Orcas Island Whale Watching

Overview

3 hours 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

Small group whale watching tours on some of the fastest boats in the region with GUARANTEED WHALES! See whales with us or come again for FREE.

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Service animals allowed

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Children must be accompanied by an adult

This tour departs from Orcas Island. The island can only be reached by the Washington State Ferry System. If your party is not already on island we recommend our Anacortes departure location.

Check in begins 30 minutes prior to departure.

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

What To Expect

Our smaller, faster vessels take you out for whales and wildlife. We head out into the San Juans and Canadian Gulf islands to search for Orca, Humpbacks, Grays, and Minkes. We see whales on 98% of our tours! We also see many other varieties of wildlife including porpoises, seals, sea lions, sea birds, and otters. We also customize Private Charters and can add fishing, kayaking, island hopping and more!

What‘s Included

3-4 hour tour

Professional guide

High Speed Vessels

8.1% Washington State sales tax and applicable fees. The taxes and fees are required by the governing authority and not within local supplier's control

Gratuities

Options

3:30 pm Guaranteed Whale Watch

Small group whale watching tours on the fastest boats in the region with Guaranteed Whales! See whales with us or come again for free. Departs daily from Eastsound, Orcas Island, WA. Check in at 3 pm.

10:30am Guaranteed Whale Watch

Small group whale watching tours on the fastest boats in the region with Guaranteed Whales! See whales with us or come again for free. Departs daily from Eastsound, Orcas Island, WA. Check in at 10

1 pm Fall Whale Watch

1 pm Guaranteed Whale Watch

Small group whale watching tours on the fastest boats in the region with Guaranteed Whales! See whales with us or come again for free. Check in at 12:30.

Reviews

4.70

447 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

383

perfect solo trip! Saw...
Carissa R,Apr 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
perfect solo trip! Saw seals, sea lions, and plenty of orcas! The guys were great! We had the perfect weather too!
It was great
Amritpal K,Apr 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
Our naturalist, Sam, was absolutely amazing, very knowledgeable. My daughter loves orcas, he came multiple times and talked to her and answered her questions. We saw three whales this time. We would definitely be back in summer to see more whales. He for sure convinced us to come back. My daughter will make sure we’re back, lol. I loved that apart from whales, we also saw sea lions, bald eagles, harbor purpoise and seals. It was a great experience. It was a big longer than I thought it was, but it was def worth it.
Whale Sightings Even in the Off-season
Y6783TNmelissag,Mar 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a wonderful time on the trip in part because the crew was so knowledgeable, often sharing key facts along the way. Despite it being still somewhat the off-season, we saw two humpback whales traveling together and a pod of orcas before the day was done. We brought sandwiches and snacks to munch on along the way. As they mention in their guidance, bring lots of layers! The wind can really chill you.
Amazing experience! We...
Skylar S,Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Amazing experience! We saw seals, sea lions, orcas, bald eagles, and more! All of the guides are so sweet and knowledgeable! I felt like I was in a live nature documentary. Make sure you plan around the ferry times so you don’t miss your experience!
Whale watching in Orcas
Susan C,Sep 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
This was one of the top excursions we’ve taken. We saw Orcas! The captain & mate was very knowledgeable & we learned a lot about the topography & wildlife in the area. I’d definitely recommend this experience for anyone going to Orcas Island.
Super Afternoon on the Water!
reginah444,Sep 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Had a great whale-watching tour with Jarrett and Brooke. Saw SO much wildlife! Bald eagles, sheep, sea lions, and watched 8 killer whales for about an hour! Jarrett did a great job positioning the boat for viewing, and Brooke was impressively knowledgeable about all the wildlife and made the outing fun and engaging for all!
Captain Chaz and Corrina...
Donna L,Sep 20, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00
Captain Chaz and Corrina were so welcoming and very knowledgeable about the sea life, islands around orcas island. We had an amazing experience watching two male orcas swimming. Lots of picture opportunities.
Best whale watch tour EVER!!!
cmc88,Sep 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a fantastic day seeing so many whales including orcas, humpbacks and a rare fin whale. Chaz and Karena were so knowledgeable about all the interesting facts and details, which made for an unforgettable experience for all! They are amazing and I can’t recommend them highly enough!!
Excellent Whale Watching Excursion
dougdebb,Sep 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Outstanding whale watching excursion on the Blackfish IV. We saw Humpback and Orcas along with Harbor seals and porpoises. Capt Brock was excellent, friendly and funny. Naturalists Sheila and Karena were exceptional, informative, helpful and very friendly. They made and outstanding trip even better. Highly recommend this trip and this crew for whale watching off Orcas Island
A Magical Experience
Y7823NWmegann,Sep 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Seeing Orcas in the wild has been my dream for a long time. We saw so many of them on our tour! I think about 10 of them. We got to see a baby and a male orcas as well. Kate and Matt were great! Kate was very enthusiastic and taught us so much. The orcas also did a hunt in front of us so we got to see them jumping out of the water and doing tail slaps. They also got pretty close to us. We also saw floating lungs from the porpoise they were hunting which was interesting but also gross lol. Would definitely recommend and will be going again.

