stevenikkij Posted February 10, 2011 #1 Share Posted February 10, 2011 My family and I want to see orcas- we have heard good things about aventures - has anyone gone through them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapleleaves Posted February 10, 2011 #2 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I went out with them last Sept and had a really good trip. Normally I go the north end of Vancouver Island to view the resident pods near Telegraph Cove but that's a 4 day trip so I decided to try somewhere close with less travel time. Anacortes is only about a 90 minute drive from Seattle. I waited for a calm clear day and booked the night before. (a savings for booking on-line). We left the pier around 11am and didn't get back until almost 5pm so it's a nice leisurely day trip. The boat ride itself is very scenic; islands and gorgeous waterfront homes, a few lighthouses, lots of sail boats, small fishing boats and a ferry. We saw seals, bald eagles, and a minke whale. Then we came across a few orcas near San Juan Island, then a few more showed up, then a few more. Altogether we saw about a dozen. The staff were very enthusiastic and identified each whale we saw. At one point a school of dolphins came zooming towards us which was great fun. They have a hydrophone to listen to the whales communicate. It was very peaceful and quiet to sit and watch and listen. There was seating upstairs and down, inside and outside so a nice setup. There's another vendor in Anacortes as well. I'm sure either one would be good. It was a great day and I would definitely recommend them. I don't know when you're going, but on their web site they have a sightings log so you can see what your chances at that time. The southern pods are resident so I think the chances are like 97%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapleleaves Posted February 10, 2011 #3 Share Posted February 10, 2011 if you go to the Anacortes forum on tripadvisor you'll find reviews. I posted a review after my trip. I'm trying to be more diligent about writing reviews in order to combat the junk written by the one-post wonders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenikkij Posted February 11, 2011 Author #4 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I was wondering on the times too, the days we would be visiting the 2 times are 9:30am and 3:30pm. I wish it would have been an 11ish one. How many hours is the tour?:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan G Posted February 11, 2011 #5 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I was wondering on the times too, the days we would be visiting the 2 times are 9:30am and 3:30pm. I wish it would have been an 11ish one. How many hours is the tour?:) Did you consider a day trip from downtown Seattle? You could look at: clippervacations.com they go to San Juan Islands right from downtown. Just another idea vs driving to Anacortes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenikkij Posted February 11, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Did you consider a day trip from downtown Seattle? You could look at: clippervacations.com they go to San Juan Islands right from downtown. Just another idea vs driving to Anacortes. I will check them out. :) thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapleleaves Posted February 11, 2011 #7 Share Posted February 11, 2011 My trip with Island Adventures was 11-5. This is the other vendor in Anacortes. http://mysticseacharters.com/index.php?page=whale_watching Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenikkij Posted February 11, 2011 Author #8 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Thanks all!! I am gonna check them all out!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putterdude Posted February 11, 2011 #9 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I have never used Island Adventures but as a former owner of a weekend home in the San Juan Islands I certainly have known of them and understand that they are very good people. However, whenever you are dealing with Mother Nature, there are no guarantees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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