" read more

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Great trip. We saw lots of wildlife and the naturalists were very knowledgeable. We did a similar one in the afternoon that did not have free binoculars or the free photos. That was a very nice touch! Highly recommend. read more

The tour was exceptional. An orca family showed up near our ship and entertained us for the longest time. It was exciting to see them feed and swim about. I would do this excursion again and highly recommended it to others. read more

The crew was phenomenal! I was so pleased with my decision to go with San Juan Excursions. You can tell the crew really cares and the bonus of professional photos sent to you later was such a nice touch!! We had a wonderful day and honestly thought because we saw a fin or two of the beautiful humpback whale and her baby that we wouldn't get the guarantee ticket but they blew us away by still offering it! I also really appreciated how we didn't crowd the whales and kept our distance comparatively to other less respectful boats! We're already planning a trip back and hope to bring our family next year! read more

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Had a great experience with the team today! Easy to book and the communication prior was fantastic. Couldn't have asked for a better trip to see 11 killer whales and learned a lot from the staff on board. Can't wait to see the photos they took of the whales we saw on the trip. Would highly recommend!! read more

Extremely patient and helpful crew on board (tour date 12 Sep 2023) that explained the common marines life and ecosystem to us. The Captain's perseverance was touching and rewarding, getting us all the way to Canada where we finally saw a herd of 7 magnificent Orcas. Worth the trip read more

San Juan Excursions - Beautiful Orcas - Boating Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

This was a great outing. The naturalist commentary was so helpful but not overwhelming. Next to seeing the amazing wildlife, the best part was the crew member who took pictures and shared them with everyone on the cruise. It took the anxiety out of having to rush for a perfect angle and allowed me to enjoy the scenery and wildlife. read more

The staff on this excursion are AMAZING. Knowledgeable, courteous and fun. Even though I don't live far away, (Bainbridge Island), I learned SOOO much! Lovely experience! read more

The tour was amazing and informative! We had such a great time!! Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the San Juans! As an extra bonus, they shared photos with all guests after so that we could be present in the moment. read more

"My family and I were sooooo glad to see Orcas!!! Thank you for going the extra miles into Canada to see the orcas... it was wonderful. The only slight thing I could think of, was that the sliding wooden doors were a little hard to close one handed... but that's really because I'm looking for ways to provide some feedback... with covid, I didn't want to close the door all the way, but during some stretches, it got too windy to leave the door open. The binoculars loaned out to each family were lovely gestures, and the photos emailed later was really generous. We had some in the family that get motion sickness, but the boat was big enough to not be an issue, and the little ones napped during some of the quiet stretches. The snack shop was lovely, too... Thank you for a wonderful San Juan Island experience!" read more

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Magnificent. Do not hesitate. I booked a tour for my birthday since 'seeing orcas in the wild' has been on this animal lover's bucket list for a while. We went at the very end of April and practically had the boat to ourselves. With 2 amazing naturalists on board, I got SO much of their precious time that that alone was worth the cost. We did not see orcas the first day but we did see bald eagles (juvenile and adult), a peregrine falcon, and plenty of sea lions and seals. On our 2nd day (thanks to that guarantee of seeing whales), we did see a pod of Biggs orcas as they migrated. It was lovely! We all made silly noises when the baby popped up and swam around. It was wonderful to experience. We spent most of the time watching them swim along peacefully. We did see a few other animals that day, but, of course the orcas were the highlight. These are wild animals so just getting to see them putt along doing their thing was good enough for me. So many good things to tell you about - they take professional photos that are shared within a few days. This lets you bury your face in the binoculars and be in the moment. They have good binoculars! My personal ones were way too strong and hard to use on the boat so I went with their loaners. The naturalists care so much, want to educate, and encourage the younger generation. Their observations during these tours actually helps the scientists - too cool. Seriously, if you get the chance to nerd out with the crew - do it, you will learn SO much. The captain kept us informed and sailing smoothly while maintaining a proper distance to protect the marine life. It was a fantastic experience - thank you to the crew. Big, huge, thanks. read more

San Juan Excursions - Boating Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

Capt. Pete, Brittany and Debbi were all warm, accommodating, professional, and fun. We loved it. We got really lucky and saw some incredible wildlife, including a pots of 4 orcas. It was magic. Being that, we learned so much from the crew, who answered every one's questions with passion and insight. read more

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We were in town from Chicago and saw the T100 pod and it was amazing. We are already discussing when we will come back and have told pretty much everyone we know. read more