From US$119.00

4.70

(447 reviews)

Check availability

Want a private experience? Upgrade to a private tour

Related Experiences

Operated by Outer Island Excursions

Orcas Island Whale Watching

Overview

3 hours 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

Small group whale watching tours on some of the fastest boats in the region with GUARANTEED WHALES! See whales with us or come again for FREE.

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Service animals allowed

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Children must be accompanied by an adult

This tour departs from Orcas Island. The island can only be reached by the Washington State Ferry System. If your party is not already on island we recommend our Anacortes departure location.

Check in begins 30 minutes prior to departure.

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

What To Expect

What‘s Included

3-4 hour tour

Professional guide

High Speed Vessels

8.1% Washington State sales tax and applicable fees. The taxes and fees are required by the governing authority and not within local supplier's control

Gratuities

Options

3:30 pm Guaranteed Whale Watch

10:30am Guaranteed Whale Watch

Small group whale watching tours on the fastest boats in the region with Guaranteed Whales! See whales with us or come again for free. Departs daily from Eastsound, Orcas Island, WA. Check in at 10

1 pm Fall Whale Watch

1 pm Guaranteed Whale Watch

Small group whale watching tours on the fastest boats in the region with Guaranteed Whales! See whales with us or come again for free. Check in at 12:30.

Reviews

4.70

447 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

383

perfect solo trip! Saw...
Carissa R,Apr 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
perfect solo trip! Saw seals, sea lions, and plenty of orcas! The guys were great! We had the perfect weather too!
It was great
Amritpal K,Apr 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
Our naturalist, Sam, was absolutely amazing, very knowledgeable. My daughter loves orcas, he came multiple times and talked to her and answered her questions. We saw three whales this time. We would definitely be back in summer to see more whales. He for sure convinced us to come back. My daughter will make sure we’re back, lol. I loved that apart from whales, we also saw sea lions, bald eagles, harbor purpoise and seals. It was a great experience. It was a big longer than I thought it was, but it was def worth it.
Whale Sightings Even in the Off-season
Y6783TNmelissag,Mar 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a wonderful time on the trip in part because the crew was so knowledgeable, often sharing key facts along the way. Despite it being still somewhat the off-season, we saw two humpback whales traveling together and a pod of orcas before the day was done. We brought sandwiches and snacks to munch on along the way. As they mention in their guidance, bring lots of layers! The wind can really chill you.
Amazing experience! We...
Skylar S,Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Amazing experience! We saw seals, sea lions, orcas, bald eagles, and more! All of the guides are so sweet and knowledgeable! I felt like I was in a live nature documentary. Make sure you plan around the ferry times so you don’t miss your experience!
Whale watching in Orcas
Susan C,Sep 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
This was one of the top excursions we’ve taken. We saw Orcas! The captain & mate was very knowledgeable & we learned a lot about the topography & wildlife in the area. I’d definitely recommend this experience for anyone going to Orcas Island.
Super Afternoon on the Water!
reginah444,Sep 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Had a great whale-watching tour with Jarrett and Brooke. Saw SO much wildlife! Bald eagles, sheep, sea lions, and watched 8 killer whales for about an hour! Jarrett did a great job positioning the boat for viewing, and Brooke was impressively knowledgeable about all the wildlife and made the outing fun and engaging for all!
Captain Chaz and Corrina...
Donna L,Sep 20, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00
Captain Chaz and Corrina were so welcoming and very knowledgeable about the sea life, islands around orcas island. We had an amazing experience watching two male orcas swimming. Lots of picture opportunities.
Best whale watch tour EVER!!!
cmc88,Sep 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a fantastic day seeing so many whales including orcas, humpbacks and a rare fin whale. Chaz and Karena were so knowledgeable about all the interesting facts and details, which made for an unforgettable experience for all! They are amazing and I can’t recommend them highly enough!!
Excellent Whale Watching Excursion
dougdebb,Sep 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Outstanding whale watching excursion on the Blackfish IV. We saw Humpback and Orcas along with Harbor seals and porpoises. Capt Brock was excellent, friendly and funny. Naturalists Sheila and Karena were exceptional, informative, helpful and very friendly. They made and outstanding trip even better. Highly recommend this trip and this crew for whale watching off Orcas Island
A Magical Experience
Y7823NWmegann,Sep 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Seeing Orcas in the wild has been my dream for a long time. We saw so many of them on our tour! I think about 10 of them. We got to see a baby and a male orcas as well. Kate and Matt were great! Kate was very enthusiastic and taught us so much. The orcas also did a hunt in front of us so we got to see them jumping out of the water and doing tail slaps. They also got pretty close to us. We also saw floating lungs from the porpoise they were hunting which was interesting but also gross lol. Would definitely recommend and will be going again.