If you have ever tried to plan a Whale Watching Near Seattle trip and ended up staring at ferry schedules for forty minutes, you are not alone. The classic advice is to head out to the San Juan Islands, which sounds great until you realize it usually means a vehicle ferry from Anacortes, timed stops, and a half-day eaten just on transit. The good news for 2026: you do not actually need a ferry to get on the water and see orcas. Here is what works, where to launch from, and ho

Picking between Seattle and Orcas Island for Whale Watching is one of those calls that sounds simple until you actually start looking at maps and ferry schedules. Both areas put you in the Salish Sea, the home stretch for orcas, humpbacks, minkes, and the occasional grey whale, but the trip looks very different depending on where you launch. If you are flying into Sea-Tac and trying to figure out whether to book from Seattle's piers or drive up to Anacortes and run a tour tow

The most exciting part of your whale watching trip has arrived–you’re ready to book your tour! But hold on. Two types of tours? Whale & Orca vs. Orca-Only. What does that mean? And how do you know which is best for you? Oh, the decisions. Fear not, we’re here to help you figure it out! Whale & Orca Tours For a classic wildlife experience, you can’t beat our standard Whale & Orca tour. Lasting three to four hours, these tours will take you out into the Salish Sea in search of

T123, Sidney, chasing a seal. Photo credit: Naturalist Megan MacGregor Whales in Anacortes WA: Who We Saw Summer has officially arrived! Memorial Day weekend brought all the orcas, multiple humpbacks, and new gray whales to the Salish Sea. Species Seen This Week Killer Whale - Total: 137 Humpback Whale - Total: 5 Gray Whale - Total: 10 Individual Whales Seen This Week A spyhopping Biggs orca. Photo credit: Naturalist Megan MacGregor Killer Whale: We encountered orcas 20 time