Plan ahead. Cash only. There is an ATM at KeyBank up the road. No bathroom nearby. This is a small…read morehike from town, so I would recommend driving. It was quick and easy for us to get out on the water. We had a good time.

My family and I have now enjoyed the folks at Crescent Beach for several years. We've gone in large…read moreand small groups from ages 10 to 68. A gorgeous place to paddle around and enjoy the waters of Eastsound. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for some time in nature. Both Dave and Joan are very knowledgeable and generous with their experience and local happenings such as whale sitings, wildlife spotting and latest goings on with the "locals". Can't wait to take the family back out.

Our first and probably only experience with Bloedel Boat Rentals was a huge disappointment. We…read morerented a pedal boat for a lil fun exploring the lake. The person working at the rental shack was super friendly and helpful with directing us to our rental boat. We pushed off from shore peddling backward until we reached a good spot to turn ourselves around and move forward with our adventure. Much to our disappointment the boat would only turn to the left no matter which direction you try to steer it in while peddling forward. So at this point we are just doing circles in place lol. We then reversed ourselves back to shore and decided to try the second peddle boat that was brought out by mistake. The second boat was even worse lol. The second boat had the same issue of only circling left when peddling forward, only this boat had a broken seat back which also made peddling a struggle. We went back to the rental shack to return our life jackets, the person working was super nice and offered us another boat, but we declined because at that point we were over it. The rental person did reach out to the owner for us and we got a refund about a week later. I just can't help but wonder about the condition of their other boats since we tried two different boats and both we broken.

I rented a kayak and had a great time. The workers carried the kayak to the water, provided a free…read morelife vest and helped me board. Very safe, friendly situation. I really enjoyed getting out on the water. They have paddle boats and paddle boards that the kids seem to sit on and paddle like canoes while wearing life jackets. A great way to spend an hour or more. Easy payments online

Addie was our guide and we had a fun 1.5 kayak tour of Bowman bay and surrounding area. As our…read morefirst time in sea kayaks we were excited to head out. Addie gave us tons of educational info that was cool and interesting. Although we didn't sea orcas breaching over our kayaks like we'd dreamed of, we did see plant life, fish, crab, seals on rocks, and "Ellie Mae" the female elephant seal on shore. 1.5 tour was the perfect amount of time for our day. We even got to taste bull keep leaves- tasty but also very salty lol! Thanks for a great tour Addie!!

We did the bioluminescence tour in late June. Our guide was very friendly and helpful. He pushed…read moreour kayaks into the water so we didn't get wet. He knew where to go to find the bioluminescence and the tour was plenty long. The equipment was nice. The launch point was easy to get to.

Top notch half day sea kayak tour! Staff have ACA training which shows a commitment to high…read morenational standards and safety. I trust their knowledge of the area, their kayak skills, and safety mindedness. The kayak guide was fun, knowledgeable, and had everything going smoothly. I'd gladly do another kayak tour with these folks!

An absolutely perfect day; a perfect experience with wonderful guide. We can't give Brandon credit…read morefor the weather, but after such a breathtaking experience, we were praising him for the perfect weather, too. Booking was a breeze, advanced communication was timely and informative, check-in was friendly and easy, and even the drive across the island from Friday Harbor was engaged and informative. But the real magic happened on the water, where we started under mild, overcast skies, and ended with sunshine and perfect weather. Along the way we saw: 1 black fox, 2 harbor seals, 1 harbor porpoise, a rhinoceros auklet (unique diving sea bird), 13+ Bald Eagles, AND TWO HUMPBACK WHALES! The beach side lunch was fantastic... the best turkey sandwich I've ever had, made exceptional by the views and the company. The lack of an Orca sighting made this full day trip an eyelash shy of perfect, but we could not have otherwise been more thrilled with our experience on the water with Brandon and the Discovery Sea Kayak team. Thank you for a magical day on the island. PS - we paid half as much for a full day tour with Discovery as we did for a half day tour on Orcas Island, so this group gets our strongest recommendation!

Honestly, pretty disappointing, especially for how expensive it is. I liked that they had sorbets…read moreand a non-dairy option, but I was really disappointed that the flavors were not good. The coconut sorbet tasted really artificial, almost like there was too much extract added. This is the only place to get ice cream (that I'm aware of), so I guess they don't have to try very hard.

We finally made it to Clever Cow Creamery after lunch on our last day in Orcas Island. It's a cute…read moreice cream spot in town. I got Chocolate Almond Chunk and loved it. The service was also great.

