An absolutely perfect day; a perfect experience with wonderful guide. We can't give Brandon credit…read morefor the weather, but after such a breathtaking experience, we were praising him for the perfect weather, too. Booking was a breeze, advanced communication was timely and informative, check-in was friendly and easy, and even the drive across the island from Friday Harbor was engaged and informative. But the real magic happened on the water, where we started under mild, overcast skies, and ended with sunshine and perfect weather. Along the way we saw: 1 black fox, 2 harbor seals, 1 harbor porpoise, a rhinoceros auklet (unique diving sea bird), 13+ Bald Eagles, AND TWO HUMPBACK WHALES! The beach side lunch was fantastic... the best turkey sandwich I've ever had, made exceptional by the views and the company. The lack of an Orca sighting made this full day trip an eyelash shy of perfect, but we could not have otherwise been more thrilled with our experience on the water with Brandon and the Discovery Sea Kayak team. Thank you for a magical day on the island. PS - we paid half as much for a full day tour with Discovery as we did for a half day tour on Orcas Island, so this group gets our strongest recommendation!

Did a two day trip. The guide was fantastic. with knowledge of plants, animals, geology and…read moreislands in the area. And the food was excellent, thoughtfully prepared and sensitive to peoples food allergies. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend. Also of note is that the equipment was good quality and well maintained, with the kayaks being stable and relatively easy to steer with an added rudder.

I have been eyeing San Juan Cruises for at least two years and this year my oldest son wanted to…read morecelebrate his birthday exploring by boat. Booking our adventure was extremely easy via the San Juan Cruises website. I greatly appreciate how detailed the reservation information was, and most importantly how courteous the entire team was throughout our time aboard. The team went into great detail about our journey, history on each island we passed, and insights on the protected wildlife we could possibly encounter during our voyage. The vessel was extremely accommodating for all of us on board, ample seating, viewing opportunities, and two restrooms. The team makes an excellent warm lunch was provided; while snacks and beverages were available throughout the entire duration of the voyage (grab a cup of coffee Blue Herron coffee beans based out of Bow, WA makes a great cup!) We managed to encounter eagles, seals, walruses, dolphins, a gray whale, and two different orca pods. Each sighting was absolutely breathtaking and majestic! I could not ever imagine going to a theme park to view these magnificent animals. The voyage takes between 5-6 hours plan, you'll be surprised at how quickly that time goes by. Helpful tip for parents bringing children feel free to pack coloring books, board games, binoculars, and snacks for your littles the San Juan Cruise team welcomes it for the little voyagers. My parents have already had planned to book an excursion during their visit next month, and I highly recommend for anyone who lives in or visiting the area to do so as well!

My boyfriend and I booked the afternoon whale watching cruise at San Juan Cruises not knowing what…read moreto expect and it ended up being the highlight of the weekend. The crew was very friendly and I loved that it was guided by the Captain and Naturalist onboard. I learned a lot about islands in the Salish Sea and we saw several species of animals. There are several great viewing spots on the boat and it's easy to see from inside if it gets too windy. I learned so much about the Biggs orcas, sea lions, and harbor seals. It's not promised, but we saw two different groups of the orcas right at the beginning of the trip and surprisingly at the end in Bellingham bay. It was so nice to learn about them and get an up close view (within safe distance). They served a lunch onboard which was included in the cost, however we packed our own. They also have beverages and snacks for sale throughout the ride. I didn't bring binoculars on board, but I did see people with them. My iPhone was enough to get close up videos and pictures of the animals! I would definitely recommend this to family and friends!

How do we keep adding stars! From the time we met Jette and Jon, we felt right at home and spoiled…read more Sailing the San Juans was a dream come true, but little did we know how wonderful every single day would be. Attention to every detail from warm coffee mugs to fill our fresh coffee at 7am to gourmet lunches and dinners, and of course desserts. We had a wonderful time. Jon and Jette are the most gracious hosts, who now we consider friends. Jon keeping us safe and informed of the wildlife and sealife, but also taking us on hikes on islands only accessible by boat. Jette with her great sense of humor surprising us at every turn with a new talent from gourmet cooking, writing songs, playing her guitar and sharing her doodles are a few of the many talents she revealed to us. And then there is Geni, sweet Geni, their portugese water "boat" dog. We instantly fell in love and could not get enough of her. I don't now the last time I felt so relaxed and pampered. Thank you Jette and Jon for the wonderul memories! We are looking forward to returning next year! To anyone considering Sailing the San Juans - this is your charter! You will have the time of your life!

