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Seattle Orca Whale Watching
Departing From Friday Harbor,
north of Seattle
The best orca (killer) whale watching is here on San Juan Island, near Seattle. The islands are considered the "jewels" of the pacific north west by Seattle.
San Juan Islands Whale Watching
Whale Watching Tours near Seattle are 3-4 Hours
$75 Adults/$49 Children 2-12 years
under 2 Free |
Whale Watching / Friday Harbor
| NOON |
April 3, 10 & 17
October 9, 16 & 23
Saturday Only |
| 1:00 PM |
April 24- October 2 Daily |
5:30 PM
Sunset Tour |
June 12 - August 21
Daily |
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Private charters are available year round - weather dependent.
Ask us about Weddings, team building, water taxi, reunions & more.
Catering available. |
See orca whales from San Juan Island. San Juan Island is where the southern resident orca whales live about 5 months of the year. At this writing there are 89 resident orca whales. They are around San Juan Island from about mid-April to end of September.
San Juan Island is considered THE BEST place to view orca whales (so close to Seattle) because the salmon, which are their prime source of food (about 95% of what they eat), travel up and down the west coast of San Juan Island and outlying areas.
We see orca whales, also called killer whales, on over 90% of our tours. If we had included minke and gray whales it would be even higher. What are the best months to see killer whales? May through September. What is the best time to see orca whales? Anytime. They are out and about all day, so morning, afternoon or evening- it doesn't really matter. We say go when it fits your schedule. We guarantee that you will see marine mammals and that you will come back with memories to last a lifetime!
May - September the island is generally sunny and warm. Because we are in what is known as the "rain shadow" created by the Olympic Mountains. While Seattle has about 30" of rain annually, we receive approximately 18". Most summer days are around 70, but bring a jacket because it is always a bit cooler on the water. This mild climate makes it great for outdoor activities both on and off the water.
We keep our guest count small. On the Sea Lion 40 or fewer guests. This gives you, our guest, the opportunity to converse on a one to one basis with your naturalist and captain. We pride ourselves on both personal attention and the insight that we bring to those viewing wildlife with us.
Our tours and staff are so well loved that a good portion of our business is repeat customers.
Guests tell us repeatedly that our staff is warm, friendly and how much they learned from them.
Our vessels, the Sea Lion and Kittiwake both are stocked with plenty of educational materials, field guides, maps, blankets, jackets and binoculars. We also have Cetacean Research hydrophones on each boat (yes, you can hear the whales communicate). All vessels have heads.
Why YOU should go with US
We respect not only the legal distance from orca whales but the polite distance. This allows the orca time for foraging, resting and such. Our staff is handpicked for both their scientific understanding of wildlife, their love of and dedication to wildlife and the environment. We also select staff that has an outgoing and warm personality. All of us at San Juan Safaris pride ourselves on attention to detail and follow through.
 Professional naturalist on each trip
Members of a whale spotting service
1997 - to present we had over a 90%
(per trip basis)sighting record!
Fast,safe,stable vessels
Emphasis on the entire ecosystem
Binoculars, blanket, jackets on board
Educational books, materials &maps on board
Hydrophone aboard both vessels
MV Sea Lion 55 X 15.8', walk around deck,
enclosed cabin &bathroom
MV Kittiwake 30 X 12' partially enclosed cabin
& bathroom.
(this is a pdf file)
sanjuansafaris.com is the copyrighted intellectual property of
San Juan Safaris, Inc.,
Friday Harbor, WA, USA
updated:
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MV Sea Lion 55 foot X 16 foot, walk around deck,
enclosed cabin and bathroom
MV Kittiwake 30 foot X 12 foot, partially enclosed cabin and bathroom. Whale Watching Guidelines M3 brochure
Jumping for Joy? Photo contest winner
Ernie Westle 2003
 Orca Whale starting into a back flip
 Orca Whale done with the back flip
Orca Breaching off San Juan Island
Orca with rainbow
A group of Orca gliding by our boat - photo by Peter Di Lorenzi
 Orca frequently swim right up to our boat which has it's engine off. Our boat was stopped on the southern end of San Juan Island in this photo
 photo by David Erich-Great timing and great camera lense
Two Orca Whales swimming the coast line
Harbor Seal
Mature Bald Eagles
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Bellingham Whale Watching
Seattle Whale Watching
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