I have been eyeing San Juan Cruises for at least two years and this year my oldest son wanted to…read morecelebrate his birthday exploring by boat. Booking our adventure was extremely easy via the San Juan Cruises website. I greatly appreciate how detailed the reservation information was, and most importantly how courteous the entire team was throughout our time aboard. The team went into great detail about our journey, history on each island we passed, and insights on the protected wildlife we could possibly encounter during our voyage. The vessel was extremely accommodating for all of us on board, ample seating, viewing opportunities, and two restrooms. The team makes an excellent warm lunch was provided; while snacks and beverages were available throughout the entire duration of the voyage (grab a cup of coffee Blue Herron coffee beans based out of Bow, WA makes a great cup!) We managed to encounter eagles, seals, walruses, dolphins, a gray whale, and two different orca pods. Each sighting was absolutely breathtaking and majestic! I could not ever imagine going to a theme park to view these magnificent animals. The voyage takes between 5-6 hours plan, you'll be surprised at how quickly that time goes by. Helpful tip for parents bringing children feel free to pack coloring books, board games, binoculars, and snacks for your littles the San Juan Cruise team welcomes it for the little voyagers. My parents have already had planned to book an excursion during their visit next month, and I highly recommend for anyone who lives in or visiting the area to do so as well!

My boyfriend and I booked the afternoon whale watching cruise at San Juan Cruises not knowing what…read moreto expect and it ended up being the highlight of the weekend. The crew was very friendly and I loved that it was guided by the Captain and Naturalist onboard. I learned a lot about islands in the Salish Sea and we saw several species of animals. There are several great viewing spots on the boat and it's easy to see from inside if it gets too windy. I learned so much about the Biggs orcas, sea lions, and harbor seals. It's not promised, but we saw two different groups of the orcas right at the beginning of the trip and surprisingly at the end in Bellingham bay. It was so nice to learn about them and get an up close view (within safe distance). They served a lunch onboard which was included in the cost, however we packed our own. They also have beverages and snacks for sale throughout the ride. I didn't bring binoculars on board, but I did see people with them. My iPhone was enough to get close up videos and pictures of the animals! I would definitely recommend this to family and friends!

I booked a 3 hour trip with Sea Quest. Paid the deposit and filled out all the waivers…read more Unfortunately the Saturday before our trip my husband needed emergency surgery which caused us to have to cancel our trip. I called and emailed all of the various excursions, rental cars, sea plane rides etc. Every single one responded and let me know what I needed to do to get credit or refund etc. All were very helpful and supportive EXCEPT SEA QUEST. Sea quest didn't respond at all other than by sending requests saying they did not have our waivers. To which I responded letting them know we had cancelled the trip and btw had sent the waivers even though they're not necessary at this point. I would've been ok if they kept the deposit or gave us a credit. But they continue to ask for waivers while I'm in the ICU with my husband and have now added an additional charge. The kicker is that we're a party of three and they sent a message stating that solo kayaking isn't allowed?? So, are you saying someone has to stay behind because we're a party of 3 and you don't have other kayakers?! lol What a stupid comment w/o providing more info. Clearly not organized. They used to be reputable but clearly they're new ownership has issues. This is one company I won't be using when I rebook our trip.

Sea Quest is an absolute gem that never fails to amaze me. Their staff is incredibly kind,…read moreknowledgeable, and always ready to assist you. If you're planning a kayaking adventure around the San Juan Islands, make sure to book with Sea Quest.

Such nice and helpful people…read more.. Last weekend my wife and I rented a boat from them and Chris was super helpful in getting us prepped with everything we needed. What I really liked was that no one at this facility read the riot act as they were walking us thru the process, which is what my experience with a LOT of boat rental places is... everything was done in a very relaxed manner and everything was explained very nicely We really enjoyed the 4 hour boat ride and did a loop around Waldron Island. Our boat died in the water after about three hours. Nate, Chris and Natalie were there within 15 minutes and helped us get back. They are all SUCH KIND and NICE people, they took care of the issue immediately, put us on a new boat and brought us back meanwhile towed the other boat. Despite the minor hiccup, a worthwhile experience...

Wonderful opportunity to rent a boat and explore the area from the water. Well worth doing as part…read moreof a visit to Orcas Island. The people who run it are very nice, and informative. Only negatives are the web site is out of date and they don't actually rent everything that's currently advertised. It's not an especially inexpensive way to spend a day (depending on your personal situation) but is a memorable, scenic experience. Not recommended if you don't have some boating skills, there are some shallow spots, rocks and tidal conditions to be aware of that could turn a fun day sour - but this isn't their fault of course. Overall a very good & fun experience that also felt safe. Seeing the islands from the water and not just from the ferry route is great!