Get up close with the killer whales of Anacortes, the home port to the San Juan Islands, on this guided, 3-hour whale-watching cruise. Led by naturalist guides and captains, climb aboard a Blackfish fleet vessel and travel through some of the most picturesque scenery in the Pacific Northwest searching for orca, humpback and gray whales. Along the way, see ocean wildlife in their natural environment, like seals, porpoises, sea lions and otters — plus a wide variety of birds and more. Sightings are guaranteed from April through early September.

Take a whale-watching cruise near Seattle
Visit Anacortes, home port of the San Juan Islands
See resident killer whales
Witness local ocean wildlife in their natural environment
Fun for the entire family

What's Included

Professional guide
High Speed Vessels
3-4 hour tour
8.3% Washington State sales tax and applicable fees.

Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

2201 Skyline Way
2201 Skyline Way, Anacortes, WA 98221, USA
Meet at the yellow building with a red roof past the Skyline Marine Center. Our office is on the second level, marked Blackfish Tours by Outer Island Excursions. Parking is located behind our office building in our parking lot, along the street for free, or in paid parking lots across the street.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Not wheelchair accessible
Please note that this tour departs from Anacortes (90 minutes north of Seattle)

Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 49 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Cherie_G

My sister and her husband and my husband and I had the best time! We were at the bow of the catamaran when a pod of whales surfaced directly beneath/in front of us close enough that I actually felt a little spray from one whales' blow hole!! It was so awesome!! The whales weren't the only hits from the excursion. The captain, Brock, and crew, Brook and Delaney made the trip fun and educational, too. Just some of the interesting things they taught us include that transient killer whales eat mammals and residents eat fish. You can tell the two apart by the white patch transients have near their dorsal fins (which continue to grow throughout life, with males fins being larger than females). We also learned babies are born light whitish-pink in color. Another tidbit: killer whales have highly developed amygdala, indicating they are likely even more emotional than people! Who would have guessed that? If you want to know more you HAVE to book with this company. You won't regret it! Brock took us right to the whales. Brook and Delaney taught us things we didn't know. And, they all were so friendly and spent time with every person on board. They made ours day!!

Reviews

5.0

548 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 548 reviews

Wondrous whale spotting!

Nancy_L, Sept 2023

The biologists on board put huge efforts into explaining about the humpback whale and the hunting orcas we saw. They did it with great humor, solid information, and had everyone's rapt attention. It was amazing that in the midst of this vast sea/ocean, the tour found a humpback, and then later a small group of hunting Orcas. The captain was sensitive to the comfort of the guests and did a great job ferrying us to and from the sightings. I highly recommend this excursion for anyone wanting to whale watch.

Awesome. We would come again!

Kay_S, Sept 2023

My daughter and I took this trip on a whim. It was everything we hoped for. Captain Brock was friendly and went further than expected to follow leads on the orca pod. His crew was extremely informative and friendly. We enjoyed the stories and their knowledge of the area and sea life. We met people from all over the US. Everyone was friendly and there to enjoy the beautiful area. We saw Hydara the Humpback whale and T109A pod of Orcas. We wish the pod would have come a bit closer but we understand why the boats have rules.

Nice but not exceptional

Diane_E, Sept 2023

Pretty bare bones excursion. For the same amount, I cruised out of Bellingham and a hot lunch was provided.

Whale watching adventure!

Julieta_G, Sept 2023

Watching the T60 orca pod hunt was amazing. The explanations offered by Ben were very informative and enhanced the overall experience.

Great trip

Tom_S, Sept 2023

Clint and Delaney were great, very informative. We saw Orcas close up, sealions, seals, porpoises (one less after the Orcas finished) and bald eagles.

End of Summer

Heaven_L, Sept 2023

New t-shirt with orca whale. Sun and wind. Lovely day. Very nice people. Thank you for the lovely day.

Memorable Experience

Jesse_B, Sept 2023

We had a great time and would totally do it again. During the trip, we saw a family of 5 orcas and followed them for about an hour. It was really cool to see.

Amazing!

Josh_H, Sept 2023

Great experience, great crew! Crew was very knowledgeable and friendly, and catered your experience and education about the whales to how you wanted it.

Grand times with Orcas on the Salish Sea

John_E, Aug 2023

Spectacular naturalists on board with more info than I could digest. Perfect sized boat. The larger ones we saw out there looked too crowded and the smaller crafts didn’t have shelter when the weather was bad. The captain was relaxed and friendly. All around a great time!!! If I had one suggestion, it would be to keep the office open until after the last boat returns. We didn’t buy souvenirs before we embarked but we’re excited to get some when we returned. However, the office was closed and we went off without purchasing anything. Easily a $100 missed sale… Still, a great trip!!!!

Great experience!

Keith_M, Aug 2023

The ride was comfortable and the orcas were amazing. The crew was friendly, informative and professional.

Amazing tour!

Ajay_S, Aug 2023

Amazing whale sighting and great hosts who were very knowledgeable - we saw 5 orcas, many seals, a few birds (an eagle!)

Friendly and professional.

leilani_s, Aug 2023

This was a beautiful day. The crew were lovely and kind and we saw at least three pods of orcas. Helpful and friendly and the boat was clean and enjoyable. Wonderful.

Incredible Orca Experience!

Michelle_A, Aug 2023

Incredible tour! We saw a family pod of 4 orcas hunt down a minke whale. The whale got away but it was 40 min nail-biting experience. We also saw a playful otter, cute puffins and other marine life. Such a great day with a great crew with Jim, Sylvia and Brook!

Followed a pod of 4 Orcas...

Barbara_D, Aug 2023

Followed a pod of 4 Orcas for most of our time on the 3 hour tour which was extraordinary. Just lucky I guess. Crew was knowledgeable about the whales and other sea life that we saw. Excellent experience!

What an experience the...

Debora_R, Aug 2023

What an experience the naturalist were friendly and helpful nothing but a fun day. I enjoyed seeing all of the wildlife in the area

We saw a Pod of Orcas and...

Dennis_U, Aug 2023

We saw a Pod of Orcas and watched them for some time and later saw a single Humpback. Great trip and Great crew!! I did feel like parking should have been included in the cost. Just my opinion.

Whale watching was awesome!

Sandra_D, Aug 2023

Seeing the beauty of Washington was breathtaking! We saw 2 humpback whales, bald eagles, seals, sea lions! It was a wonderful experience my family and I really enjoyed. Our crew Drew, Alex and Sylvia were awesome! Highly recommend this excursion with this outfit.

Sam is very personable...

Maryee_W, Aug 2023

Sam is very personable and very knowledgeable. You can tell he's very passionate about marine biology and loves what he does and the beautiful animals he gets to see. He loves educating people. He's great. It was a great trip. Loved the captain and the other person who helped, a girl, I'm so bad with names. Sorry. Anyway, I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone. It brought joy and peace to my heart and s gratitude for what a beautiful earth we live on.

bucket list achievement

Allison_M, Aug 2023

We truly had such a great time with the Outer Island Excursion’s crew (Captain Drew, Jordan, and Clint). Everyone was so knowledgeable and fun, it made an already amazing experience that much better.

Great trip

ronald_t, Aug 2023

Had a great day with trvor and Sophie. Saw 2 different humpback whales that put on quite a show for our group.

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