From the moment you step onto the Northwind, take in every single second you can!! Every…read moresecond--every peaceful moment, every sweet and savory bite Captain Jette serves, every bit of island trivia Captain Jon offers--as you sail calmly past thick green forests dotted with specks of white the resident bald eagles offer in the form of head and tail. This is truly an adventure awaiting! If you have ever wanted to sail but don't know how, just leave the sailing, cooking, and swabbing of the decks to Jette and Jon. They love to help make wonderful memories for all of us, and do so graciously and kindly. So stop wondering and take the leap (sail). You will have a blast

I was visiting my daughter in Bellingham and was invited on a day out by Chariot Adventures. Cathy…read morethe owner of the boat made me feel relaxed as I was pretty nervous. She is very patient and teaches the people on the boat a lot about sailing while you are on your excursion. I would highly recommend her for an excursion or the other services she offers. She will take you out for a day or many days. You want a great experience, than Chariot Adventures is who you should call.

Our 2-day sail on Chariot with Cathy Franklin was fantastic. The boat is beautiful, Bellingham…read moreharbor is a great gateway to the San Juan Islands, and Cathy was wonderful. Chariot is well stocked, well organized and totally charming. The crew of six included my wife and I, our two girls (12 and 15), our good friend Murray, and Cathy. Cathy was calm, capable, and great fun to be with. She encouraged the girls to take turns at the helm which they loved, but I think they loved piloting the dingy best. Cathy pulled us all into the experience and shared her love of sailing and the San Juan Islands. We spent the night at Matia Island, then explored Patos, and Sucia. Finally we had a late dinner in secluded Inati Bay on Lummi Island and sailed back into Bellingham harbor under the stars. We will definitely be back. Thank you Cathy!

Our first and probably only experience with Bloedel Boat Rentals was a huge disappointment. We…read morerented a pedal boat for a lil fun exploring the lake. The person working at the rental shack was super friendly and helpful with directing us to our rental boat. We pushed off from shore peddling backward until we reached a good spot to turn ourselves around and move forward with our adventure. Much to our disappointment the boat would only turn to the left no matter which direction you try to steer it in while peddling forward. So at this point we are just doing circles in place lol. We then reversed ourselves back to shore and decided to try the second peddle boat that was brought out by mistake. The second boat was even worse lol. The second boat had the same issue of only circling left when peddling forward, only this boat had a broken seat back which also made peddling a struggle. We went back to the rental shack to return our life jackets, the person working was super nice and offered us another boat, but we declined because at that point we were over it. The rental person did reach out to the owner for us and we got a refund about a week later. I just can't help but wonder about the condition of their other boats since we tried two different boats and both we broken.

I rented a kayak and had a great time. The workers carried the kayak to the water, provided a free…read morelife vest and helped me board. Very safe, friendly situation. I really enjoyed getting out on the water. They have paddle boats and paddle boards that the kids seem to sit on and paddle like canoes while wearing life jackets. A great way to spend an hour or more. Easy payments online

Amazing whale watching trip! Nate and Nat were awesome and full of knowledge! You can tell they…read morelove what they do! Highly recommend if you're in town to book a trip with them! Will be back for sure!!

I live in the Seattle area, and it was on my bucket list to go whale watching and see some orcas! I…read morehighly recommend deer harbor charters, especially if you live in the area. The first time we went out we didn't see any orcas, so we were able to go back out another time for free for a second chance! The naturalist and boat captain were amazing and knowledgeable on all kinds of facts, and you can ask any question, and the experience of seeing orcas was incredible! They also provide professional photographs taken on your outing after the trip

This was my first time going on a whale watching boat tour! I will be differing from my usual…read moreorganization of information and just delivering bullet points about the experience! Read on to hear my thoughts. * I took this whale watching guided tour in March and it was pretty cold and windy. Make sure you bring extra warm clothes!! * If you're bringing a camera, bring a good long-distance lens. When I went, we couldn't get very close to the whales and orcas, so the photos on my phone didn't turn out too well. * The people leading the expedition are very, very knowledgeable and extremely helpful!! Kudos to the team at San Juan Safaris and thank you for sharing your knowledge! * There are places to sit/be sheltered on the boat. * The trip is roughly 4-5 hours out on the water. * Very fun overall!! Final thoughts: It was SO fun, and I got so many cool photos (even without my camera and long distance lens lol). Dress warmly, be prepared to be out on the water for a while, and have fun!!

This was my second tour with San Juan Safari's. I can't begin to explain how lovely my experience…read morewas for both tours. I think the staff are all professional and knowledgeable. We got to see a pod of 8 orcas, sea lions, seals, deer, and eagles. I would highly recommend!

I cannot explain how thankful I am that I chose Western Prince!! Prior to booking, I read that they…read moreallow you to come for a second viewing if whales were not spotted on your trip. We unfortunately saw no whales during our first outing (so many cute seals and eagles though!), but they were able to squeeze us in the next day for another chance at no additional cost. And on that second trip we were blessed to see multiple orca pods socializing together! They had a mic that they inserted into the water, and we got to listen to them socialize. I wasn't aware they had this and it was such a magical experience to hear them! Huge thanks to Ivan and the rest of the crew for this once in a lifetime experience, it was a dream come true!

Well-organized, comfortable, informative, and we spent most of our time looking AT whales, not…read morelooking FOR whales! Excellent experience!