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San Juan Excursions has provided such superb customer service that when I worked with them, I felt confident I was working with true professionals. I would recommend San Juan Excursions' service to anyone who needs it. Five-Star Review All the Way! read more

Our whale watch experience was amazing! We learned so much about the Salish Sea ecosystem, and our guide told us the incredible story of kidnapped Orca Lolita AKA Tokitae, and her hoped-for returned to L Pod. We didn't spot any orcas, but that's ok, we were grateful to see humpback siblings Divot and Split-fin. Unforgettable first visit to San Juan Island/Puget Sound. Thank you! read more

San Juan Excursions - One of the amazing professional shots taken by our whale watch crew, emailed to us at no additional charge. :) - Boating Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

Taking a very brief trip to Seattle, I certainly wanted to get on a whale watching excursion. The initial website made it super easy with the chat line, answering all questions I had. The booking of the tickets was easy. I was given great information on how to get to Friday Harbor from where I was staying. The boat was super comfortable and the captain and naturalist offered some wonderful information. We saw a lot of sea lions and birds but unfortunately no whales during this trip. A rain check was given. We plan to go back! Highly recommend if you're looking for a whale watching excursion on a very nice boat. read more

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The crew was so friendly and knowledgeable. I loved hearing the marine biologist talk about all of the animals, especially the whales. We followed a family of 4 for quite awhile and they put on a show. I highly recommend!!! read more

We had a great time with Debbie and Melissa; Debbie gave us expert commentary, and Melissa took MANY photos of whales, other wildlife, and even of us. Getting the photos after the trip was wonderful - Melissa was a much better photographer than I was! I really enjoyed the day and completely recommend San Juan Excursions. read more

A wonderful experience with a staff that is knowledgeable. Definitely would recommend San Juan Excursions.

It was a really good experience. We were able to see a pod of orca's. On our way into the harbor another orca by its self took us into the harbor. I would recommend San Juan Excursion's, the Captain and Crew were very knowledgeable and helpful with questions anyone had. I would go again. read more

We had an awesome time on our trip. We messed up our planning and missed the ferry to the islands to make our original tour time. They were so accommodating and were quickly able to reschedule us to a later time! It was very much appreciated! read more

Our whale watching cruise was spectacular! We left from Friday Harbor for our afternoon tour and followed two different pods of Orcas and they frolicked about and chased salmon. Picky eaters, these whales only dine on Chinook salmon. There were some huge whales in the pods along with some juveniles that were just going nuts. We saw a few spy hops and tail smacks along with the usual surfacing. An epic breach was about the only thing we didn't see. Crew was helpful with pointers and we also saw many seals, bald eagles and bighorn sheep. What an experience! The Odyssey had plenty of space for everyone aboard and many different vantage points to take it all in from. The crew was friendly and helpful and we had a great time. Highly recommended! My photos don't do them justice, so here's their link to our day. http://blog.watchwhales.com/august-17-2015-tour-photos-sfhfgjghk/ read more

San Juan Excursions - Timing is everything in life - Boating Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

Our guide was super knowledgeable of the area. We saw more than just whales and she was able to educate us on all of them- eagles, diving birds, seals, etc. 10/10 read more

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Friendly, responsive and very knowledgeable. Captain did not give up til we saw the humpback's tail :-)

Very knowledgeable and friendly crew. We spent some time looking for Orcas before locating them. While we were looking we were learning about the islands and the wildlife that resides there. It wasn't the constant drone of a wrote script but rather, small vignettes delivered at appropriate times with plenty of quiet to create our own experience in nature. And of course, seeing a few families of orcas in their habitat was amazing! we loved it! read more

Absolutely wonderful experience! I was a little nervous at first, as I've never really been out on the ocean much before, but the boat was large enough that I didn't get any sort of sea sickness and I felt completely safe. The crew was extremely knowledgeable of the orcas and the San Juan Islands so it was great to learn at the same time. When we made it to where the orcas were hanging out, it was so surreal! At one point they came up right behind and then beside the boat! Could not have asked for a cooler experience :) read more

San Juan excursions was amazing! The crew was knowledgeable and entertaining! It was not a huge group, but more intimate and felt like you were on a boat with family friends. They took you all around to see so many different areas and you really felt like you left the area with not only seeing some whales, but also a respect for the area you've just been traveling through. We did not know realize that they give you another nontransferable pass to come if you dont see any whales! It was a first class experience and so glad that we booked with them. You will not regret going on one of their excursions. read more