Orcas- island adventures

[stevenikkij]

My family and I want to see orcas- we have heard good things about aventures - has anyone gone through them?

[mapleleaves]

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%.

[mapleleaves]

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.

[stevenikkij]

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?:)

[Dan G]

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.

[stevenikkij]

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!!

[mapleleaves]

My trip with Island Adventures was 11-5.

This is the other vendor in Anacortes.

http://mysticseacharters.com/index.php?page=whale_watching

[stevenikkij]

Thanks all!! I am gonna check them all out!:)

[Putterdude]

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.