Orca Watching- Seattle area

[stevenikkij]

My family and I will be visiting Seattle for a few days after our Alaska cruise at the end of July. We want to see orcas- I have several companies that I have heard of from these boards- anyone have any reviews or comments about any of them. We know we will have to travel out of the city to see them. We don't want an early cruise- because we thought we may hit some traffic, and also how many hours are the tours normally?

Island Adventures

clipper vacations

mystic sea charters

 

Thanks!!!:)

[mapleleaves]

I'm pretty sure I've responded to your previous threads about orca viewing. I went with Island Adventures. The tour was 6 hrs +. It was great! I'm sure both companies out of Anacortes are comparable. Beautiful scenery throughout the cruise and Anacortes is a cute little town.

The tour length is posted on their web site. Don't all 3 vendors have that info on their sites?

Island Adventures also has a sightings log by date (which will give you an idea about your chances).

[Dan G]

dlippervacations.com

 

is the only one I know of that leaves from downtown Seattle. All the others your going to have to rent a car and drive 50 miles to Anacortes

[dileep]

Island Adventures also leave from Everett which is a shorter drive from Seattle.

 

Tour Length: Everett departures, 2.5 - 3 hours. Anacortes departures, 5 - 6 hours.

[mapleleaves]

If I remember correctly we had to be at their Anacortes office by 10:30am (about an hr from Seattle), then we drove a few blocks to the dock. The boat left around 11am and returned around 5pm. I went in early Sept just after the fall season started so the hours might be different in July. I waited for a nice sunny day then booked on-line the night before to get the web discount.

 

The tours from Everett only occur in the spring during the grey whale migration. ( i got an announcement from them a few weeks ago that the Everett trips started last weekend).

[donaldsc]

Even though they are there, don't count on seeing them. I paddled a kayak around Seattle for a week and then took a 1 day boat trip with my wife. Saw lots of dolphins but not one orca.

 

DON

[stevenikkij]

Thanks for all your replies- just trying to compile info together about this trip. :)

[mapleleaves]

hopefully you'll see your whale quota in Alaska so you won't have to go to more expense to see them in WA. I tried to attach a couple of photos; we'll see if it worked. I'm no photographer.

It's a gorgeous area. Not too far out of Anacortes you're sailing past the San Juan Islands, so there's ferry traffic, sailboats, beautiful island homes. Just a nice place to go boating.