Anacortes Whale Watching: Whale Watching In Anacortes near San Juan Island Washington

Anacortes Orca Whale Watching-Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington, 60 minutes from Anacortes - a ferry ride away.

October 3, 2005 Monday Today the Sea Hawk had a private charter. 12 guests got to see Orca Whales off the west coast of San Juan Island. It is beautiful today. Blue skies around 65.

October 2, 2005 Sunday - our last day of regular operation Truthfully, it was very windy yesterday. We considered canceling the 1:00 whale watching tour, but the GUESTS want to go! So, off Captain Peter took them. It was a good nature tour, sea birds, seals, porpoise and lots of beautiful scenery. The Orca Whales could not be found by anyone.

October 1, 2005 Saturday Captain Nancy reports today that both of our boats are just south of Henry Island, near Roche Harbor, with Orca Whales. They are viewing J and K pods. Captain Nancy also mentioned that six Dalls Porpoise where near by and active. It is about 60 today.

click to continue capt log

It is easy to get here from Anacortes.

Driving Directions From Seattle
By car, take Interstate 5 to the Burlington exit (230). Turn west on Highway 20 until you reach Anacortes.
Follow the signs to the ferry landing. Hop on the ferry and get ready for some serious fun! Allow 1.5 - 2 hours driving time to Anacorttes from Seattle. Not familiar with using our ferries? Phone us. We can make certain you board the correct ferry at the correct time.Click here for a recent schedule for the ferry, Anacortes to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island.

2004 Season April 23 - October 3

Full schedule of all tours departures click here

State of the Orca - Our Position Paper

See orca whales from San Juan Island. San Juan Island, just 90 minutes from Seattle,is where the southern resident orca whales live about 5 months of the year. At this writing there are 84 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 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!

Departing from Friday Harbor
on our vessel called the Sea Hawk 3.5 - 4 hour tour - $59 (adults) $39 (child 4-12)for children 3 & under please ask

April 23 to June 11
1 PM

June 12 to Aug 21
1 PM & 5:30 PM
Sunset tours are beautiful and at this time of year it can stay light until 10PM up here

Aug 22 to Oct 3
1 PM

Departing from Roche Harbor
- Vessel is called Kittiwake
3-3 .5 hour tour - $59 (adults) $39 (child 4-12)for children 3 & under please ask

April 23 to June 11
11 AM

June 12 to Aug 21
11 AM & 3 PM

Aug 22 to Oct 3
11 AM

Occasionally these boats will change places or both boats will depart from the same harbor.
How do we find the whales? We belong to a good spotting network. We actively spot early in the morning from the west side of San Juan Island. Plus, we have many relationships with others in strategic locations that are in contact with us when they spot whales and have experienced captains. The location of the whales on one day is no predictor of where they will be the following day or even in the next few hours.

A word about companies that 'guarantee' whales: How can anyone give this guarantee on wildlife? Read between the lines. Wildlife is just that, wild. By whales, they might mean any kind of whale, gray, minke, a porpoise or a dolphin. By guarantee they mean you will not get your money back. What you will get is a 'rain check' to go with that company on another day. Some companies make you go back to their office and stand in line to retrieve this rain check. The only company that can truly 'guarantee whales' is Sea World. You will also find that the companies offering this take more than 50 guests on their boat at a time. Why be herded when you can be guided?

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. We place only 24 on the Sea Hawk and 18 on the Kittiwake. 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 Kittiwake and Seahawk both are stocked with plenty of educational materials, blankets, jackets and binoculars. We also have Cetacean Research hydrophones on each boat (yes, you can hear the whales communicate). Both vessels have marine heads.

The Kittiwake, pictured below, is 30 X 12 ' with ½ of its seating enclosed and ½ open air. A portion of the open air is covered by a canvas canopy. The Sea Hawk, pictured below, is 41 X 14' with heated indoor cabin seating, outdoor covered seating, outdoor open seating and a walk around deck.

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 - 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

Hydophone aboard both vessels

The Kittiwake - 30 X 12'

The Sea Hawk - 42 X 14'

Whale Watching Guidlines M3 brochure

(this is a pdf file)

sanjuansafaris.com is the copyrighted intellectual property of San Juan Safaris, Inc.,
Friday Harbor, WA, USA
updated:7-05-05

Jumping for Joy? Photo contest winner
Ernie Westle 2003

Orca Male

Raggedy & friend against a backdrop of the Olympic Mountains, taken from our vessel off the west side of San Juan island Photo by Katie Jones

Orca blow or breathing out. Some of the moisture is from the lungs

J-16/Slick by Katie Jones taken from our vessle

RARE photo of a MINKE (baleen whale) taken off our vessle and sent by a guest. These whales are very shy, rarely seen, come up & go right back down

Orcas at rest. This is called "logging" when they gather together & float at the surface-
Photo by Katie Jones

Juvenile male

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

Dalls porpoise are curious and fun loving seen frequently riding bow wakes

Four Orca

FREE activity book for kids while supplies last.

Reserve your adventure now!

Departing from Friday Harbor & Roche Harbor
San Juan Island, Washington
800-450-6858 or 360-378-1323
www.sanjuansafaris.com
fun@sanjuansafaris.com

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